Weekend 3rd to 5th November

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It's lovely being at Mabuya camp this weekend. A sunbathe and swim in the pool from 7am Saturday followed by bacon, egg and beans for breakfast. I have to leave my room, and transfer to another tonight, which has an ensuite bathroom - such luxury, I shall hardly know myself.
Last night's burger at Ad Lib restaurant was wonderful and a Carlsberg green gave me a good night's sleep.
I went to Bishop McKentie School fete and bought some overpriced dolls for the CBCC, and some enormous beaded earrings for me.
Then, with two NGO (non- governmental organisations ie charity) workers i shared a ride to Dowa, about an hour's drive away from Lilongwe, to Dzalela refugee camp for the Tumaini festival.
There was some fabulous drumming, and dancing on stage, as well as different sorts of music seemingly based on reggae, calypso or drum and bass. The refugee camp is peopled from Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo. It seems to be a fairly permanent site and the buildings are in better condition than Chigonthi Village (the village next to Sam's Village). I got chatting with a couple of Germans who are here on a one or two year contract, and a Congonese scout (one of the security guards) who told me he is learning tailoring.
The festival finished about 6pm, when night falls, and we drove home in the dark. There's no cars eyes here on the roads, and we're blinded by many of the vehicle that actually do have lights. But Tamlyn is a careful driver and we get back to Mabuya in time for dinner.
Mabuya is full of NGO personnel, all keen young people working on various projects. If you sit in the bar for long enough you'll see everyone you ever knew in Lilongwe. Or rather, if you stay at Mabuya a few times, wherever you go in Malawi you will see someone you met at Mabuya.
Sunday morning I will be collected at 10am and taken back to Sam's Village.

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