Pictures take hours to upload, so I'll have to do those when I get back in the States.

Day 19: To the lake we go

The gang decided to head to Lake Malawi for the weekend. We hired a minibus and driver for the weekend and the 8 of us (+1 Scottish girl) piled in it on Friday. The route was scenic, as always, in Africa. We did run into a problem when the front tire popped. Everyone was okay. As we pulled off the road, a whole group of children greeted us: "Mz-ooon-goo!!!!" Which means white person in Chichewa. One of the girls from our group pulled out some sparkly nail polish and all the kids swarmed around her to get the glitter on their fingers. A couple of cameras came out and they posed and giggled as they saw themselves on the digital screens.

Meanwhile, the guys (including the driver and navigator) were having difficulty loosening the bolts. One of the guys ( a former MSU safety football player) even bent the tire iron trying to get them to budge. After pouring oil and having a bit of luck, they were able to change the tire. We went back to the last town we passed and picked up a new spare tire.

On the road again, the sun set as we started to go up and down hills and around sharp corners. It was like a roller coaster ride where you can only see just in front where the lights hit. Without seatbelts and where the next corner could be a catastrophe.

Fortunately, we made it to Lake Malawi and to the Gecko Lodge where we were staying. We made it there just before the kitchen closed. Eating pizza, we spent the night talking with our 5 peers from Scotland, Ireland and England.




Day 20: Lake Malawi

Lake Malawi is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, if not the most beautiful. Gecko Lodge was set up so that we stayed in a Chalet (cabin) that had a kitchen and bathroom with electricity and running water. Our patio looked out onto the lake and the island in the middle (what my main blog picture is). You walk out onto a grassy area where there were hammocks out front and a small beach with a volleyball net.

We woke up and made breakfast and then split up for the day. I spent the day relaxing in the hammock reading "House of God" and napping in the warm breeze, hearing the sounds of the water. I said "hi" to the other group and hung out with them on the lounges on the beach. Then we watched as one of the guys swam to the island and back (which is pretty far). The group played volleyball with some of the law students from Virgina.

It was one of the girl's birthdays and we did a BBQ on the beach. The locals cooked fish, spinach, tomato, potatoes and rice over the fire. The kids from the town sang and danced and surprisingly did some familiar tunes, like "Who let the dogs out." Then they sang "Happy Birthday" and a cake was brought out. The cake was made with crumbled digestive crackers, broken up snickers and evaporated milk that was mixed and heated together. Yum. As I crawled into my bunk that night, I could still hear the waves. I fell asleep soundly thinking about summers near Lake Michigan.



Day 21:

One of my Scottish friends and a guy from our group and I rented Kayaks and paddled to the island. On the island we were able to snorkel and see all the the beautiful freshwater fish. We swam in the warm water and soaked in our surroundings. The island had blue and green geckos and a variety of birds.

We paddled back to the lodge and joked about getting Schistosomiasis from the shallow water. I picked up the treatment for it at the local pharmacy in case I need it when I get back to the States. Because in the States if I were to start peeing blood or getting fevers or back pain, that isn't something that would come to most physician's mind. But it is found here and especially at Lake Malawi.

We made a big dinner with vegetables the other girls found at the market earlier in the day and the fish the guys bartered for. It's amazing what you can cook over a fire and with 2 heating plates.


Day 22:

Monday was a holiday. We took the long road back to the house on the minibus. About halfway home, the car started chugging up the mountains and we realized we blew a cylinder. We arrived at the house a little later than expected. Everyone was a little nauseated and we arrived on whatever parts were left in the minibus.