Blogs from Malawi, Africa - page 34

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 ... read more

The first stars of the night were starting to shine as the boat set anchor. Not nervous but unsure of what to expect. I was about to dive into a giant black hole with only a torch and a diving instructor to guide me around. As we reached the bottom of Playground Point a large school of dolphin fish start following us using our lights as a better way to find their prey. In an incredible display of what life is like as a freshwater fish. A night in Lake Malawi was the perfect tonic to escape the bus rides of Malawi. Malawi didn’t do much for me and in the end I spent 40% of my daylight hours on a bus of some description to in the end (apart from doing my first night dive) ... read more

trip along the shore of the jewel lake... read more

This is to be our last day in beautiful Malawi, and after a relatively short road trip through many more interesting villages and street markets, and a stop in one village for water and snacks in the local Superette, we arrive at the most beautiful beach we've seen so far. Two people events to remember: 1. the butchery was chopping sides of meat on a wood stump in front of his shop while other sides hung overhead in the sun, 2. A mother was waiting for transport with two small children, three suitcases and a large blanket when a bike "taxi" stopped and after some negotiations the three suitcases were tied to the back of the bike and all walked off along the busy roadway. We have mentioned before about the street scenes, but it's worth ... read more

These two days we traveled over 1,000 km along the Tanzam HIghway, finally crossing the border into Malawi in the afternoon of the second day. Here are some of the impressions from our travels: The Tanzam Highway is paved, but that doesn't necessarily mean smooth. This is Africa, after all. Some of the tar roads are worse than the gravel ones, full of potholes, bumpy patches, and construction underway. Our big orange truck took the worst of it, but it's passengers suffered through 'back massage' on most of the journey. It was tiring and after 10-12 hours on the road, what with all the stops along the way, we were well and truly tired at the end of each day. At one stop, we saw another overlander mobbed with touts six deep beside the truck windows ... read more