Merry Christmas!

Sorry for the long absence. I've been in the US for a very good holiday.

Here is a waterspout (I think) that I photographed near Lilongwe recently.

I returned to Malawi through Paris this time, and given the
confusion in the Netherlands, I'm glad that I did. Charles de Gaulle
Terminal F is neat, with it's transparent roof.

Happy New Year!

Liwonde (2)

The waterbucks are not too wild.

What people mostly go to see are the hippos. One place I stayed
had a hippo come out of the river and graze on the
lawn after dark. During the day they mostly stay in the river.

Sometimes they are interested in the tour boats,

and sometimes they aren't.

Liwonde National Park

I know that some of you think that I must never work. Actually,
I just take fewer pictures of work, because I'm...well...working.

This is the Shire River south of Lake Malawi, where there
is a dam to regulate the flow of water. It is wide and slow
and home to birds and hippopotomi, and crocodiles, though
I didn't see any of the crocs.

The surrounding country is low and dry and hot, and home
to many baobab trees. They are the ones with the thick
trunk at the right and the left.

Lots of marsh birds, too.

Road Trip to Makanjira (2)

We even weighed the twigs and leaves.

Here are some Faidherbia trees left in farmers fields
so that their leaves become fertilizer for the crops.

Makanjira could become quite the tourist haven if
they paved the last hour of the road. It can be very pretty.

We hope that this contributes to measuring of trees
for carbon in farmer's fields, so that they can be paid for
raising these trees.