Big Yellow Mog Diary

New Beginings Lilongwe, Malawi

01/01/2007

I'm sorry we haven't updated for a while, we've been really quite busy. Janey and I decided that we really couldn't go back to the UK so have decided to stay in sunny Malawi!

We now run a campsite in the capital city of Malawi, Lilongwe.

So if your ever passing drop by and say hello!

Mabuya Camp, Livingstone Road, Area 3. Lilongwe

www.mabuyacamp.com

Oh yes and Alf is happy as he has two new friends to play with.

Thankyou!

Back Home? Lilongwe, Malawi

09/10/2006

Tom writes − Decided we would head back to Lilongwe today and Janey made me promise to go slower on the road on the way back. I did, and with another swift border crossing we were back in lovely Malawi with its smiling people and beautiful lake views.

Anyone for Golf? Lilongwe, Malawi

05/10/2006

We are staying in Lilongwe for a couple of days to wait for our visa waiver for Zambia to come through − which will save us $120 so is definitely worth having. Then we are planning to head up to South Luangwa national park for a few days before coming back to Malawi and heading north along the lake and then up in to Tanzania to meet Gilly and Arthur.

We decided to stay at the Golf Club as two (very large) resident dogs at Kiboko camp seem to think Alfie is rather snack-sized. When we pulled in we met two other vehicles which had both been in Senga bay. The little yellow mog − which was lucky, as we were able to return the adapter they had kindly lent us, and a German couple with their four year old daughter Sylvie, travelling in a Land Cruiser with a very cool bright red pop-top trailer. They had also come down through west Africa and then shipped from Ghana to Durban.

On Friday we were joined by Jean and Geoff − a retired English couple who had also come from west Africa and who, like us, had driven all the way. They are in their very trusty Land Cruiser, which is near to completing its second trans-African trip (they drove down the east coast two years ago), without (touch wood) any major problems. They've got a great set up and are quite clearly pros at this overlanding malarkey. We compared notes on the Congo and Nigeria and giggled (I'm still smirking thinking about it) at Geoff's 'Grumpy Old Man' act. We had a very entertaining evening − thanks! They are at www.gonewandering.co.uk .

The Golf club might sound like an unlikely spot for a campsite but actually it's quite pleasant. There's a (slightly green) pool and plenty of space to walk Alfie − although you have to start early as it's pretty hot during the day. We spent a bit of time exploring Lilongwe (it doesn't take long!) and definitely coming to the conclusion that it is the most agreeable African city we know, although it would be even better with the addition of Ouagadougou's breakfast bars.

Mumbai here she comes! Lilongwe, Malawi

04/10/2006

We left Kiboko earlyish this morning and headed in to town to try and find a book shop that we had heard might sell English newspapers. It had closed and its replacement didn't, but we picked up a few other essential supplies. Next stop we thought we'd visit Lilongwe market but it is located between two enormous combie-stations and we got totally ensnarled in a chaos of minibuses and by the time we had escaped we decided it would be easier to go somewhere else and have a quiet drink before heading for the airport. However, in this we were thwarted to as the city centre end of Lilongwe turned out not to be exactly brimming with cafe culture, so we decided to head to the airport directly.

The airport was very quiet and the car park surrounded by more lovely flowering wisteria trees, covered in bright lilac bell-shaped flowers. We parked in the shade, fetched some cokes (which turned out to be sprites, as that was all they had!) and knocked up a Salad Nicoise − it's so handy being able to buy hard-boiled eggs on every street corner.

All too quickly it was time to say goodbye, whereupon we both blubbed like toddlers, but managed to get her safely checked in for the flight to Jo'burg − the first leg of her long journey to India and next adventure. I am so excited for her, and so looking forward to hearing all the news, but I miss her already.

Retail Therapy Senga Bay to Lilongwe, Malawi

03/10/2006

Happily Malawi is such a reasonably-sized place that we didn't have to leave until midday. We spent the morning swimming and packing up and then headed out to the huge long line of curio stalls that we had seen on the way to Salima. There are over fifty different stalls, so Kate and I decided to methodical and start at one end and work our way down. I was particularly on the look out for one of the big Malawian wooden bowls which are beautifully smooth and round and made from ebony. However, the vast majority of them have endless animal carvings all over them − which I used to like but have now seen too much of. Eventually we found some beautiful plain ones which Kate and I immediately fell in love with. We ummed and ahhed and haggled hard and eventually came to a price that we were all happy with. With the bowls in hand, along with pair of salad servers apiece and a pair of carved heads for Kate we retreated, very happy with our purchases.

From there we climbed and climbed towards Lilongwe, through the dry hills. Malawi is not far from the beginning of the rainy season and the land is parched. We passed through lots of villages, with their chickens, goats and well-maintained huts surrounded by immaculately swept yards. Happily we have seen many more schools and school-children than in Mozambique, although it's difficult to tell whether the children are in school as they sometimes go in shifts at different times of day.

Eventually we arrived in Lilongwe, and made our way through streets lined with tree-wisteria and bougainvillea, past the golf club and on to Kiboko camp, which is a real sanctuary with a great selection of trees, flowers and birds in the gardens. We were almost surprised to discover that we had driven right through the centre of town on the way to get there − Lilongwe has to be the least hectic of all the African capital cities we have been to, much quieter than the commercial centre of Blantyre.

Kate and I are both beginning to get a little depressed by the thought of saying goodbye tomorrow but we enjoyed our last evening, having a yummy chicken stew cooked by Kiboko's restaurant and sitting under the trees in the moonlight, contemplating the African stars and looking back over what has been a very eventful and unbelievably enjoyable month. On the one hand, neither of us can believe it's nearly over already, but on the other hand, it feels like aeons since Kate arrived in Jo'burg, not to mention that we've travelled across three countries.