Leaving a Piece of Our Hearts in Malawi
The major highlights over the last three days have been feeding the African Fish Eagles, snorkeling in Lake Malawi, cliff jumping, riding in our very large (very clunky) bus, going on game drives, and saying our official goodbyes to the field workers in Malawi.
After falling asleep to the sound of waves the night before, we were refreshed and ready for a full day boat ride on Lake Malawi Tuesday morning. Our captain/guide brought along some fish to feed the eagles and we enjoyed seeing them swoop within feet of the boat to grab the fish out of the water. It amused us to learn that he had given all of the eagles in the area names (the most notable being Obama and Michelle).
Shortly after watching the eagles we went snorkeling. We were all very excited - some because it was their first time snorkeling, and others because they had heard about the hundreds of different species of fish in Lake Malawi. The experience did not disappoint (mostly because the tour guide baited the fish in with bread) and the school of fish was so thick that we almost caught some with our bare hands!
Following our snorkeling expedition we had a picnic lunch of freshly grilled fish on one of the lake's islands. The fish lunch gave us the required energy for our next activity - cliff jumping! After checking the depth of the water, we jumped off a steep rock face into the deeper areas. Those of us who aren't afraid of heights enjoyed this activity immensely.
As mentioned in our previous blog, the bus was already leaking a mysterious fluid at the beginning of our vacation week. This concerning phenomenon developed into a very unhealthy grinding noise. Thankfully, despite all its struggles, the bus somehow made it to all our destinations. We were in the bus for several hours over the last few days, but managed to stay busy with a variety of activities. Our favorite and most frequent bus activity has been singing hymns and psalters.
Our next destination was Mvuu Camp. We went on two safari drives and a riverboat ride. It was wild to see so many animals in the wild. Just to name a few of the bigger species: lions, hippos, crocodiles, buffalo, baboons, elephants, zebras, sable antelopes, and warthogs. In addition to the amazing animals we enjoyed the hot showers and the fantastic food.
Our vacation time ended much too soon, but we were still excited to return to Mapanga, which is starting to feel like home to us. To wrap up our stay in Malawi we had a goodbye dinner at a nice restaurant with all the field workers. Despite having only known each other for three weeks, we all agreed that our group feels like a very big family. The time we have been given to spend together has truly been a blessing. Looking ahead to the next few days of traveling home is bittersweet. While we look forward to seeing family, the things we leave behind have also become a part of our lives.
Written by Kate and Ella