Lilongwe, Malawi

After various stop offs and the use of numerous modes of transport (taxis, 'dala dala' buses, motorbikes and coaches), we arrived at the Big Blue Backpackers hostel in Nkhata Bay, on the edge of Lake Malawi. We swam in the lake, caught up on the 'goings on' in the world, did some more planning of the trip and even got to catch some of the rugby World Cup in a local bar.
Next we travelled to Mangochi on the south edge of the lake, where we attended the Lake of Stars music festival. It was interesting to experience a musical festival based on the beach with not one drop of mud in sight! We saw various musical acts from Malawi and around Africa and Europe. We even saw the Malawian version of 'Vagina Monologues'. Some of us managed better in the sun than others (the 'Corrigan skin' is surviving quite well so far!) but it was still a very enjoyable festival and another good experience on this trip!
We then headed back north to Senga Bay, where we stayed for a couple of days in Mufrasa Lodge. Here we recovered after a busy weekend and we also did some kayaking on the lake. The local pool table maintenance man, from South Africa, drove us, free of charge, to the city of Lilongwe in the back of his 'pick up' truck. After a mix up in the bookings at Mabuya Camp, we were each given our own individual tents for free, as a way of compensation for not having any bedrooms for us. We did some shopping, stocked up on supplies and dipped our feet in the camp's swimming pool!
We are now out way to Zambia. The bus was two hours late this morning so God knows what time we'll arrive in Lusaka. Hopefully it won't be as bad as the last long journey to Mbeya, when we arrived at 3.30 am after 21 hours sitting on a hot bus. But I guess we've learned that time means nothing here in Africa. Getting things done quickly isn't an option!Read more