Likoma Island, home of the scotts! (or it used to be)

While in Malawi, Meg and I decided to take an adventure and visit Likoma Island. This little island is on the east side of Lake Malawi, closer to Mozambique, but the islands belong to Malawi. Here's a map that will help with the next couple of posts, Meg lived in Zomba (southern Malawi) we visited Nkhotakota (central lake region) and Nkhata Bay (north central lake area) and Likoma island (near Mozambique).

Malawi, a little country with lots of people, a big lake, and lots of mosquitoes!

Like most places along the shores of Lake Malawi, Likoma has oodles of little fishing villages. They are characteristic when viewed from the lake by the rows of fish drying racks and fishing nets drying in the sun.

Fish drying racks on the shore of Likoma island.

Fish nets drying in the sand, sort of look like art work on the shore!

The Lord is Good, Chicago Trans(it?) I like that you can find little pieces of home everywhere, even on the waves of lake Malawi! 

 Meg found a cute little place for us to stay on the island, right on the shore, so we had many views of the lake, the sunrise and sunset!

Meg at our little hut by the beach!

Sunset over Lake Malawi

Sunset over lake Malawi, with a Bao Bab tree! 

The first morning there we took a walk around the island. The first place that we went was to Katundu, a center where single mothers are employed making crafts to sell to the tourists (the only ones who can afford them!).  One the the really neat things they did is to recycle the wine bottles from the resorts, into chandelier/wall hanging things. So they have women who work breaking the bottles into smaller pieces, they have a long tube with sand that the use to make it into sea glass. They also make clothes, mosquito nets and beaded things, etc. 

Jacaranda trees were in bloom, adding a bright splash of red to the landscape.

The women making things from the sea glass. Note the women in the background working to break apart the wine bottles.

Meg outside of Katundu (note that maize is planted right up to the path).

Then we walked past some fishermen coming back in with their catch. They had some pretty big catfish, and offered them to us for lunch, but I prefer my lunch a little more dead...

This man was excited to sell me a catfish, I was not so excited to buy... see also the corner of a dug-out canoe they use for fishing!

Then we walked into town to see the Cathedral, built by the Scottish missionaries that had come to Malawi in the late 1800s. It was amazing! After seeing all of the Malawian homes along the road, it was startling, and strange to see a cathedral as big as Westminster tucked in with the red dirt of Malawi.

We met Forget and Louise on the way into town.

The cathedral is HUGE (especially by Malawi standards), and beautiful.

The kids followed us into the cathedral for a bit to show us around.

The Cathedral was still decorated for Christmas... with toilet paper garland! So festive!

The detail in the icons and decorations was amazing!

This cross was at the front of the room, it looked very much like the Ethiopian crosses.

This cross features the four apostles, can you find them all?

From the altar looking back at the church.

We walked home with our ex-pat friends, through the baobab groves. There were so many on the island! It was a beautiful day!

Henrik and Kaja with the bao bab trees.

Zomba

Our first adventure in Malawi was to visit the Zomba plateau, just north of the city Meg lived in while in Malawi. This was also our first adventure with Malawian transportation. Unless you own a car, there are just a few ways to get around Malawi. Almost everyone walks everywhere they go, this can be upwards of 2 hours to get to work! There are buses, (these come in two varieties to be explored more later), boats (again, more on that later) and taxis. Taxis also come in two varieties, the bike taxi (see Meg's description here), and the hired car (or truck) taxi. We didn't have a car, there are no buses that go up the plateau, and a bike taxi wouldn't go up such a steep climb, so we hired a car taxi to take us to the top of the plateau. They picked us up at Meg's house and started up the hill, then about 2/3 of the way up the plateau, the car just stalled out. completely. and would not start again... But we were in luck, because just then there was a truck going by doing 'group taxi' style. Here you just ask someone to take you as far as they can (presuming they are going in the same direction), and just jump in the back of the pick-up truck for the ride (and usually pay some small fee). The truck assured us they could take us to the top of the plateau, so we jumped in the back of the truck. Good thing that Meg had been to the plateau before, so when they turned off the main road, and started going the other way, we knew it was time to get out, and walk the rest of the way up the mountain. So, 3 modes of transportation to the top!

The hotel at the top of the plateau where we had tea after the hike.

And it was totally worth it! Beautiful views from the top, and a lovely hike with Meg's craftsman friend Celtson.

A flower! I don't know the names of any of them.

Meg on the plateau.

From the plateau, Lake Chilwa in the background

Meg and Celtson on the plateau, looking out over his village.

More pretty flowers.

A flower Meg said reminded her of me :)

Malawi Sunrise

In light of the fact that I had a good friend living in Malawi (Meg) and that she was interested in having a traveling partner, and was worried about being able to bring home everything she accumulated during her time there, I went to Malawi on New Years day. Meg promised me adventure, and adventures we had!

First: sunrises. I like sunrises, I love being able to watch them, but usually I'm not up that early, and usually seeing a sunrise goes hand in hand with limited sleep. I got to see quite a few sunrises in Malawi (and one in Ethiopia), and from many different places, boats, cars, beaches, all very beautiful.

Ethiopian Sunrise (sounds like a good name for a coffee!)

Meg and the sun coming up at Nkhotakota, Lake Malawi

Nkhotakota Sunrise, every 10 minutes was a new sky! definitely worth waking up for!

The fishermen went out in dug out canoes to get the first catch of Chambo from Lake Malawi for breakfast.

Sunrise over Mozambique! From the Illala (more on that later) at Likoma island, lake Malawi

A wintery fix

Minnesotan as I am, I have always loved winter, the soft fluffy snow covering over all of the dead and brown things. Winter (in Minnesota) is neat and orderly, there is no mud, no bugs, no rodents, all is still and quiet and frozen.... except the Minnesotans! Minnesotans (at least the ones I aspire to be like) are out enjoying the snow, the sun, and each other. So this Christmas when I got to go home, my favorite part was playing with the family in the snow!

I love that first turn up the hill of the driveway to home!

We went skiing in the woods, got lost skiing in the woods, and enjoyed every second of it!

Kosens Kozy Kove our swimming spot growing up! Not much swimming going on now, but the pelican was still out to greet us!

Home! AND my mom! doesn't the barn look inviting with the little smoke stack?

I love weather, and what I always find interesting is that in Minnesota, the coldest days are the bright sunny ones (and sometimes you even get sun dogs!). (For those of you who are interested, I think of the clouds like a blanket holding the heat near the earth, and when the clouds are blown away, there is nothing to keep the heat in, and it gets very cold! Meteorologists may have a more scientific description.) On the last night I was home, the temperature fell from a balmy 37 F to -21... and there was SUN the next morning! so pretty!

On the way to Fargo (thus the flat-ness) it was VERY cold, and very bright!

Sometimes you don't have to travel very far....

Sometimes you don't have to travel very far to have other-worldly experiences! We (the neighborhood groupies) think that Elmer Fudge lives in the neighborhood and that he stole Bugs Bunny's spaceship rocket. I don't know what he is planning to do with it, but I really do hope it's fun!

Elmer Fudge driving off with Bugs' Space Rocket, but first a quick stop at Deardorf Grocery!

UPDATE: this is a screw! because Harrisburg is screwed!

A continuation

I was asked to blog for a cross cultural trip with students last May (Zambia 2013), and found that I really enjoyed thinking through the places I was visiting, and for putting to words to those experiences (along with pictures!). I've decided to continue that here, I hope you enjoy the stories.