New Year hippo sunset boat ride

My first night camping in Liwonde National Park was not the most relaxing experience i've had! there was little sleep with sounds around us that i have never heard, it was ok in the day time, but there is something unearving about hippos, elephants, lions and all sorts of weird animals making sounds all around us. AND with the still calm night that it was, you were almost certain the lion was sniffing your tent he seemed that close!! and before i went to bed i woke the gaurd, so i knew he wasn't our most reliable protector!! but we survived, of course! I woke early to view the elephants treking toward the river, it was awesome, awesome awesome. New Years Eve was a great day, there were nine of us camping in the middle of nowhere, in a lovely campsite that was fit for kings... (as campsites go) we sat around chatting and playing cards, it was so fabulous to be out in the beautiful bush, enjoying the fabulous creation!!

we decided to take a boat ride on the shire river at sunset, probably the coolest adventure ever! we loaded up in a tiny wooden thingy that they call a boat...hehe...
not but two minutes after leaving the dock our "tiny" boat was surrounded by hippos, it was awesome!!! i must admit, there was a small element of fear after i enquired how easily they could tip the boat... i wasn't thrilled with his answer... but it added to the adventure!

We had been told that with rainy season we were unlikey to see elephants close to the water, which ended up being true, but the waters were full of hippos and crocs!!! Hundreds of them!!
They are just amazing animals, big and fat, but often you can only see their nose and eyes above the water. they can stay under for about 5 minutes, and they have an air hole somewhere on the top of their heads, cos it spouts up
The noise they make is loud loud loud, and it sounds like they’re laughing, sooo awesome!!

Its strange how dangerous hippos are to us humans, and yet they dont eat us, just grass... dont you think thats stupid! they really only kill you if you appear to threaten their meal, so if you are standing between them and the food or between them and the water...watch out!! they can kill you with one chomp of the jaws, but then they wont eat you, i think its a bit selfish of them personally. They could just ask you to move. No one needs to die, selfish if you ask me!

A few times they stopped our boat and we could just listen, it was amazing!! we were in the middle of a river, in the middle of a giant national park, in the middle of malawi, in the middle of africa (ok the geography might be a little off) and there was no sound but the hippos, it was still and calm and new years eve and AWESOME!!! unforgettable!!!