We all just returned from our overnight at Lake Malawi. The group finally got to experience why everyone loves the lake.
The drive to the lake is only about an hour and half so we stood in town to do a little shopping before leaving. The ladies really wanted to visit the chitinji market and purchase some fabric. Since this group is small I decided it would be easy to get in and out without to much hassle. The group really loved the experience and everyone bought lots of fabric. We stopped by the local grocery store to get some snacks for the ride and then we had a quick lunch before getting on the road.
We stopped at the wood carvers market that is close to the lake. This was something the group had been so excited about. We all spent about an hour there and the ladies had fun bartering for souvenirs.
We arrived in the afternoon and people got busy quickly. The group took the kayaks out and fed the fish eagles and then paddled around waiting for the sun to go down. It was a beautiful sunset. There were a few other people staying at the place we stayed so meeting so new faces was fun. We all ended up playing Catch Phrase which lends to a lot of laughs.
We all knew Sunday would be another early morning so we all tried to get to bed at a decent hour. We all decided to wake up at 5am to hike the mountain (really big hill). We left for the hike while it was still dark and about 3/4 of the way up were able to sit on top of a huge rock and watch the sunrise. There are so few times when I have sat and watched the sun peek up from the horizon. It was a good reminder that we should all do it more often. We all snapped a few pictures since the view was absolutely amazing and then headed up the rest of the mountain. We reached the top and all enjoyed some coffee and more pictures. The hike was challenging so we all needed a break before heading back down. As we climbed down we all talked about how we could take the rest of the day off since we had put so much energy into that hike. Once we got back though a few of the girls decided they wanted to do the “challenge” that some of the workers from the lodge had been telling them about as we climbed down. This challenge consisted of a run, a kayak and a swim. The two youngest members of our group wanted to take on this challenge. The others in the group were happy to just watch and cheer them on. The ladies took a little break and then went and changed into their “challenge” clothes.
One member of the staff joined the girls. It was a race and everyone would be timed. It was a fun way to spend the morning. We cheered and took pictures as they all went through the course. Steve finished first, but only by a few min. I was surprised they all hung in there and finished! The entire course only took about 20 min, but it wasn’t easy! I was a little envious when they finished and wished I had joined them. After that hike though….there was no way I could have made it 🙂
Then we all ate breakfast and relaxed until around noon.
With Change In Mind has been looking at a new project site near the lake. We all went into he nearby village to see the little preschool that the community was trying to start. We met a few of the kids and spoke with members of the community. It looks like there is some help we can offer and I’m excited at the possibilities. I was glad the group joined me and was able to see how the process of finding new projects begins. More on that later.
We had lunch and then had to pack up and take the drive back to Lilongwe. We will leave early tomorrow morning for Zambia.
Everyone is excited about they have seen and experienced and they can’t wait to tell their friends and family about this journey. A few more days!! I’m sure a lot is still yet to be experienced. Hopefully I can update the blog again on Wednesday.