As we travel to Malawi we know that we will spend 5 days relaxing by the beach, seeing our friends and usually doing a punch night; the latter means that we need the extra time to recover, oh the stress of being on the road!
Going through East Africa we are met with the hustle and bustle of the typical African cities, and yes it can get stressful; a great example is taking 24 people on local transport through Dar es Salaam to catch a ferry, making sure they’re all ok whilst organising tickets etc and dealing with the hassle you get from locals. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not nasty but you get a little fed up at times. Moving into Malawi things totally change; a country that has lived with a corrupt president for years, but the people are still the friendliest that we see on the road and I love it. You are met with smiles and people just want to talk to you and find out where you are from. It is an absolute pleasure to be there.
I am reminded of my recent visit, walking along the beach in the afternoon, maybe catch a few photos and have a paddle, I come across a group of kids ranging from 5 years to 18 years. All they wanted to do was to play and for me to take photos of them, the giggles you get when you show them their photo is heart warming and always brings a smile. I would urge everyone to visit Malawi at least once in their life, I am lucky I am there 6 times a year!
3 kids swimming and attracting my attention just to get a picture! Photo by: Samantha Williams
2 young girls doing their washing in the lake, most likely for the tourists. Photo by: Samantha Williams
Written by Samantha Williams– Acacia Tour Leader