Blogs from Lake Malawi, Malawi, Africa - page 4

Before I left England, Russel and Jo gave me a journal so that I could keep notes of my trip, where I had been, what I had done and so forth. I will admit that normally I have relied on my camera for a lot of reminders about where I have been, but in Milawi, in my period of no camera sadness (hence photos from other parts of the trip in this blog), I find that I have only written a few notes. One entry stands out from the rest. Sandwiched between “Sunflower fields” and “Catch in the lake”, I have written, in my fair hand, “Liquid poo to the max”. Yes, my friends, my stomach, normally a fairly iron-lined thing, had decided to start disagreeing with the cuisine or water or whatever, and was letting ... read more

Days 23-29: Malawi with ‘Cheap as Chips wood carvings’, pig on a spit, and fresh goat; and fortune telling with a witchdoctor Hi all, it’s been too long between posts, we apologise...TIA. Grab a large coffee this time. Looking back since our last entry takes us to Malawi, known for its warm hearted people and a lake that takes up over 25% of their country. The drive into our campsite Kande Beach was an eye catching one – mountains, water, and locals on the side of the road selling random goods, something we are getting used to. A box full of warm soft drinks, biscuits, nuts, or a corn cooked on the coals stuck to the end of a six foot stick so it can be put under your nose as you wait for ... read more

We traveled through Salima on the way to Lake Malawi and were amazed at how talented Malawians are in transporting a myriad of items on their bicycles.... read more

Small hands fought to hold my own as I walked through the small town centre. Each corner bought additional children with trusting open smiles dancing across their beautiful faces. Although the private resort Kandi Beach offered an escape from the external world the temptation to walk beyond the security gate was far too great to resist. The small village beyond the perimeter housed a local community in typical poverty struck African thatched mud huts. Poultry and goats freely roamed the village, their owners confident of their return before nightfall. Plantations of Cassava lined the road, a root vegetable that required no water, nor no care to thrive. Re-planting was as simple as slicing a small branch from the exposed plant and crudely driving back into the earth. This staple of the Malawian people was harvested 3 ... read more

Day 14 - 18 Three days of long, hot drives (high 30s) through Zambia and into Malawi...real Africa with the small towns, markets etc. Lukasa Zambia is a surprisingly modern city with lots of inte-national money ....and always KFC! Crossed border to Malawi, no issues just lots of paperwork and line ups...so Zambia check. Then 2 days at Kande Beach on Lake Malawi...90 miles of white sand beach...picture Long Beach at Tofino with similar waves and sand but water around 22c...so...spent most of th past two days body surfing . Absolutely gorgeous place! Visited the local village, homes, school and clinic.... many villagse in Malawi now has a well courtesy of Canada....makes us proud. Schools are 100 kids per teacher but again, lots of Canada flags on books, furniture etc. The medical clinic was a good ... read more