Cool Running: Red Moon Rising
A little late in posting this. Having spent Thursday and Friday nights at Senga Bay, we realised that nighttime and mornings were very windy. The strong wind off Lake Malawi appeared to drop in the afternoons. With this experience we decided to try for a flight Saturday afternoon. Sam had used her connections with the Parachute Batallion, her local police force and driver to assist us, and arranged for a new cylinder of gas to be brought from Lilongwe. We loaded the balloon into her pickup and 'picked her up’ along the road from where she was working with the young volunteers building a kindergarten. Not far inland there was the mainly dry floodplain of the Mpatsanjoka River, running parallel with the Lake. The wind had calmed nicely for a gentle inflation so Chris and I had a lovely 6 knts flight with stunning views of the Lake. Offshore islands appeared to be floating above the water in the late afternoon sun. Sam and driver followed us and the 20 minutes in the air passed quickly, a tip over landing not far from a track. In no time we were surrounded by scores of children who had run at top speed to find us. A blast on the burner sent them fleeing in fright to allow us space to pack away. It had been one of the most scenic flights we have made in Africa. Very fitting for country number 99.
Back at the Camp just before dark we had time for gin and tonics at the bar on the beach front before a wonderful dinner of katatango (Catfish) fillets. The full moon had just risen, blood red, a phenomenon we had not seen before, casting a red reflection across the water.
To thank Sam for all her help, we went out again on Sunday afternoon for Christo take her for a flight. This time the launch area was in a slightly wetter area and I squelched through a smelly bog while coming in with the crown line! A 15 minute flight and landing on the airstrip. No moon visible that evening.
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