Blogs from Lake Malawi, Malawi, Africa - page 5

It was nice to get a sleep in this morning, we didn’t get up until 8!!! We went for a walk on the beach, played cards with some of the group and then ate lunch before heading off to go horseriding. We had booked to do a two hour trek in the forest and the beach. It being Chris’ second time horseriding he told the people that he had never been to ensure he got a horse suitable for novices. Chris was given Pavorotti and I was given Emma. Unfortunately the horseriding didn’t go as well as expected. In the first half hour of horseriding, we were given the opportunity to go for a trot. Chris was right behind me and said he was happy to try trotting. Whilst trotting, his horse bit my horse causing ... read more

Today we had a relaxing day around lake Malawi in Chitimba. We spent some time reading in the hammocks, walking down by the beach area, and then we went with some of the group over to the neighbouring campsite which had a large bar area. Lake Malawi is very interesting to see as it is so big you can’t see the end of it, also it has sand around it so you think it is actually the ocean. When we went over to the other campsite it didn’t take long for Chris and I to hear the familiar sounds of home. We heard some people with the Northern Irish accent. Chris took the opportunity to go and speak to them and found out that it was an elderly couple over to visit their son and daughter-in-law ... read more

After an interesting boarder crossing where we were almost ripped off by money changers we entered the very friendly country of Malawi. Malawi is a noticeably poorer country than both Kenya and Tanzania however the people are extremely warm and welcoming. After driving across the boarder and through numerous straw built villages we made out first stop, Chitimba on Lake Malawi where we stayed for three nights. We spent a lot of time in the local villages where we enjoyed visiting the students and teachers at the primary school and had a tour around the community health centre. The village had just had a water pumping system put in and were proud to show it off. I spent one afternoon learning to wood carve, I carved a giraffe with a little help from my 13 year ... read more

Getting from Mbeya to the Malawian border was comparatively painless, even if we did stop less than hour away to wait for the minibus to fill back up. I even saw and got to speak to the first white people I had seen in days. After getting over the border, I took a shared taxi to Karonga and from there, a bus to Chitimba. The journey was a measly 6 hours. Chitimba is one of the first towns going south on Lake Malawi. Nearby there are a couple of campsites, where I checked into the Chitimba Campsite and immediately went for a swim in the lake. Chitimba is an idyllic spot, with a big sandy beach. It is overlooked by a couple of mountains and I spent the rest of the afternoon there by the water. ... read more

Matayo is a very small village just off the main road to Mangochi. This Wound Clinic differed to the one at Nkhudzi Bay because it was held outside, under a huge huge tree to be exact. I can't explain in words just how large the tree was, but only to say it was the biggest I have ever seen. It provided good shade from the sun and was in a secluded position which would have provided some privacy for those attending had it not been for the audience of many that greeted us each time we showed up! Sometimes we went to the Tree in the minibus and sometimes on the back of bicycles. It depended on whether the minibus was needed elsewhere. It was a decent trek on a bike and it meant that the ... read more