Day 43 Huntingdon Lodge, Satemwa Tea Plantation

After a leisurely breakfast despite a raven trying to steal our bread which resulted in a sprint across the campsite to get it back. 

We walked up to the William’s Waterfall, it was about 25 minutes up the river and we were enjoying a pleasant few minutes photographing the falls when the solitude was interrupted by a large family who appeared from nowhere with a guide having driven rather than walked up. 

On the drive down from the plateau we stopped to buy strawberries – you can buy all sorts of fruit on the mountain, gooseberries, wild raspberries, rhubarb, blackberries as well as strawberries.  Having bought a large bag full, Ian reminded me that he doesn’t actually eat strawberries!

On the way to Satemwa we stopped in Blantyre as we were passing within a few miles.  Blantyre must be the largest place we have been so far on our trip and the contrast between the lives of the population in the country compared to the city was particularly stark here – with huge mansions surrounded by walls and barbed wire.  We ended up having lunch in a Chinese restaurant – we could have been anywhere in the world but it made for a nice change. On the way back out of Blantyre there were road works and no clear diversion so we ended up driving right through the local bustling shoe market.

Arrived at Huntingdon Lodge mid-afternoon. The lodge was built in 1935 in an old colonial style and is set in 11,000 acres of tea and coffee plantation.  The grounds themselves are beautiful and our room, “Father’s Room” is amazing – it opens onto the front lawn with its own khonde (veranda) with sofas and a dining table where we had dinner.