Meeting Happy Children in Malawi

Day 13

Even though everybody loved South Luangwa and wanted to stay longer, Jojo kept us on our timeline. We packed up our tents, had breakfast and started driving to Malawi. It was a relatively short drive out of Zambia but before we reached the border, Sam got sick on the truck! She wasn’t feeling well at the border so we rushed her though the process to get her back in her seat as soon as possible. After the border crossing, we had lunch under a shady tree before finishing the drive to our camp, Barefoot Lodge. When we got to camp, Sam went to bed while we tried to help figure out what made her sick. That afternoon, Sara and I tried to use the lodge’s internet but again had no luck.

Day 14

With another full day of driving, we were worried about Sam’s comfort but happy she wasn’t missing anything by being sick. After enjoying lunch on the side of the road, we make a stop to visit a historic place. We walk down a path that was once used to transport slaves but eventually became a landmark for stopping the slave market. When our guides dropped us off in Nkhotakota, a crowd of children immediately surrounded our truck. As we started the tour, kids grabbed our hands and walked with us as we followed the local guides. By the end of the tour, we each had several new friends.

We continued the drive to Ngala Lodge which we would stay at for two nights. The lodge is on a hill overlooking Lake Malawi and the campsite was was right on the beach of the lake – it was beautiful. The water looked very clear and inviting but there is apparently a parasite in the water that can burrow in through skin. It can be killed by taking some pills but neither Sara or I wanted to risk it. We were content just looking at the water. Sam still wasn’t feeling better and that night we finally convinced her to start taking an antibiotic she brought from home.

Day 15

Before breakfast, Sara and I snuck in some decent internet. While at internet, I slipped and twisted my ankle. Our group was not having very good luck! That morning we had a village tour planned. Sam stayed behind again but was starting to feel better. Carolyn also stayed behind to avoid the mid day heat. My foot wasn’t hurting too bad so I went on the tour. This village tour was much different than the last one. Our local guide took us around the village to see fishermen, bricklayers, the water pumps, the primary school, and the public hospital. The entire way, there were children that wanted to follow and hold our hands. Sara made a friend who did not want to share – she told the other children not to hold Sara’s other hand because only she was Sara’s friend.

None of us were ready for what we saw when we arrived at the school. As we approached, children started running towards us with excitement for our visit. As we got closer, children poured out of classrooms. There was an endless sea of children! The headmaster told us there there are around 1400 kids in the school and they only have 6 teachers! To me, it looks like the kids were in charge! We brought some workbooks and pencils to donate but after seeing the school, I don’t think our measly donation was going to do much good. I felt sad for the kids but they were so happy it kept me happy too.

After a failed attempt to leave the kids at school, we had about 100 followers on the way to the hospital. The hospital wasn’t much better off than the school. Their biggest problem was Malaria. Many in the village can’t afford mosquito nets for newborn babies and so most children are infected early in life.

The tour was a real eye opener and just showed the poor conditions that they call home. At least they have clean drinking water from a well that was donated by the European Union. All afternoon while relaxing by the pool, I kept thinking about how lucky we are in the world and how insignificant people’s #firstworldproblems really are.

Day 16

After breakfast, our safari continued north along the Lake Malawi coast. We passed through some beautiful mountain ranges which slowed our progress but the scenery was worth the slow progress. Jojo stopped for lunch in what turned out to be a school playground. There were many kids running around playing various games. Some of the braver kids came and played cards nearby. At one point, Erin showed a magic trick to a group of 12 year old boys – they were blown away!

We camped on the lake again with a beautiful view of the mountains we had traversed. I was jealous when some of the guys started a volleyball game on the beach and I couldn’t join because my ankle hurt. After dinner, I went to bed early because I was feeling quite tired…hopefully I wasn’t getting sick too because there is a long drive ahead!