We had
a little break in Lilongwe to recover from our long travels to and from Zambia,
and then we were right back to traveling. This week we went to Nkhata Bay. It’s
in the northern part of Malawi close to Mzuzu. We stopped at SAFI on our way to
pick up John and we stayed for lunch and talked to Nicolle. Camille was out
doing surveys so we didn’t get to see her. While we were there, there were some
kids playing on the toys that were yelling at us that we didn’t recognize so we
thought they might be from the new families that are supposed to be coming this
month but apparently nobody knows when they’re coming so we have no idea if
those kids were from a different village or what.
It was
good to travel with Kevin again. I liked the mini bus much more than the
charter buses. There’s a lot more space for us to spread out and I don’t have
to worry about where my stuff ends up so I don’t forget it and lose it. On the
way to Nkhata Bay, we stopped along the road because Adam wanted to get a
picture but he couldn’t find a good place to take it. We also stopped in Mzuzu
to meet Kevin’s family. His wife and daughter are adorable but his daughter was
afraid of us which is normal. It was really great to meet them and finally get
rid of that chicken he was bringing to them. It was a live chicken and we
didn’t know it was in the van so it scared us when it started making noises
while we were driving.
We got
to Njaya Lodge where we are staying in the dark and had some chicken curry for
dinner and moved into our rooms and called it a day.
The
next morning we woke up to this really loud noise that sounded like we were in
a hurricane. Emily thought it was the fan in our room but it wasn’t. It was
raining outside and the tin roof on our chalet made it really loud and
difficult to sleep through. It was about time to get up anyway so we sat
outside and watched the rain. I didn’t think I was going to get to see it rain
while I was here but it has rained every day we have been here at the bay. One
morning we went to the beach just the check it out and the water was a little
turbulent from the rain and wind. I had fun trying to go as deep into the water
as I could and dodge the waves so my pants wouldn’t get wet but I wasn’t very
good and came back with very wet pants. The next day we actually put on our
swimsuits and went out into the water. There were lots of rocks in the water so
we climbed up on one and hung out there for a while before coming back in and
lying in the sun.
The
main reason we came here was to go on a four day kayaking trip but as it turns
out, it wasn’t such a great idea because of the weather and the ferry that
brings us back only runs twice a week so we just did an overnight trip. I was
really nervous about tipping my kayak, being cold the whole time and sleeping
in a tent so that morning we left I was a little out of sorts. We were in two
people kayaks so it was harder to tip them, the weather warmed up and the tent
was still not very fun but I was tired enough that I slept. Our guides were
really great and fun to be with and they made us some delicious food. On the
way to the beach where we spent the night there was some rocks to jump off of
(I didn’t) and we snorkeled at a little island. On the first day, Emily and I
were in a kayak and Whitney and Adam where in the other. They were so much
faster than is it was ridiculous. Emily and I spent the whole day playing catch
up to them. I think a lot of it was that I hadn’t kayaked before and Emily was
in charge of steering with the pedals and she hasn’t done that before. By the
end of the day we were doing really well though.
We had
dinner on a beach next to a fire. It was so good. I know I couldn’t have done
any better in those conditions. We had some chicken and veggies and mashed
potatoes. All of it was so good and it felt good to be in our dry clothes and
all dressed up in our warm stuff.
Sleeping
in the tent was a little rough because all we had was a sleeping bag. We didn’t
have pillows or a pad to sleep on. I thought the beach would be much nicer to
sleep on but it was just as hard as any other time I’ve been camping. The
hardest part I think was not having a pillow so I used my arms and tried to use
part of my sleeping bag. On the positive side, I wasn’t cold at all. It was an
alright night when you consider everything.
The
next morning it rained and it was cold. The rain wasn’t terrible so we didn’t
really worry about it; it was over by the time we had everything packed up. We
switched up the teams so they were a little more even. Whitney and Emily were a
team and I was on Adam’s team. Adam was feeling a little sick before we left
and it was worse on day two so we was anxious to get back to Njaya to rest and
recover. I was in the back steering and I was really bad to begin with but I
got better. We kayaked most of the way back before lunch and then just had a
little bit left after. After lunch I was much better and steering and Adam
really wanted to get back so we were booking it. It was a little difficult
because we were going against the wind and the waves were bigger but I think we
still went fast than Emily and I did the first day. We all made it back safely
and we took showers and I feel much better now except for my sore muscles and
few bumps and bruises I picked up on the way. When I took my shower I noticed
that I have a really bad tan line. I didn’t think I was getting that tan but
I’ve only been comparing myself to everybody else in the group so maybe I’m
tanner than I think. I guess we’ll see when I get back.
Today
Kevin came back from Mzuzu where he was spending time with his family and he’s
going to show us around the area. It should be nice relaxing day. Tomorrow we
are going back to SAFI and spending the night there and then we have two days
in Lilongwe before we start our trip home. It’s been determined that my trip is
the longest because I have the long layover in New York, which will be exciting
and then I have a three hour drive to Idaho from the Salt Lake airport. At
least I can sleep on the way home.
