I had only been on a plane once in my life and it had been to Durban.
Our honeymoon was booked for Malawi and to get there we had to go through the international departure lounge and we would have a 21/2 hour flight. It really didn’t matter to me what came after that, to me this was the honeymoon! Two hours on a plane… this was BIG!
We left from Jan Smuts (now OR Tambo) on the 17 September 1990, on flight SA170 to Lilongwe at 11h00 and arrived there at 13.30. In our suitcase we had a bottle of Veuve Cliquot given to us by one of the punters. We were going to crack the bottle when we arrived at our destination which was Club Makokola, situated on the southern tip of Lake Malawi. The flight was short and had no exciting moments, so pretty soon we landed in Lilongwe.
Going through customs at Lilongwe was a daunting experience. Men with long hair were removed from the queue and their hair was cut short with an electric clipper on the spot. Woman were not allowed dresses with no sleeves and above the knee. No alcohol allowed either… lucky for us the man in front of us had a magazine that was deemed pornographic and the security removed him and his offending literary book. What happened to him I would not know. Somehow we got through with our champagne bottle but we did sweat buckets. We were met by a driver in a clapped out little car and spent the next 5 hours driving through villages, dodging potholes and people. Our first day of honeymoon was spent in transit and we arrived at our destination feeling rather drained.
The next 7 days were pure magic.
It started when we arrived at the resort.
We were met by a man named Emment Saidi. He was to be our host for the duration of our stay. Emment went above and beyond his job description to do just that.
Our first evening there we were escorted to the restaurant where our table was set and decorated with the most beautiful flowers. We broke out our bottle of champagne and asked them to put on ice for us. We decided that we would crack it the next night. Our bungalow had this huge mosquito net over the bed and it made it look like a fairy tale bed. Emment also made sure to decorate the bed every night with flowers when he did turndown.
Club Makokola is situated on Lake Malawi and the water is azur blue. We spent our days on the beach, exploring the area on bicycles, going to the islands by boat, going on a catamarange and snorkelling. Yes, Yvette did partake in all the swimming activities because the water was so still and clear.
The villagers were very welcoming when we arrived on their doorstep with our bicycles, tired from peddling through the deep sand. That’s how Christopher came home with less clothes and shoes than he went with. The people were very poor and they had little so they were willing to barter their hand crafted goods for clothes and shoes. Not mine. Christopher’s. His face was a study when I told him to give away another pair of shoes.. and shirt… and pants, sometimes whilst he was wearing it. We would leave the villagers laden with souvenirs and they would be waving us off wearing Christopher’s shoes and shirts. I still giggle when I think of that picture.
We came home with so many treasures, some that I still have today but when you ask Christopher about the honeymoon he just says: ” That’s the time I learnt that my new wife would have sent me back home buck naked if she could get another souvenir”. True story.
For many years after our honeymoon we kept contact with Emment sending him packages with batteries and other daily things that we took for granted in our daily lives but we knew they were treasures in Malawi.
Today, 34 years later, I am privileged to have another Malawian family under my wing. Maybe this was preparing me for the road that I have now embarked upon. I have found the Malawian people to be friendly, compassionate, caring and have a deep love for animals. Gentle people.
We paid quite a hefty corkage fee to pop that bottle of champagne just to find that it was not to our liking. Even today I can’t stand the taste of it.Ugh. To think we would have been jailed if they found it in our luggage, the thought just makes me shiver.
I don’t even know if Club Makokola exists anymore but I surely would love to go back to Malawi, take the kids to see it. Maybe it would be just as beautiful as I remembered it.
We returned on the 24 September, brown, happy and without the bottle of champagne. Now Mr & Mrs Wilde ready to take the world on.
Jack was ecstatically glad to see his mom & dad again even though he had been spoiled rotten by Granny. We settled back into our work routine, juggling shifts so we could spend more time together, taking our dog for long walks and enjoying all the comforts that Sun City had to offer. I loved my job. When I finished my shifts early in the morning I went home and waited for the sun to rise. Then I took my dog and went to the staff stables where I kept my horse. I rode for an hour or two whilst Jack inspected every tree and left his mark there. Then I went back home, had a cup of tea and went to sleep. We had block out curtains so the sun didn’t interfere with our sleeping pattern. We slept until lunch time, took Jack for a run and went for lunch at a restaurant before getting ready for work.
Our lives were idyllic and very little could unbalance the lot. Christmas 1990 and New Year 1991 was hectic in the casino and we worked long hours. Then in January 1991 I started feeling ill. I went to the doctor and was told that I wasn’t sick, I was pregnant.
Our family of three was now going to become four.
Once the initial shock had worn off we were starting to think how we would be breaking the news to everybody. There was the usual conflict of which mother would have to be told first ( as they both were very good at keeping score) but my most immediate problem was my friend Sammy.
Our friendship started when we met in 1988. Christopher introduced me to the Robinsons. Chris and Sam were instrumental in him securing the position at Sun City back in 1987. Our friendship had been a slow thing but as we got to know each other better it just started blossoming. In 1991 we were closer than family and I knew they were struggling to conceive. My fear was that Sammy would somehow be hurt when I told her my news.To be honest they were the first to know. I broke it to her when Christopher and Chris decided they wanted to do a parachuting course.
I had a lot to learn about the words true friendship and the Robinsons taught me that. A friendship that spans a lifetime later can attest to this statement. We have known the Robinson family 37 years this year. This friendship deserves it’s own chapter so I won’t divulge any details at the moment. Just know that they were so overjoyed by the prospect of a little Wilde joining our crew that they put the two Grannies to shame ( who were still playing tug-of-war).
The due date was set for September 1991 and we had no idea what a Wilde time was waiting for us.
As my tummy got bigger the punters started carting gifts to the casino. Our spare bedroom, used for guests had now become a storage unit. People were so happy for us and they continued to show us in many ways.I exchanged the teeth whitening visits to JHB for visits to the gynaecologist. Dr Pretorius in Sandton Clinic was my doctor and once a month, on our days-off we made our way to the clinic. I was dying to find out what the sex of the baby was but Christopher was adamant that it would stay a surprise. I tried every trick in the book but this time I was on the short end. Christopher had told the doctor, receptionists and I am sure even the cleaners that they would NOT tell me.
In the interim we were faced with challenges of another sort at work. The Carousel Casino was scheduled to be opened in the month of December 1991. There were many new opportunities available and the lure of new beginnings excited us. The crunch came when our friends, Chris and Sammy announced that they were leaving to take up more senior positions at The Carousel. Accommodation was provided in the form of newly built houses each having a garden. This sold it to us. Christopher and I both put in for a transfer and we were accepted.I think we were both so happy that Jack would have his own garden that we didn’t think any further.
On the 31 August 1991 we arrived at The Carousel Staff Village driving our new family Jetta, towing a trailer and me sporting a huge belly. Our baby was due somewhere around the 20 – 26 September so I had a few weeks to sort out our house. We had Jack and Mischief the cat in the car and we were nothing but optimistic.
My last checkup at the Dr was at 36 weeks and I drove myself to the appointment. I was on maternity leave and Christopher was working at Head Office in Sandton. I arrived at the doctor, went in for what I thought was a routine checkup and found myself in a vortex of events. The doctor was concerned that there might be fluid on the baby’s brain so I was whisked in for tests. Whilst at the clicic I though now is my chance and casually asked the nurse what the sex of the baby was. She looked me in the eye and told me that the doctor had said that I would be trying my luck… This was rather embarrassing…
The tests revealed that there was nothing wrong with baby and my due date was set for the 24 September . Excitement was mounting.
Next chapter: We present Miss Briony Wilde.
Malawi
Friends forever
