Christmas and New Year!

Christmas and New Year

Happy New Year everyone – hope is was a good one for you all! I had a great time away from it all and back to basics. Here is my story. I set off for the long journey south on the Sunday before Christmas – thankfully I got a lift to the outskirts of Lilongwe and then I had to navigate myself to the main bus station with all my bags (2 rucksacks, one hand bag and a few carrier bags). Almost got pick pocketed on the way but caught the guy red handed. He didn’t even bat an eyelid and actually looked more annoyed that I had caught him and that I had actually ruined his work! Happens often at the bus station where it is so crowded and mad. People hound you as you get off one bus and try to find the other – certainly didn’t help that I could hard balance!

Anyway made it to a little village called Nkhoma which is really nice and not very African at all! There are lots of missionaries living in the area and hence lots of the houses are really nice with all mod-cons. First time I have actually seen a washing machine in Malawi! We were staying with another volunteer. There was 6 of us in total – 5 females of differing ages all from Europe and one Ugandan called Henry who is quite religions and prim and proper – we think he was in shock with the crazy antics of all these white girls and their silly traditions! I’m sure it was a learning experience he didn’t think he would get!! We spent Christmas Eve wandering about the village and in the local craft shop which is just next door to Jane’s house. There is even a little coffee and cake shop on the premises!

Christmas itself was also really nice. We went to the local Church service which was all in Chichewa but we could at least sing along to Hark the Herald angels in English. We didn’t stay there for too long and headed back to Jane’s to start preparing lunch – we had a full roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings, party hats and homemade crackers too! I opened a few little parcels from mother – I’m still waiting on at least a couple of parcels and hope is now fading that they have been lost or stolen on the way! We played a few games and watched several DVDs before heading to bed. It was a nice way to spend the day.

We then headed back to Lilongwe for our 9 day adventure. We set of on the 27^th to Zambia and one of the best National Parks in Southern Africa. We were camping in permanent tents with proper beds for the first few days which were better than we expected but of course it is the rainy season in this part of Africa so we did get a lot of rain and I had to relocate to a different tent after practically swimming to breakfast! We went on 4 drives that each lasted 4 hours! We were up at 5 every morning! You can imagine my bladder - there were several occasions where I needed to stop and goodness only knows what I was peeing beside – probably better not to know!!

We saw loads of animals and got quite close to several – there were plenty of giraffes (I think my favourite of the animals); zebras, impalas, buffalos, hyenas, elephants, birds and we also saw a lion, 2 lionesses and their cubs! It is amazing how peaceful these animals can appear, especially as they had recently killed and feasted upon a zebra, yet they are really dangerous. I can imagine how some of these stupid people in the UK would get our of their cars to try and pat one of the big cats!! Thankfully the weather for the drives was good but a little cold!

Then we spent Hogmanay driving from the park all they way to Victoria Falls at the other end of the country. We stopped off at Lusaka for a bit of shopping. Lusaka is huge and much more westernised than Lilongwe.

We finally arrived at dusk and in the pissing rain. We then had to put up our tents. Unfortunately, everyone else had already arrived and nicked all the best spots! We ended up camping in a marsh that just kept getting muddier and muddier as the days passed! It quite reminded me of Guide Camp and why I now take Brownies to indoor holidays!!

We went to a New Years Eve party which was really so awful that it was funny. There were lots of people about dancing to really old dance tunes and quite a lot of young people from the overland vehicles. I did make it to the bells but retired to my swamp shortly after that.

On New Years day we selected our activities for the 2 days that we were about the falls. I chickened out of the white water rafting and decided to do a bungee jump instead! More about that later!!

We spend the morning at Vic Falls which really are spectacular even though they are no where near full yet! In the evening we went on a boat cruise up the Zambezi River with the hippos and crocs all around. It was a really nice way to spend the evening, especially as all drinks were included in the price – although I was very good partly as I didn’t want to do the jump with a hangover and partly because the thought of getting in and out of the tent several times really didn’t appeal!

The next day we were up bright and early for the BIG jump. Debbie and I were the only ones doing it and we had opted for a combi – if I had known that this entailed I would never have agreed! Firstly we went of a flying fox type thing which was easy and tame! Next we did this Gorge Swing off the bridge. This actually entailed holding on to a rope, running and jumping of the bridge and falling 111 meters before the rope kicks in and you begin swinging! Oh my God it was awful! I really thought I might die and on impact I really jarred my neck. I hated every minute of it. Straight after that experience I had to do the bungee jump. I was now wetting myself! Of course I managed to go through with it and it was ok. The free fall was great and totally different to the first swing experience as you can actually feel the ropes around your feet and know that they will kick in. There is also something better falling head first rather than feet first! The worst part – which I had anticipated – is the bouncing up and down a million times upside down before you are rescued! Finally back on the bridge I did feel quite faint and survived the experience – I tell you not one that I will be repeating in the near future!

We then travelled back to Lilongwe and spent the night in a dorm – 5 of us girls and one male Malawian and his drunk friend who was trying to fight with him in the middle of the night – not a nice experience when you wake up to all this kafuffle at 3am! And of course he was on the bunk above me!

Met up with Jonathan before travelling back to Rumphi. He was lucky that he was flying in from Uganda via Nairobi as most of the African volunteers are stranded in either Kenya or Uganda as all the borders are closed! We did also get stranded in Lilongwe for an extra day as all the buses were full – the schools started back on the Monday and all the children who board were also heading back to school! Thankfully I made it back and everything is fine in Rumphi. Jambo was very excited to see us both!! The only challenge for the new year is that there is a fuel crisis in Malawi so we have no petrol for the bike or diesel for the car to do our work!!!

Hope you all also had a great Christmas and all the best for 2008!

Caroline