How many people can you pack in a minivan?

We learned the answer to this question is 23 for a small minibus during one of our many bus rides recently. We’ve been in transit for the past three days from Nkhata Bay, Malawi to Iringa, Tanzania and wiped out. Too many miles with questionable roads and suspension and smelly people/chickens/fish. And comfort certainly isn’t a feature on most of these rides.

We were very sad to leave Mayoka Lodge in Malawi. Our chalet was super nice and we had some laughs with some great people. We also broke one of our rules for Africa – no diving in fresh water. The no hitchhiking rule went out the door long ago. The problem with the water is that there is a nasty parasite. But well, the water looked so inviting and we caved on the second day. In fact, we did two scuba dives on top of cliff jumping and swimming. We’ll be paying the doc a visit on our return to Canada to see if we brought back any friends in our bloodstream. The diving was okay – viability wasn’t the greatest and there isn’t any colourful coral. But the fish (chiclids) are very interesting – they are the fastest evolving animals on the planet we are told. So there are thousands of varieties. We saw some that swim upside down and others that breed their young in their mouth and even when the young are born they retreat to mom’s mouth when dangers comes.

We hit Karonga on Tuesday night, crossed to Tanzania and stayed in Myeba on Wednesday and arrived in Iringa today. We’ll kick around here for a day or two before heading either to Dodoma or Dar. Bus info is sketchy at the moment.

We can’t believe we only have four weeks left! So we’re trying to pack in a whole lot in the time left. Zanzibar for sure. Leshoto and Aruhsa most likely. Then there is a Masi Mara safari or chimp trekking in Gombe National Park (chimps) as possibilities.

Hope everyone is well. Lots more stories to share when we return.

Alive, Well and Inspired

Hello from Nkhata Bay, Malawi.

Just arrived last night after two weeks in Mulanje (in the far south of the country) without Internet access.

We spent most of time at the Friends of Mulanje Orphans centre volunteering. The experience was incredibly inspiring. The kids and staff were absolutely wonderful to us. We can’t remember the last time we’ve laughed, sang and danced so much. This is truly a wonderful organization helping more than 4,000 kids and youth who lost both of their parents to AIDS and malaria. The organization provides food, clothing, fun, daycare, health care, school fees and much more to these kids who live with extended families. The younger ones were too cute for words and the teens were more mature and thoughtful than your average Canadian young adult. 

We’re so happy that the fundraising we did before our journey is going to help them continue to grow. Be warned: we won’t stop talking about them and fundraising for them when we return to Canada. In a few days, we’ll post some of the pictures from our visit.

We took three days away from the kids to hike Mount Mulanje. Ian scaled the peak (3000 m), the third highest in Africa so we are told. The scenery was great including several spots that looked right out of the Canadian backwoods.

More update to comes…. I think we will be lounging here in Nkhata Bay for a while. We have the sweetest lakeside chalet ever… for $30/night.

Volunteer Time

Tomorrow we’re headed off to volunteer at the Malawi orphanage for a week. We’re very excited to be setting roots down for a week in a local community. Although I suspect the labour will not be relaxing, it will be nice to sleep in the same bed and not be tortured on minibuses down potholed roads.

We’ve covered a huge distance in the past week or so. Since leaving Maun, Botswana, we visited Livingstone (3 nights), Luskaka (2 nights), Chipata (1 nights), Lilongwe (2 nights) and Blantyre (1 night).

As we’ve been pushing through, there has been a huge change in the scenery and culture. There are tons more people and villages along the highway. We no longer stare at nothing for hours out of the bus. There are many more bicycles and ox wagons, and the local huts are now square instead of round. Local markets are everywhere with different fruits and vegetables. The trees have gotten much bigger (cause they get rain here) and there are hills and valleys (the start of the Rift Valley system). There is a buzz in the air and it feels good.

We’ll write lots and post tons of great pics when we hit the beach after our orphanage work. Hope everyone is well.