Hey Guys, In keeping with tradition I'll provide everyone a funny anecdote about the bus journey that got us to the place I'm currently blogging about. So there's this Canadian couple who are supposed to catch an 11am bus that doesn't show up until 2pm and then they are lucky to get standing room at the back of the bus for the 6hour ride. The bus proceeds to stop every 6km which accumulates to a total of 60 stops (Tyne counted) over the entire 300km trip which ends up taking 8hrs. While at all these random stops the people on the [View Full Entry]

---

---

The WLP describes Nkhata Bay as "Caribbeanesque" then back-pedals and damns it with "quite picturesque". It's certainly (and thankfully) not as hot as the former but I'll give it the latter. It has the potential to be overrun by tourism but, with Malawi not on the tourist trail and with the nearest airport to Nkhata Bay 6 hours away by road, that won't happen any time soon. However it's certainly a backpacker destination and the number of smoking teenagers is overwhelming, with me not having seen such a quantity anywhere in Africa. My first accommodation is serenely peaceful and I fritte [View Full Entry]

---

---

Below the surface of the ocean, a diver's senses are more aware. The only sounds you hear are the hissing of your air regulator and the bubbles gurgling out and up, eventually to the surface. Occasionaly another diver gently knocks into you and you feel their fins, or your own fins graze a piece of rock or coral. Light loses its colors the deeper you descend, so it's easy to see that you're diving deeper because objects turn a dark blue or gray. Most of the time when descending the water turns colder and when going up, the water is warmer. [View Full Entry]

---

---

What a pleasant change from Mozambique. We left Liwonde at 9 am and arrived into Zomba by 10:30 am. We had checked into our resthouse, had breakfast and were starting to wander the town all by 11 am. Not only are the distances so much smaller in compact Malawi, but the landscape is completely different. The climate is more humid and the environment is much more green. There is also much more farming going on in Malawi, even from one border to the next, you can see that Malawi works the land more than Mozambique. Zomba was once the administrative capital [View Full Entry]

---

---

My tummy bug slowly cleared, and i took a lift in the back of a truck that a german family had hired to get to chipoka to meet the ferry on friday. The truck was 2 hours late arriving, leaving barely enough time to get to the port. It then ran out of petrol in the middle of lilongwe and we had to push it to a petrol station. Arrived at chipoka just before 4, when the boat was supposed to be leaving, and found that it was delayed by 4hrs. Sat in the waiting shed, having a couple of beers. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Well, we arrived in Malawi safe and sound and have been living in our camp by the lake for over a week now which is absolute paradise. The volunteers, staff and locals have made us feel very welcome and I can honestly say Malawians are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. You greet everyone you go past with ‘Hello, how are you? I’m fine. Where are you going? OK, bye.’ I thought at first this was just because we were the new volunteers, but it seems as though it’s the norm. It can sometimes add 20 minutes to [View Full Entry]

---

---

Nkhata Bay is yet another perfect place to do absolutely nothing and has test backpackers with the best food in Africa so far. To have the best food is not that hard as most places specialize in Chicken and (very soggy) chips. Nkhata bay is as small bay on Lake Malawi with a small sleepy village. It is hard to believe that this was once the most important town in the area. The one thing that made it very attractive is a deep harbor which allowed and still does allow big ships to port. My best guess is that these days [View Full Entry]

---

---

Yesterday we went for orientation to the primary school to meet the children, teachers, head villagemen and important councillors of education. They performed a display of traditional African singing, dancing and poetry. We were presented with a gift. The gift turned out to be 60 eggs...and a live goat! The goat is, in fact, no longer...we had a BBQ last night! Not necessarily a good experience for all! Today we headed off to Geisha Primary School for our first day of work experience. The girls painted two classrooms and the office and the guys moved bricks and helped with building work. [View Full Entry]

---

---

So Friday comes and I have no idea what to do for the weekend. The clinic will be closed, so there is no need to get up early for work. As I am talking to one of the Baylor doc's about a patient, she stops in the middle of everything and invites me to come with them to Lake Malawi. The lake is one of the major tourist attractions in the country. Needless to say, I am excited about the invitation. Lake Malawi was definitely on the list of places to see while I'm here. The water is supposed to be [View Full Entry]

---

---

Bus ride from Chitimba to Mzuzu was good, at least as in we didn't hit anyone. Man they sure pack 'em in here: on average around 20 - 23 (or more) people at a time. Stopped somewhere along the line to buy cassava (the main staple food here); minibus worker thought it would be amusing to give me a big, phallic looking piece to try, so for everyone's enjoyment I dug in and ate it (tasted like a raw potato). Stayed at the Mzoozoozoo in Mzuzu; there are an amazing number of "expats" in these parts mainly running lodges (for some [View Full Entry]

---

---