Dedza

Two weeks ago Serena went to Dedza with her co-fellows for a retreat. Last weekend we decided to escape the city and return to Dedza for a bit of hiking and a look around the pottery and other sights. Shortly after arriving we took to the hill, something Bao loves as a chance to roam free.

Perched at a resting spot with our destination in the background.

Before this resting spot we noticed a group of eight--seven girls and one boy--coming down from the mountain after collecting firewood. Everyone had a load... except the boy. Serena explained that the rural Malawi culture dictates it is not appropriate for boys to do such work. Instead, he just merrily walked along as the girls, some looking as young as eight or nine, carried enormous loads on their heads.

Once at the summit, Serena and Bao found precarious perches upon which to enjoy the view.

"I am precariously perched!"

"I am very precariously perched!"

While on the rock a big crow buzzed Bao. We jumped, but he seemed quite unaware of any danger. In the background of the photograph is the summit with some fairly formidable rocks seen more closely in the shots below.

Notice in the picture above the rebar and wood at the top. At one point in time a ladder was in place, but it is long since usable. Instead of summitting I was content with photographing.

The hike was pleasant and afforded beautiful views near and far. On the way up we noticed massive tree planting efforts and, farther along, a small lumber mill.

Lumber mill in the distance with tree growing plots surrounding the grounds.

Why the tree planting efforts? Because, as you can see from the photograph below, the harvesting plans are the simple, dreaded, clear cut.

To their credit, most places in Malawi are cutting trees at an unprecedented rate without the replanting. Acknowledgement where it is due, I suppose.