Nkhata Bay

                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.