Two Birthday Snapshots

Number One.

We went to Nkhata Bay for my birthday, so on Friday I was travelling with Mike and Sam. We left Mtunthama at 6, got a lift to Kasungu, a bus to Mzuzu, a minibus to Nkhata bay and then a lift up to the hostel. We had to change a tyre within the first 30 seconds of this 11 hour journey, which was quite Malawian, but nothing like as much as the minibus from Mzuzu. It was perfect timing – we got to the  bus depot just as it was full to bursting so that when we had squeezed ourselves in it actually set off straight away. We proceeded out of the depot and rolled down the main street – jerking violently every 5 seconds as the driver tried to kickstart the engine. This continues with no success. This continued to the bottom of the hill – we turn, and roll to a stop. The conductor and some others get out, gather passers-by and push. No success. They go round to the front and push us backwards again. No success. We are pushed, jerking, back and forward for 15 minutes. No success. They give up and take the battery out – after another 15 minutes they manage to find another battery from somewhere and someone clever wires it up. The driver turns the key. Chug-chug-chug-chiuum. Chug-chug-chug-chiuum. Chug-chug-chug-chug-chug-chug-chiuum. No success.

Thereafter followed 15 minutes of unexplained stillness and complete inactivity. Then a man appears with a jerry can of petrol and pours it into the tank. They push the bus once again, the driver turns the key. Success.

A glorious 45 minutes of Malawi.

Number Two.

On Saturday a few of us went out for lunch to a place called Aqua Africa, which had a beautiful view of the bay, a swing, and good cake. So obviously I loved it and was keen to go back – and I realised that it was straight across the bay from our place – apparently 800m.

So Sunday morning me, Sam, Naomi and Lara borrowed the two big canoes and paddled our way across for breakfast. Me and Lara reached the shore first, and she hopped out from the front and started to pull the canoe up the beach. Unfortunately, I had just stood up to follow her, and so this eminently sensible action had the unintended consequence of moving the boat under me, lurching me off balance and sending me, gracefully, bum-first over the side and into the lake.

You’ll be no doubt glad to learn that the joyful humiliation of this didn’t detract from a delicious breakfast and a delightful swing.

When it was time to head back, we wandered back down and climbed into the boats. As we picked up the oars Sam said – “It looks like it’s going to rain”. As he said it, the wall of falling water moved visibly across the lake towards us, and we paddled hard into an absolute deluge. There is something absolutely glorious about being on a tiny boat in the middle of a flat blue lake, being pummelled powerfully by rain on all sides. It was beautiful. Like everything awesome I’ve seen here, it made you feel small. It made me feel like I was in the bit of the of the bible when Jesus is asleep in the fishing boat, and then he gets up and calms the storm. And we sang, of course. Which reminds me – if anyone knows the second line of the song, “Raindrops keep falling on my head” – then please do share because both Lara and myself are blissfully ignorant on the subject. Anyway, we made it, all four of us just as soaked as I had been earlier on, and it was definitely the awesomest canoe-based breakfast outing of my life.