We had been told that the road from the lake to Livingstonia was a series of steep hairpin bends but navigable in the dry weather. It has 21 switchbacks in 21 km to be exact, but the road was in reasonable condition and the traffic light so no worries. We climbed up to the forested escarpment.

Livingstonia Mission Church est 1875

David Livingstone and Robert Laws

We drove into the town centre. There were lots of young people about, looking studious, as you may expect for a university town. The University currently boasts about 2000 students. Many buildings of red brick date back to the early settlers.

There is a museum in the Diocesan HQ , The Stone House, with dusty but interesting exhibits and old photos. This was the home Robert Laws built. The early mission was very successful with 40,000 christian converts but things fell apart when their benefactor in Scotland died and a new denomination took over.

In 1959, during the period when Malawi was seeking independence, there was unrest and violence, the government offered to evacuate the mission. The mission was asked to respond with a coded message spelled out with white bricks outside the mission to signal a plane and arrange evacuation. They refused the offer, believing they lived in harmony and love with the community, and they wrote "Ephesians 2 v14" with the bricks instead, by way of a reply.

Ephesians 2 v 14: "for He is our prince who has made us both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us."

A photograph of the message taken from the plane appeared on the front cover of the Rhodesian Herald the following day and in the Manchester Guardian a few days later. It seems they were right, they were unharmed. The locals remain proud of their missionary heritage.

After browsing the curios and a cool drink at an orphan project, we met the church caretaker who offered us a tour. This was the first church, built by Robert Laws, and still in use today.

It is small and neat with a stained glass window depicting Livingstone, and a rickety bell tower with steep stairs. On top we could look out over the leafy town.

The stained glass window portrays Livingstone standing on the shores of Lake Malawi, accompanied by two of his loyal attendants, Chuma and Susi, while meeting with local village chiefs.

View from the top of the bell tower.

Permaculture is an ecological design approach that creates sustainable human habitats and agricultural systems by emulating the patterns, relationships, and resilience observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. Basically organic farming. Nothing is wasted and fertilisation is non chemical. Crop cycling and partner plants are used.

We wandered through the vegetable and fruit plantation and it really was impressive, healthy and productive. Interlocking lakes and ponds full of lillies. Since Lukwe started permaculture several other projects have started in the area. It is an innovative way to counter the issues with sewage in an ecologically sustainable way. I think digging septic tanks in this granite landscape would be impossible.

After getting our heads around the concept of human excrement as compost we did not really think about it again until, on the last morning, eating a beautiful breakfast at the restaurant overlooking the lake, I paused with a forkful of salad half way to my mouth. Am I eating poo? Well it was mighty tasty so maybe it is time for all of us to reimagine our relationship to poo.

You know Dudley, he spent the next 3 days planning to dry compost our toilets at home!

As an aside, modern slavery remains a significant issue in Malawi, with an estimated 93,000 people living in conditions of forced labor or forced marriage at any point in 2021. The country serves as a source of victims for human trafficking, both domestically and internationally, primarily driven by poverty and a lack of job opportunities.

The 2023 Global Slavery Index reports a prevalence of approximately 4.9 people in modern slavery per thousand population in Malawi. Now that is food for thought, and action.

We decided our next destination was going to be this intriguing park.

We set off for the Nyika park. First stop the major regional town in this area Rumphi. I was again somewhat surprised to find so little available in the shops. The poverty in Malawi is visible. We power cleaned Lisas breaks and bought some biscuits, bread and milk. As we were pulling out a smartly dressed guy flagged us down. He was a Nyika park ranger looking for a lift and we scooped him up.

When we woke at daybreak our bonfire was already lit and, despite the icy cold we stayed warm. We drank our tea watching antelope graze on the grassy slopes. Amusingly the landscape is often compared to the Scottish Highlands or the Yorkshire moors. That may reflect the large numbers of homesick Scottish missionaries. I think it looks a bit like the Drakensberg foothills, Ithala style.

Denham's Bustard above and the CordonBleu Waxbill below.

We had booked a night drive for that afternoon. Leopards are common and we were keen to see if we could spot one. The park vehicle came and collected us, a modified cruiser with roof hatches. Aron, the guide we gave a lift to, was our driver. We roamed the park and saw all the usual suspects.

He told us about the plants and we stopped for the orchids. Not the ones we thought. There were also a lot of wild flowers with English names like lupins, gladioli and irises. Those Scottish missionaries were really homesick! He showed us St Johns Wort and Artemsia.

We stopped for a sundown cup of tea and then, as the sun set, we headed to the forest to see the night life. The leopard did not materialize but we had a lovely Serval and 2 eagle owls as well as lots of scrub hares and nightjars so all was not lost.