08.28 Something happened while we both were asleep, half the trip was made. Now, at the start of the second half, I have been in a shower that was not even at half speed. Ahead of us are the classic morning chores here at Mufasa Backpackers Lodge in Lilongwe, Malawi.

10.10 What was offered for breakfast here plus some other stuff that we bought with us have been consumed. I made myself a sandwich with peanut butter and jam, no taste sensation. Now we are preparing ourselves and our backpacks for today's little trip.

10.19 We have ditched the plans to leave our hostel by taxi. We know where we're going and it's not too far to walk.

11.03 I'm back in the leather chair at Axa Coach Service office. In the chair to my right is a young woman. To my left is Christer. We walked here without hardly any beggars and various offers on the way. Now we are waiting for the booked tickets which will hopefully be available soon. They were not ready when we just spoke with the woman at the ticket counter.

11.28 The money for the tickets, 3 500 Kwacha were provided at the counter and we have got our bus tickets for today's trip to the north, a journey that starts in just over half an hour.

An unknown woman buys a bus ticket.

The bus to Mzuzu fills up with passengers.

11.51 A bus from the company AXA came and we left the armchairs to go aboard. It was not possible, we did not enter. The bus has Blantyre as its destination. We should not go there, not today anyway.

12.31 Now the right bus arrived and we put in our backpacks, went in and sat down. The company's slogan is "Yosunga Nthawi, Yodalilika, Yasangala, Yamakono, Yamtidzi" or Punctual, Reliable, Friendly, Luxurious, Comfortable. Well punctual is not true. What about the rest?

12.46 Both Christer and I got up for a woman with white gloves, mop and bucket. Our part of the bus would be mopped because the floor was dirty. Someone had spilled soda or something similar and the sticky stuff had attracted some miscellaneous debris. This is the first time I have got up for some mopping of the floor in a bus.

13.04 About an hour late, we are finally ready to go. This is not good, the delay that is, we wanted to arrive in daylight.

13.49 The newspaper "The Nation" has the headline, "JB refuses to sack Katopola". JB is probably the president. Our tickets have been checked and the bus speed varies as it bounces around. The landscape is dry, desolate and hilly.

14.48 The bus has stopped here in Kasungu. The bus is in the parking lot outside the hotel Kasungu Inn. In addition to the bus are assorted vehicles from various departments within the EU and the UN. The trip here has been faster than it should according to the guidebook. I hope the rest of the trip will go quickly and smooth. We read in our books by Ian Rankin and Roslund & Hellström.

15.53 The sun bakes the left side of the bus. It's hot in the bus. At least two hours remains of this trip.

The bus has made a short stop in Mzimba.

Public transport in the rural areas in Malawi can look like this.

16.51 The bus made a stop to drop off people. We are in Mzimba. There are about 70-80 kilometers to go. It might under favorable conditions be done within an hour. We'll see how it goes.

17.34 A South African truck with a trailer, loaded with cows has stopped and we drive past it. The red sun is shining over the pine forest. Yes, it's actually pines here. It almost feels like home. We have travelled through the Viphya plateau with forests and valleys and the darkness is coming.

17.51 We have met a truck loaded with Carlsberg beer, crossed mighty mountains, driven past bunch after bunch of lumberjacks and the Nordic ambience is enhanced. We also realized that it will be completely dark when we will soon reach our new home.

The sun is going to sleep behind the Viphya Plateau.

18.45 The darkness has turned into a faint glow from a few streetlights. We are in Mzuzu, the city that is known for its cold climate. The bus did not stop at the bus station as we thought, but at AXA's office. The darkness has settled over the city. We went with Billy, a taxi driver to our pre-booked accommodation Flame Tree B&B Guest House (http://www.flametreemalawi.com/flame-tree-guesthouse-mzuzu.html). Along the way Billy almost run over a young lady. The guy who opened the gates, he looked like the way Darth Vader (because of his hat and scarf), stood to attention after the gates had opened. Billy drove into the yard, promised to help us if we needed a ride tomorrow and drove on. We don’t seem to be expected here at the guesthouse. Apparently, the check-in lady has got information that we'll come another day. We are sitting in a red sofa and waiting. What is it with us and red sofas? We have met those in Sarajevo, Belfast, and now here. The lady in the reception is carrying a baby in a cloth on her back.

19.00 The lady at the front desk called for the owner. She will come and sort things out. We have been offered to order food for later tonight. We just have to wait and see what will happen next.

19.26 The owner, Maggie Phipps, arrived and everything was straightened out. In fact, there has never been any problem. The mess was just a misconception. It was thought that we would stay for two nights. Since that room was rented, we would get another room the first night. We pointed out that it is enough with one night. Everything worked out and we went to room 2. Maggie told us about the shower here, blue handle, warm and red hot handle, cold. Money can be exchanged in the city. The best rate is on the black market with the Chinese or possibly the Indians down in center. Banks should be avoided because they have poorer rate.

The small reception at Flame Tree Guesthouse.

Peter is sitting in our small room.

20.20 Now we have eaten a tasty meal by a table in the courtyard. Christer had a very spicy curry. I have also registered us. I filled in details about myself in a ledger. They wanted information such as name, address, nationality, date of arrival, departure, which city we come from, where we're going next, passport number and occupation. However, I ignored to fill in what tribe I belonged to.

21.59 We have thought and read about tomorrow's events. We seem to be heading for a small paradise. It can be good to rest and get recharged.

Friday 20th of July

07.57 It is lots of activity at the guesthouse. We have spent one more night under mosquito nets. Today we begin our journey to the east. What`s for breakfast? Yesterday, we were asked if we wanted fries. Our window is moist by misting. The alleged cold climate here in Mzuzu seems correct. Right now we are also in this summer trip’s northernmost point.

09.00 Toast, marmalade, strips and eggs or sausage that was our breakfast. Tea was served and drunk. There was just enough sausage for one serving. From the city we hear the sound of various emergency vehicles. Here at the guesthouse we hear a small child.

09.19 The little child is actively involved in the activities. She stands and washes clothes in a small bowl. It's time to walk into town to see it in daylight before we move on. We also need to get more money before we leave here. Here at Flame Tree Guest House, we were the only guests in addition to some local businessmen who ate an early breakfast and left.

Every day should start with a good breakfast at home and on a journey.

Flame Tree Guesthouse, Mzuzu.

We decided to take a walk to the centre of Mzuzu.

We were offered bicycle taxi but said no.

10.09 We are now in the center of Mzuzu. Our guesthouse is located in the city's southwestern outskirts, on the border of an area of "villas" and an area with houses of a simpler model. On the way into the city center we met a young man who wanted to sell household items made of plastic. There were also bicycle taxis, pimped bikes with an upholstered pad on the rack.

10.26 We have visited an exchange office and arranged with more of the local currency, the kwacha. It was a modern fresh place with friendly staff and excellent service.

11.22 We did some internet surfing and I drank an espresso in Mzuzu Coffee Den, a new place in the city center that serves and sells the coffee produced here in Mzuzu. Christer had got an email from Livingstone, the city, not David. The cleaning staff at Jollyboys had found a pair of glasses in a black case. We hope that it is Christer’s. In addition, Christer had received an email from our friend Roberth. He has decided to make a trip to Japan on the 1st of Augusut. Now we are back at Flame Tree Guest House and are figuring how we will travel on today. Will we take the minibus as planned, which is cheap or call a taxi, which is more comfortable. On the way back we met a lady who carried a table on her head.

11.35 The travel thoughts carry on. We are now in a red sofa each in the lobby here at the accommodation. On the TV is a broadcast to commemorate the victims of the protests against the former President Mutharika. This occurred on 20-21 July 2011 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Malawian_protests). President Joyce Banda sits with the ceremony.

The clocktower in Mzuzu.

Mzuzu

A woman with a table on her head.

Both we and our backpacks are now ready to leave Mzuzu.

11.43 Christer dialed 099167823 and Billy answered. He remembered his promise from yesterday and is now on his way here.

12.04 The sound of screeching tires was heard and so a honking, Billy had arrived. Now we have agreed on the sum of 9 000 Kwacha, US$32, confirmed. We are heading in his taxi to Africa's third largest lake. OK, we need to refuel first. Billy wants a down payment of 5 000 Kwacha to afford petrol. It is a queue to the pumps. We have to wait.

12.15 The car's tank is full and we leave Mzuzu behind us.

12.38 Billy drives us down a long, winding and bumpy hill. There are green valleys, both to the right and left. It's very beautiful.

The road from Mzuzu to Nkhata Bay.

12.52 The road has leveled off. In all cases as it comes to slopes. We still bounce around. Along the way we now and then see small brick buildings with grass roofs. They seem newly built. Now it is only 2 kilometers left.

13.07 A road barrier donated by Vizara Plantation LTD was opened by some policemen and we carried on towards Nkhata Bay. Now Billy, after he has bought cigarettes, will drive us all the way to the lodge which is located some distance away. We did not think it was possible to drive all the way there but apparently it is. We do however need to pay extra for this adventure. Now the front passenger door opened and Sean got in. He'll show the way. We are crossing a football field. The road goes over it because the asphalt is placed on the regular path to the right.

13.41 We have finally arrived at Njaya Lodge (http://www.njayalodge.com). Here we met the nice Dixon who guided us and showed us which houses we could choose between. We have chosen to move into the beach house 8. We have a large room with two beds and an attached bathroom. Now we are sitting on the patio of the bar and have a fabulous view of Lake Malawi. We sit and drink Kuche Kuche, the country's own beer. It is time for lunch. According to my menu the prices are excluding VAT, according to Christer's menu they are inclusive of VAT. For all orders, we shall say 48, that's the number we received. Full payment is due upon check-out.

Christer is enjoying a welcome beer (Kuche Kuche) at Njaya Lodge.

This beach house will be our home for the next three days.

A fantastic view from our patio.

Lake Malawi

14.37 Lunch (hamburgers according to the menu) was a hamburger each on a slice of toast. On another toast was a tasty vegetable and spice mix, alongside a fresh salad, not so much, but delicious nevertheless.

16.29 We are sitting on the couch, not red, however, at the patio of our beach house. I just took a photo of a cool egg shaped nest in a tree. When I looked at the picture, I noticed that someone was coming out through the opening to the nest, a bird. It might be a cardinal woodpecker, Dendropicos fuscescens hartlaubii.

16.46 It's a great feeling to look out over the vast Lake Malawi. The lake is about 80 kilometers wide and 570 kilometers long. On the other side of the big water are Mozambique and Tanzania. The lake is known for its unique fish, the Malawi cichlids, popular as aquarium fish. 90% of fish species in the lake only exists here. It's easy to start talking about the "sea" with this body of water in front of us. We have chosen the right house, private bathroom and this amazing patio makes the stay extra special.

17.42 Now we have been and ordered dinner from Gilbert, one of the guys working here. Dixon only works during the day. Dinner will be served at 19.30. Until then, we shall amuse ourselves by washing our clothes. We have also seen Njaya Lodge´s own dog. Her name is Tia and she is almost 15 years old. It feels good to have animals around us again.

18.23 The clothes washing went well in the huge bathroom and on the patio and we have placed a drying rack where our clothes can hang.

Our room, our house.

We have been going through our kwacha collection.

A wooden canoe from Nkhata Bay.

Peter is reading a book from his favourite author, Ian Rankin.

Christer just before sunset.

19.01 The sky is starlit, crickets play and the waves roll onto the beach below our patio. Soon, we'll take the stairs up the cliff to the restaurant. This is enjoying life at a high level, travel at its best.

20.03 Christer’s fish (kampango) was, according to him, delicious and my steak was not bad at all. During the meal we have talked to Thiago, a man from Lisbon. He travels around in Malawi working for a company and supervised various construction sites. It was checked how different construction progressed. These included mines and sugar mills. He and I talked a bit about Lisbon. He also said that pastries, Pasteis de Belém, which Roberth and I ate in Lisbon 2009, are special. Only three people know the recipe. They never fly together. Aha, I said, as president and vice president. Sure, said our new friend and added that the Portuguese President and Prime Minister could share flight. He also paid tribute to Sweden because Sweden was one of the few European countries with functioning economy right now. Now Christer and I are waiting for the evening coffee.

20.56 We had coffee and talked with Gilbert Mpande who works here. We got more acquainted with Tia. We and Gilbert talked about everything: our life in Sweden, our trips and so on. Then we were about to leave we found that Tia had attacked a piece of foam rubber. She had torn foam and eaten a lot of it. Gilbert yelled at her. When Christer and I were walking slowly down to our house we were followed by Tia. Now she lies on the couch on our patio.

22.26 We just returned from the patio. Out there, we sat and looked at the stars and listened to the waves. We have also been talking about past trips and meals. Now we well get to bed. Tomorrow we will not travel that far or fast.

Caught in the act!

Tia has found the night´s sleeping place.

Saturday 21st of July

05.44 We've woken up. We plan to watch the sun rise from the lake. Next to me on the couch on the patio is Tia and she is sleeping. It is a reddish haze on the horizon. A gentle breeze ripples the water.

06.18 The sun broke the horizon as well as the peace and quiet. Around the same time as the solar disk appeared the wind began to blow stronger and the birds to sing louder. It was impressive to see the red disc of the sun rise, rise. Beautiful! Tia who has taken a small morning walk is back with me on the patio. She does what I soon will do again, sleep.

08.24 The Christmas carol "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" was the first thing my brain came up with when I woke up. Now I have, after showering, sat down on our couch. The sun has climbed significantly since we parted two hours ago. Now I will dry and read further in Witch Hunt by Ian Rankin. Tia has left the couch.

09.21 Tia came back coughing. She ate grass and coughed more. Has she eaten something inappropriate? Maybe it’s the foam rubber dinner from last night that caused this? Now we will go and eat breakfast.

09.39 Two cups of coffee are waiting to be drunk. We are waiting for pancakes and toast. The lake is very still and Tia is behind me.

Waiting for the sun to rise at Lake Malawi.

The sun rises and shines on us another day.

Peter is saying good morning to Tia.

Peter is having breakfast in the morning sun.

10.22 We are back on our patio. Two really good pancakes have been eaten by us. The first pancake was topped with banana slices, the other with lemon slices. During breakfast we saw and heard two other guests. A black woman with an American accent who asked for a cold soft drink, a hangover? The other was a black man with a hat. He had a bottle of Carlsberg in his left hand, came to us and shook hands, a cold handshake. A little later he whistled and pointed at us and his bottle. Did he want some drinking brothers? Away to my right, it sounds like there are some swimming boys.

11.26 It is nice to sit and do nothing. However, something needs to be done. We are going in to Nkhata Bay to do some shopping, have lunch and maybe surf the net. We live quite a long way south of the city and it is easy to become passive, here we have everything we need, a restaurant, a good room, a bar and a fantastic view.

12.19 We've walked out from Njaya Lodge, up a steep hill and then continued along the gravel road towards Nkhata Bay. On the way we met some pleasantly greeting young and old people. After that we had the privilege to walk on asphalt the last bit into the city. We have now arrived at the center and sit inside the, to say the least simple, Jessie's Internet Café. Here, there are only three computers in a small space in a narrow alley.

12.50 I finished surfing and Christer is checking about the missing glasses. In Denver, Colorado, 24-year-old man has shot and killed 12 people and injured nearly 50. The deed was carried out in a cinema. This was thus almost on the anniversary of the massacre of Utøya in Norway. It's very scary. Soon we will move on to new horizons.

We walked to Nkhata Bay this hot day.

Christer is arriving in Nkhata Bay town.

It´s lunchtime. Christer is eating thai food, Peter is having pizza.

Peter is having lunch at Kaya Papaya.

We met some happy curious kids on our way back.

13.04 David Bowie tells us to put on the red shoes and dance. He is not here in person, but his music is played through the speakers. We are at the restaurant Kaya Papaya, it's time for lunch. Christer has received a text message from the taxi driver Billy. He told Christer that the trip home went well and that he wants to be at our service again.

15.09 Kaya Papaya offers among others Thai food and is a relaxed place overlooking the street below. We had to wait for the food first and then the ability to pay (the waiter sat and slept in a folding chair). We when went shopping at the People's Supermarket. We got hold of drinks and something to chew on. On the way home we greeted and were greeted cheerfully by various vendors and children. We saw some small boys who played with hoops and sticks. Additionally, we saw a number of hens and chicks. One of the children stood and waved his hands in the air. He said he could beat us down. Now we are home and Tia is on the couch as usual. It's a really hot day today. It was a sweaty excursion.

17.52 We have, after some little laziness on the patio, walked up to the restaurant. Here we met the manager John and also Gilbert. From him, we ordered today’s dinner, for me it will be a repeat of yesterday. Christer has choosen fish again, this time butterfish.

These lizards are everywhere on the rocks around our house.

Peter is reading, Tia is sleeping.

A sleepy old lady.

18.38 We have listened to the shortwave radio and it had a certain Swedish theme. First Zambian radio told us that a Zambian team had beaten IFK Östersund and IFK Hässleholm but lost against a third Swedish team. They are most likely playing in the youth football tournament Gothia Cup. Now there is an interview on Voice of Russia with a Swedish man, Erik, whose mother is a lawyer and his father has a high position in the union for employers. Erik himself lives in Moscow. Just now it was a knock on the door. I opened and in stepped a caretaker. He claimed that someone had said that there was a problem with the lights. Sure, I said it increases and decreases in strength but it works. He flicked a few switches and concluded that it worked. Erik’s surname might be Danemar by the way.

19.31 Someone, something walks around on the other side of our ceiling. It does not bother us that much. Not only is it fun with the animals, we are also up in the restaurant for dinner. One of the bottles we ordered was lacking a bit of beer so Gilbert has left to fetch a new one.

20.19 The dinner was ok, however Christer's fish was full of bones. We have said goodnight to Gilbert and Tia. We can hear modern dance music coming from a place not far away.

20.50 Ok, we have no light, no power. There is however lights in the buildings around us and the music from the beach a short distance away is still playing.

21.30 It is still dark here. Half an hour ago, Christer went outside and saw a man with a flashlight who fell flat on his face in the staircase. When he stood up, he promised to try to arrange with the light.

22.20 It is still dark in the room. If we go to sleep now will we wake up as light in the room return? We do not remember what if it was lit or not.

Christer´s butterfish dinner.

Sunday 22nd of July

08.14 I have awakened from my dream and we still have no power. Now I will go and sit on the couch on the patio to read a little.

09.34 We have been talking about the lake and the activities there. Christer wondered if the locals care about bilharzia here. When it was said the lights reappeared, then disappeared again and came back quickly. Bilharzia is an unpleasant disease in the fresh water in Africa. It is also known as schistosomiasis and associated with being infected by tiny worms that spread from snails to humans. The worms penetrates the skin and damage in long-term the internal organs. The disease is spread in stagnant water, and it's no great risk here in the lake that has some waves, but still. We don´t.

10.38 Yet another delicious breakfast is finished here at Njaya Lodge. Today we will do nothing. Possibly we will do even less than that. Days like this may seem tedious but are absolutely essential on the long trips which we do.

12.22 We read in the books of Roslund & Hellström. Lizards of various sizes and species can be seen next to us. Christer has begun to find his way down the slope between the terrace and the lake to get a new perspective of our house and possibly find a nice place to spend the afternoon at.

This lovely spot is just below the restaurant building at Njaya Lodge.

Looking out over Lake Malawi.

14.26 Lunch has been completed. Now I'm back in our house. We have had spaghetti with tomato, onion and spices. Yes, you read that right, we ordered a vegetarian dish. It is now time for more relaxing and preparing for the days to come.

14.56 We have, after a certain problem, locked our room door and went down to the area where the lake begins or ends. Here we are sitting on a large boulder each. Now we read further in the excellent books we have with us on this trip.

15.24 We have left the stones. We were disturbed by the persistent flies that followed us wherever we sat. The sofa on the patio here is once again booked by Tia. During the reading some happy children shouted and waved at us. They may even have thrown something at us, stones or small sticks.

Peter is writing in his journal.

Chikale Beach, close to Njaya Lodge.

Where lake meats land.

We have watched different kinds of boats from our house at the lake.

16.38 We're back in the lodge restaurant. Other guests have arrived. It has been a strange feeling to have been the only guests here. Now we will order something to eat and drink.

17.24 The newcomers come from the country where you speak loudly and have a waist size that matches the length of the body. We drank our coffee and enjoyed a fruit salad. Now we read about the upcoming destination. Fog rolls in over Lake Malawi and a scratching noise can be heard from inside of the ceiling above us here on the porch. Now we heard some glass, a bottle, being smashed and Tia sleeps next to us.

18.48 Now we listen to Christer's radio again. We have heard about the anniversary of the massacre in Norway and re-heard interview with Erik Danemar, the Swede in Russia. Outside some small insects swarm.

20.22 We have been eating dinner, meat, potatoes, cooked vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and more. It is not without saying that we are having different meals. The Americans, who seem to be missionaries, had some interesting comments and habits. One of them never drank anything other than water, most of them ordered vegetarian food. Those who chose to drink water stirred in with what I first thought was a whisk. There was a handle and stuck to it was something pen-shaped. This pen had an ultraviolet light. The gadget was a Steri PEN. They wanted to purify the water. Another one in the company announced in a loud voice that she always woke up before the sunrise.

22.19 There has been an attempt to look at the stars. It has not gone that well. It's foggy tonight. However, we have heard the crickets, seen bats, they are probably causing the scratching in the ceiling and we have met Tia who once again has put herself on the couch for the night.