What A Holiday!

I've just had one of the best holidays ever. After meeting Alli and Kathy at the airport we went to the lake where we drank champagne, swam before breakfast, snorkeled off an island, watched sea eagles diving for fish and caught up on lost time. From there we headed back to Lilongwe then left the next day for Zambia. Our lodge in the Safari park was luxurious. We were spoilt from beginning to end. Our chalets looked over a lagoon which was drying after the rains. There were zebra, impala and hippos wandering about on the dry areas. We had visiting frogs and bats in the chalets which we had to remove before bed, except the one Kim found in her bed at 2 am! We saw lionesses and their cubs eating a buffalo kill, a leopard, a male lion, giraffes, zebra, hyena, buffalo, and many many more species of animals, reptiles and birds. One morning we had a bush breakfast, a slap up breakfast served in a beautifully setup dinning room in the middle of the bush. Our guide, Richard, was superb and very knowledgeable. He could find animals from hearing a distant roar. Each game drive was different from the last and provided yet another insight into the bush, wildlife and way of life in the remote areas we visited. The spotter on the night drives had also been trained in pouring gin and tonic, or was that tonic and gin? The result was we saw twice as many animals as were there. Another highlight was sitting in a Jacuzzi then having a massage in a spa built out over a hippo pool with open views. The food was excellent and we were joined every morning at breakfast by the monkeys trying to pinch the food.

From South Luangwa we went to Victoria Falls, what a sight. The road journey was long and uncomfortable but it was worth it. We climbed down to the boiling pot where the falls drop to, and explored the other walks and paths around the top of the falls. We did a boat safari on the upper Zambezi and an elephant safari one morning. Kathy was mugged by a baboon who stole our nuts that we had left over from lunch. The elephant safari was a very special experience. All the accommodation and food was great and I'm looking forward to doing it again with the boys in July.

The trip back to Malawi proved to be every bit as eventful. The brakes failed in the car and we were involved in an accident. Thankfully no one was hurt. The upside was that we were flown back to the border and escaped an 8 hour drive. We had great fun back in Malawi and managed to pack in a huge amount. Alli had done some fundraising and we visited the projects that are going to benefit from the money. The visits gave a great deal of insight into the difficulties that people face here as well as the great determination and commitment of local people. One of the highlights of our time here was a boat trip on Lake Chilwa to see the bird life. We also walked up Zomba Plateau, visited the market and had friends round for dinner. All too soon it came to an end and we returned to Lilongwe via Salima on one of the most beautiful roads in the country.

My saddest day here was seeing Alli and Kathy off at the airport. However, I'll soon have more visitors and there is plenty going on to keep me occupied. Its out for drinks tomorrow for David's (fellow VSO) 30th Birthday , a big party on Saturday, other VSOs visiting for 3 days next week then back to Lilongwe to pick up Susannah, my care share mate. So life goes on at a fast pace. Harry definitely looks pregnant and keeps climbing in and out of boxes perhaps looking for a place to give birth. We ate two of the chickens when the girls were here. The garden continues to produce but I think most of it goes to the locals. I hope everyone at home is well keep the comments coming.