Nhakata Bay

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Hello from Mzimba. We left Nhakata Bay yesterday where we have been staying at Butterfly Lodge where they have chalets for the tourists but also support the local community through some good projects including an H.I.V support group, a single women's support group and a youth project. It is a very relaxed and creative place to stay. Weve met so many people including those who met Derek last time he was here. It's hard to remember everybodies names!
Much of our time was taken up with meetings in connection with SUPOCHO. They are a charity organisation setting up a computer school for orphaned, vulnerable young people. We have been to the building which Derek has been sponsoring, to have a meeting with around 12 people from the community. There were many speeches.... all translated so everyone understood, and we realise how much work has been done to set upready for all the laptops we managed to get donated from Wales. There's more work to get more funding though!
We had plenty of time to relax too and listen to people's stories, including the one about the crocodile in the bay. According to Matthews (Butterfy's bar man) the crocodile will not eat Muzungu (white people) because we are like hippos and hippos are the only thing crocodiles are scared of!
It always amazes us how much attention peolpe will give us and how many smiles we see and how much we have been helped.
We did wonder the other day if we were on a film set...... sitting by the lake, on the rocks and looking out to a beautiful sky. It was completely peaceful and a dug out canoe (as all the canoes are here), paddled peacefully by with a Malawian man wearing a straggly straw hat. One of those perfect moments where you have to pinch yourself!
We'll let you know about Mzimba next time we write. WE're heading off to Lilongwe tomorrow on our way to Liwonde and the national park where we'll get to see some wild life.
We'll catch up with you soon.

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