Blogs from Southern, Malawi, Africa - page 4

I got quite lucky, when I got back to Salima after leaving Senga Bay, as there was an Axa bus, which had come from Lilongwe going to Monkey Bay, at the station, waiting to pick up passengers. Even though I had to stand for the first part of the journey, this was a much better option, than the minibuses I had to take the previous day. We got to Monkey Bay just over 3 hours after leaving Salima and I was hopeful of spending the afternoon by the beach at Cape MacLear. I should know by now not to get my hopes up like this when relying on transport in Africa. Between waiting for a pick up to fill up, then go driving back and forth through the town looking for more passengers, getting all their ... read more

Hey! We made it to Africa, but we can't talk! We are having a hard time finding internet so we won't be able to access our blog until the beginning of June. We are having a blast though! Talk to everyone later!... read more

Food diesel and soft drink shortages, riots and political unrest, Water issues and power cuts. Every day is a challenge; every problem is met with a smile. This is Malawi. Nothing surprises Malawians anymore, they battle on each day. Described as Africa for beginners, Malawi truly is the warm heart of Africa. Arriving at a chaotic bus station and waiting 3 hours for a 4 hour bus journey will test anyone’s patients, but witnessing Africans singing together during an uncomfortable bus journey provides a rollercoaster of emotion. Being the only white face in town attracts a lot of attention. Walking less than 10 minutes between inquisitive conversations is overwhelming, dealing with bus passengers taking it in turn to sit with you and chat is both monotonous and tiring. One minute you find yourself laughing with the ... read more

Dear All Greetings from Blantyre, in the south of Malawi – not the capital, but definitely the biggest commercial centre of the country. Right now I feel slap bang in the lap of luxury, as although the last few days have been just unspeakably amazing (more on that later), it feels great to be back in a bit of civilization – great restaurants, a lovely carpeted hotel with hot (running) water, and an Internet café that works at the speed of lightning – sheer bliss! But wow – what an amazing few days – I’m struggling to find superlatives in order to be able to describe them accurately enough – hope the pictures attached will provide a thousand words each. Last I wrote I was using a painfully slow computer with painfully slow connection, but in ... read more

At long last, I have a decent travel story. This one involves a hostel that Megan, Dave and I chose on our own, public transportation, modified hitchhiking, and good bars within a safe walking distance. The tale begins in Lilongwe, where I woke up at 5:30am Friday. We walked to catch a minibus at 6:45am, which, combined with a short walk, got us to the bus depot around 7:15am. The bus depot is a mess. As you scan the lower windshields for a sign that includes your stop, guys approach and ask you where you are going. They then direct you to their company’s bus. This approach helped us to quickly find the right bus, except that bus was clearly full. When we asked the money collector if our ticket was good for a different bus, ... read more