Walls, roads, and Lake Malawi (photos added)

Monday 21^st Oct

 

(Photos will be coming, I will update tomorrow when I have downloaded from the weekend)

 

Well what a week. So after a lovely five day weekend I returned to work with a bang on Wednesday. The particular bang in question came at around 4.40pm just as I was leaving the office (we finish at 4.30 here on account that the lights get turned out at 6. No really it is dark at about 6.05) and it can be attributed to Jimmy the Rasta, now named Jimmy the Reprobate, driving a dumper truck through a wall. A big wall. Massive cracks, knocked over a pillar. So I spent an extra twenty minutes taping off the stairs that now had a large wall looming over them. Jimmy claimed the brakes had failed.

 

Thursday morning arrived as so did the sight I got as I arrived at work. Our lorry embedded in the wall the other side from the one Jimmy demolished. They couldn’t hit the same bit could they. Guess what! Brake failure again. Now you may think that was all the incidents of Thursday bit no. It gets better. We have recently taken delivery of a JCB 360 for work on the football field opposite the centre. So at around 10 o’clock when everyone has a break our driver and the guard go for tea. But the school next door also has a break. I kid you not there was around 50 kids playing in and around our 21 tonne excavator. Some were on the arm others in the bucket. When the driver returned fortunately the kids scrambled off the JCB but continued to jump on the piles of dirt he was digging, but don’t worry the driver carried on. I have changed my goals since being here. Rather than finishing the projects on time and budget it is now not to kill anyone!

 

 So Friday came and so did our weekend trip. Everyone in Mtisidi, in a convoy of three cars, drove to Cape MacLear the southern side of Lake Malawi. It was 6 hours of dodging chickens, goats, potholes, cows, cyclists, people and crazy drivers but it was worth it!

Smikey, our neighbour in Blantyre, grew up there and his family prepared a feast for our arrival of Msima (spongy maize stuff) rice, chicken and Kampango – possibly the nicest fish I have ever eaten!

The next morning Lake Malawi was on our doorstep. It is amazing. The calm blue waters, the clear blue sky. Chris and I made the decision early that we would be adventurous and hire a kayak. On hearing the price of a kayak we opted for the cheaper Malawian dug out. It is essential a giant tree trunk with a point at both ends and not much in the middle.

We soon realised why the dug outs were sooooo much cheaper. Firstly you sit on two very narrow edges of wood. Then you wedge your legs into a very narrow space into the boat. Now for those that know my build – it isn’t slender or small. And this boat was clearly made for Malawian thighs! Next is the powering of said tree. We had two paddles, both wood, both different sizes. But not to be deterred by all of this we set of for a small island about a mile out. I reckon the reason that they hired out this particular log to tourist was due to it being built wrong. Would it go straight......would it #%&£$!

 It would have been quicker to swim. I know this because it took us an hour and a quarter to get across, numb arse and burnt backs included, and the nutter who swam it that morning did it in 45 mins. We were over taken by one Malawian on his own!

But it was worth it for the snorkling and satisfaction. Loads of sicklids (sp?) pink, blue, yellow, silver and black. We got the hang of it on the way back, it only taking 30 mins.  That afternoon I learnt the game of Boa (sp?) in the Gecko Lodge with the aid of Jim and a few carlsbergs.

We also sat and watched some kids (Smikey’s nephews) none older than 12, completely embarrass us with their boat skill when they nicked our dug out and took it for a spin.

Sunday morning  the others decided they wanted to go to the island, but being the wusses they are we got a motor boat. And guess who also went swimming in Lake Malawi! Yep one Pam Dawson . And I mean totally swimming. Out of her depth swimming. I wasn’t allowed to leave her side, and it was in water you could see the bottom of but very proud of her!

We then on to feed the fish eagles, watching them take the little fishes we threw straight out of the water. Five in total – Eagles that is, we threw way more fish than that.

 

Then for further frivolities a few of us dived off the boat and found some rocks to continue diving  from.

The journey back was much quicker at 4.5 hours due to using a tarmac road not the one that’s closed and you have to drive in the dirt. I can definitely say Lake Malawi will be visited again.

 

 

Today has been a quiet day working through the first draft of my new novel. Pam is on call for the first time today. 24hours. Essentially she was in work normal time this morning. Will be home at around 10pm tonight and if all goes well won’t be required until 6am tomorrow. If it doesn’t go well she can be called in at any time tonight.

 

STATMAN

 First Draft words: 95k

Amount of blisters from paddling: 2

Animals hit on journey: 0

Things nearly hit: 2 cows, 2 goats, 1 chicken and a broken down truck in the dark!

Mosquito bites: 5 –they got me! After 6 weeks they finally got me!

Fresh mangoes eaten: 1 so good.

Cost of fresh mango: 2p

Types of Carlsberg drunk: 3, green, brown and black.

Average temp for the weekend: 34ish.