08.02 Good morning! We have, after a long night, went out for one last breakfast here in Nkhata Bay. We have, before ordering it, spoken with one of the Americans who came yesterday. They are medical missionaries. We assume that they are Christians who make an effort in healthcare. Breakfast is ordered but there will be no coffee, it's run out. The end of our stay here at Njaya Lodge is soon here.

08.56 Tia did not come to greet us during breakfast. A rooster however got here. It was run off with the phrase: This is not your home, no live animals in the kitchen!

09.40 It's time to move on and leave this wonderful place. The payment has been settled. It was a little more expensive than we expected but still a good price. It has simply been a fantastic stay here. A taxi took us along the bumpy road to Nkhata Bay's town center. Here we are in the mini bus that will take us south to Nkhotakota. Just as we had sat down in the mini bus a young man came in and claimed that we were on the wrong bus. He stated that this would go to another place (Dwangwa). We could, however, take a taxi from Dwangwa or wait for the big bus that departs tomorrow. Others have been consulted in the matter and we will remain where we are sitting. This doesn’t go for the young man. He has left us and the bus.

10.23 The young man came back and wrote our and other passengers' tickets. A young lady has left the bus and others have been added. Now we are 14 adults, the bus host, the driver and a small coughing child. Three fishes hang under the wipers.

11.04 The bus has left Nkhata Bay, driven out on the southbound highway and has just passed a tobacco farm and a rubber plantation. Passengers have got off and others bordered. Now we are 17 adults, 2 children and 2 toddlers here in this small mini bus.

Chintheche

Doktor Kaunda can cure everything!

11.30 A well dressed gentleman stepped out, politely greeted us and got his fish from the bus host. We continued for a while and now we are standing still in Chintheche. Christer is having a conversation with a local artist through a side window. Now a young man with a Chelsea scarf boarded and an iron pipe with something which looks like three wheels were placed in the cargo area.

11.42 We are still in the outskirts of Chintheche. Here Dr. Kaunda is advertising. The good doctor is good, he takes care of the control of cancer, HIV and diabetes. He is also a dentist.

12.17 The man in the Chelsea scarf and a man who sat and held a blue cabinet got off. The cabinet in question was left on board. We have stopped in Kande. Now the driver tries to start, nothing happens, no ignition. Could there be something wrong with the bus? The bus host and another person stepped out and pushed the bus backwards. That did the trick. The man who owns the blue cabinet got back on board just before departure.

In Malawi, people travel mostly in minibus, crowded but nice.

13.12 The bus host got out, filled a small (5-liter?) can with fuel from a larger container. The contents of the small container were poured into the petrol tank of the mini bus. The man with the cabinet bought a corncob during this break.

13.38 The blue cabinet and its owner have left the bus. A man with three 10-15 cm long fishes has boarded the vehicle. We travel south along the western shore of Lake Malawi.

14.05 Our bus stopped in Dwangwa and everyone but we two got out, nice to have elbow room. Bit it wasn’t so that we should carry on alone. It was time for a change of bus. Now we are crammed in the back of another minibus. Now it's leaving Dwangwa.

14.34 It's a new stop. I do not know where we are. I know that our backpacks were loaded from the boot of the first bus. We know nothing about their current fate.

14.43 The backpacks were squeezed in the trunk and it was tied with rope and away we went. Pretty soon it was a new stop. A man with an 8-horsepower Yamaha Enduro outboard motor boarded. Now it's over 20 people on board.

15.41 A passenger with an enamel basin filled with dried small fish joined. A person with a blue plastic box with handle also joined us. In the box were some birds. At a traffic control all got out and the driver gave some money to one of the policemen. The journey continued and soon we will arrive in Nkhotakota. It will be time to get out. I guess we will be captured by the taxi guys as usual. The village is supposed to have a tree that David Livingstone might have sat under.

16.34 We got out of the minibus here in Nkhotakota. It was not any taxi man there at all. We had to walk. Where are those tedious taxi men when we need them? Happy children and young people have greeted us along our walk through the village. A bicycle taxi guy asked, "How are you going" We told him where we were going and he offered a ride on his rack. We kindly denied his offer.

17.09 We've walked, walked and walked. We are on the outskirts of the village and approach the lake. The shirts are soaked with sweat. Almost there, a girl waved to us and we waved back, which resulted in a howl of delight from her. Her friend said in the best "Queens English", "Good afternoon, Sir." Now we are registered at the hotel Sitima Inn (http://www.sitimainn.com). Here, they had no idea about our reservation. Behind the counter and the man that received us, a dog was sitting staring at us. We are in Cabin 3 and the whole place looks like a large boat. During our walk here, we have also heard the African dove that we think is shouting "pole-vaulter, pole-vaulter ".

Peter has made ​​himself at home in Cabin 3.

A German garden in Africa.

The reception at Sitima Inn.

New hotel, new dogs.

17.33 We both had a shower was and we locked our room. We went out into the lobby and were greeted by a happy little dog. It liked to be scratched and petted. Suddenly the dog we saw at the check-in turned up. It is possibly a cocker spaniel. The small dog changed. It just whined and whined. We soon met the captain of the ship, the manager on site, a German man. Now we are sitting in the rooftop bar, Crows Nest Bar, waiting for coffee. Christer has been told that he is now the owner of a Skoda Fabia. His father bought a new car to Christer so that he has access to one at the homecoming. The former car, a Seat Ibiza, did go into retirement this summer. We also had time to congratulate our friend Roberth on his birthday. There were problems to hear what was said in the phone.

18.08 We had our coffee on the patio. We were soon joined by some interested ladies, mosquitoes. We had views of Lake Malawi and the old slave port here. We finished the coffee and returned to the cabin/room after that we had ordered dinner at 19.00.

19.59 We have eaten our dinner here at Sitima Inn. The food was plain and simple, nothing special, nothing culinary. But up to the task and gave us what we were looking for, good taste and filling. Out in one of the corridors are some laughing German guests. So now the question is that, what should we do now? Well, no I do not know.

21.29 We don’t do that much. It seems that the day has toiled on us. Perhaps the life on Njaya Lodge has spoiled us, made us passive.

Peter is reading the menu in Crows Nest Bar.

The twilight at Lake Malawi.

Tuesday 24th of July

07.57 The room/cabin may be small and simple but you sleep very well here. Around us everything has come to life. Today awaits another mini bus trip. I hope we will not have to walk all the way out to the main road where the minibuses depart from.

08.38 Now we are sitting at the patio to Crows Nest Bar. We got a plate of cereal and milk each and also some strong juice to drink. Something strange just happened; the sun was covered by clouds. We are not accustomed to that on this sunny trip. When will the rest of the breakfast get here? Ok, here comes the coffee.

09.11 A plate of eggs, bacon, sausage and vegetables was brought to us and we consumed the food. Now we prepare for our departure from here. Out in the open corridor, Christer has seen a nest just below the roof. It looks like there is some kind of swallow living there.

The breakfast is served in the morning sun.

People and buildings at the shores of Lake Malawi.

Christer is having breakfast at Crows Nest Bar.

Our hotel in Nkhotakota, Sitima Inn.

09.59 Now we have paid US$35 for the accommodation. The German owner has promised to drive us out to the main road. I do not know if it depends on the kindness or the knowledge of the lack of local taxis. Upon checkout, I said; keys and three dead ones. The owner was startled, dead ones? Yes, I said, three dead presidents on the dollar bills; Abraham Lincoln on the five dollar, Alexander Hamilton on the $10 and Andrew Jackson on the 20-dollar bill. Wait, did I lie and am I lying? Has Hamilton been president? Anyway, he's dead, right?

10.22 KK 3909 is written on the license plate of our host's Mitsubishi Colt Pick Up. I sat in front and talked to him and Christer sat back on the vehicle. The journey of 5km went right quickly. Now we are in a new minibus. Well, the new and the new one can actually discuss how new it is, it is after all new to us. A big bus rolled right in here next to us. Soon it will time to say goodbye. There are birds inside the minibus. Before we parted our host warned us about Zimbabwe. We were asked to be very careful in that country.

10.54 The first short disembarkation is made. Out got two fish carriers. One of them was at departure not allowed to tie his plastic bag around the mini bus left rear view mirror.

Christer is taking photos on his way through Nkhotakota. Note the albino man in the white shirt.

Drying process in Nkhotakota.

The journey continues southwards. Through the mini bus cracked window we can see a fully loaded truck.

11.04 We and the mini bus have stopped again. It is actually lake both the left and the right side now. Two curious children are looking in through the open sliding door. Now more curious children joined them. We are at the Chia Lagoon.

11.42 The driver and one of the passengers quickly snapped wearing their seatbelts. Scared? No. Dangerous road? No. Police? Yes. As soon as the police passed so went the belts.

11.53 We are near Bua and have along the way just seen an amusing guy. He was wearing a suit and a peaked hat made from grass and birch bark. Moreover, he was painted green in the face. Was it a scarecrow brought to life or simply a puberty rite? Probably the second option because it immediately brought some in the bus into laughter. The passengers seem to talk about their own experiences of the same theme. We do not speak Chichewa, but sometimes you still understand what they talk about. We have now reached the border of the district for today's destination.

12.08 The birds in the bus are singing. It's time for a new stop. In the last village we stayed in, we saw a man who cut meat, nothing unusual in itself. However, he was dressed in a Czech hockey sweater. Now two empty cans was loaded into the van and with them a smell of gasoline.

12.38 For a moment the birds got some company. A man with a hen and a larger chicken boarded. They had their legs tied down. Now it's a new stop and it is a febrile trading outside.

12.58 The journey came to an end and we stepped out in Salima. First we stepped off too early, got directed in again and then ended up at the right bus station. We were caught at once by a guy that cried out Senga Bay. Now we sit perched on the back of a large pick-up truck. Right now we refuel before departure. These vehicles are called Matola and are a common way to travel along the small roads in the countryside here.

We are going with "matola" from Salima to Senga Bay.

14.09 Just before we arrived at Senga Bay a talkative young man named Richard joined us on the matola. I talked a bit with him during the final stage of the trip. When we got off, he promised to show us the way to our accommodation. During the walk through the sand and Senga village we also met his brother Tosh. We introduced ourselves and found out that Peter (I) and Tosh together made Peter Tosh, a friend of Bob Marley. Now we are booked in, in room 1 at Mufasa Backpackers Lodge. This accommodation was once called Wamwai Lodge but is now owned by Mufasa which we stayed with in the capital. We have also ordered lunch. Behind me are a sandy beach and the giant Lake Malawi. We were upon arrival given the question when we had booked the room. We thought for a while and answered around April, May. The guy checked the ledger for the current month but did not found us. Then he looked for today’s date and found us. Why didn’t he look there directly?

15.00 Lovely music can be heard from the bar and the food is on its way. We have received cutlery, napkins, coasters and various accessories. Our newfound friends Richard and Tosh wanted to book various activities with us, but promised to come back tomorrow instead because we were going to eat now.

15.54 There was great food and very good, just what we needed. On the beach we saw a dog. Does he live on the beach or at the accommodation?

17.14 A strong wind blows across the sand of the beach. We sit and drink coffee. Between us is a game. 8 times 4 gouges with different amounts of nuts and a crumpled cap in. Is there some sort of Mancala? Moreover, there are two cats here at Mufasa. They are reddish just like the cats on Mufasa in Lilongwe. Given that it is the same owner of both places maybe cats are related, who knows?

The restaurant at Mufasa Backpackers, Senga Bay.

From here, one can study the beach life and the Lake Malawi waves.

Fishermen in Senga Bay.

Lots of fish waiting to become dry.

Not all cars can handle the sandy existence in Senga.

19.02 The time has come to do some economics. How much kwacha do we have? How much more do we need? How do we get the amount we need? Will we change or use an ATM?

19.32 We have once more ordered dinner. We ordered curry chicken with rice. There is, however, only chicken for one dish. Therefore, I have changed my order to chicken skewers with rice. At the bar sits a few long-haired guests that seems sprung from Woodstock and the Flower Power era. They seem to be from South Africa.

20.58 Once again, it took time to get food. Once again there was a lot of everything. My rotisserie chicken was three on two wooden skewers. Now we are in the room and thinking about what we do tomorrow and where we do it.

22.31 The wind is firmly out there and the waves crashing into the shore. The wind enters into us. The two windows have tilting glass panels which will not close completely. Just outside the window are some of the restaurant's tables and we can lie in bed here and listen to what the guests talking about.

Lizard Island, one of many tour destinations in Senga Bay.

Peter is examining a board game.

Christer is drinking afternoon coffee.

The red cats at Mufasa Backpackers.

Wednesday 25th of July

07.44 We hear the sound from the waves of Lake Malawi and people that sit in the restaurant and eat. This is a good room with a poor location. It isn’t funny to be woken by the early birds and people chatting outside the window.

08.43 Here we go again. It is once again this summer a power outage. I hope the power will return soon. We have plans to eat breakfast.

09.20 It was possible to order breakfast after all. They might have a gas stove.

10.38 Our dishes arrived one by one. First the pancakes with banana slices. Then there was the French toast, fried egg on bread slices and finally the coffee. It is still a power outage and it takes time to prepare the food on the gas stove. Now we'll get ready to go to Salima. Will we get there by matola or minibus?

Today's first meal has just been ordered.

11.06 We have left our safe place behind us. It is time to take care of the chores of the day. We are going into the main town Salima. This isn’t a sightseeing tour. Instead, we'll do the necessary things; buy bus tickets, find a grocery store and get in contact with near and dear through the internet. We took a walk through the village of Senga, passed the soccer field and was greeted all the happy children. The whole village is built on sand, so it is not easy to get around. We declined a bicycle taxi and boarded yet another Matola.

12.10 It took some hesitation and anticipation before we could depart. After a lot of stops on the way and a disjointed conversation with a tipsy passenger, we have reached Salima, the town we saw for about a minute yesterday. Now we have been to the bus station and made inquiries. We have bought a bus ticket each. We will leave for Blantyre at 09:00 tomorrow. Now, more will be done. One thing we must do is to arrange with breakfast for tomorrow. We must be up and away before the kitchen opens.

12.36 Not much more than walking has been done so far. We are looking for an Internet cafe. We recall that we have seen one when we went by bus through the town yesterday. We haven’t found it. Right now I'm sitting on a rock in front of the Holy Ghost Temple. Here in Salima, we have seen other people, goats and other things. Nothing special has happened except that cyclist after cyclist passed. It seems like the whole town is riding bikes. Most of the bikes are taxis with soft seats package holders.

Salima, the town where people travel by bike.

Peter is writing down his latest notes in Salima.

A boy proudly shows his homemade car.

We finally found our green internet café.

12.45 Now we have finally seen something special in this town, a boy and his small car that is built of steel wire. It had wheels and a rod that allowed him to control it. He proudly showed it and wanted to be photographed.

14.18 We have bought beverages for this evening, tomorrow´s journey and something to bring home at the grocery store Cash'n'Carry and have surfed the internet at Tamamu Internet café. We are ready for another trip. We hope to avoid a crowded transport. The girl at the internet place was really honest. Christer had made a mistake and paid with 20-kwacha notes instead of 10-kwacha notes, twice as much as it cost. The girl came out and found us to set things straight.

15.25 We had hopes for a pleasant ride. We even waited for one crowded Matola to leave. The one we boarded was soon filled up with; people, a hen, large bags, beverage bottles and a number of packages of soap. I assisted with the loading of the packages. Christer and I assisted unloading them. There was a lively discussion between the host and the owner of the packages. They disagreed about the cost for transport. On the way back, first Christer and then I realized that we forgot to buy breakfast for tomorrow.

Our day tour is over. We are back in Senga village.

Walking through the sandy village Senga.

15.41 We were happily greeted by various children on our way home. It's easy to feel like a movie star when visiting villages in Malawi. I also took part of a soccer match between some small boys. It was not appreciated by all as I took the ball from one of them. Now we have ordered a late lunch and found out that an earlier breakfast is possible tomorrow. We have another problem. The beverages we bought for the trip is concentrated and must be diluted.

16.51 Our lunch was thick and consisted of tasty pancakes and coffee. Now we are sitting down in some chairs by a table on the beach. Here we read Swedish detective novels in paperback form. The authors are Roslund and Hellstrom. Their books are highly recommended.

17.35 The clouds gathered and were united. Dusk came afterwards and we went to our room. We were joined by one of the red cats as we entered our room. It looked around the room and was released/carried out.

19.32 We have kept on reading. Now we've walked out and ordered the evening's dinner. It was possible to choose between vegetarian curry and chicken kebab. We chose a dish each. Now we sit and wait. I wonder how long it will take to get food. We have plans to order tomorrows breakfast after the dinner.

A peaceful and relaxing afternoon at Mufasa Backpackers Lodge.

Coffee, pancakes and good literature.

Some locals have taken an afternoon dip.

20.40 Vegetarian food can actually be good, but I missed some meat. Now I have hung my sports shorts to dry in the window. We have arranged with breakfast at 6:45 tomorrow morning. We hope it will be served then and not half an hour later.

21.36 We have packed the things that could be packed. Next, we shall drink our in Salima purchased Kuche Kuche beers. Cheers and goodnight!

Thursday 26th of July

06.02 Tomorrow we will get our salaries. A month ago we lay and slept at Rest and Fly at Arlanda. In sixteen days from now are we on our way home. Today we will go to Blantyre, our final destination here in Malawi. I hope that everything will go fairly smoothly.

06.40 It's dead calm in the kitchen, quiet everywhere, no chef in sight. We asked for breakfast at 6:45 so we would have time to get out from here at 7:30.

06.59 The chef arrived at. He had been instructed that we would have breakfast served at 7.30. He has promised to fix us some breakfast. It was not a good start on this day. It is sad when confused people are ruining our travel plans.

07.48 The nice chef arranged with coffee and two slices of bread with egg, onion and tomato each. Now we have checked out, made haste through the sandy village road and sat down, not on the back of a Matola but actually on a mini bus. It is hopefully faster and we can make up the lost time.

08.48 We got to the bus station at the promised 08.30. It was more than more people who had boarded the AXA bus to Blantyre before us. We squeezed ourselves into it but barely got inside the crowded bus. We ended up standing on the steps with an open door. I removed my backpack and squeezed it in at the front window. It was when we were told by a helpful host bus, that another bus was on its way. We could, if we wanted to, switch to it. It was not a difficult choice. We decided to wait for the next bus.

The bus seems to be full.

People selling refreshments at the bus station in Salima.

09.09 Some eager vendors are stretching their sticks with goods towards the bus windows. They offer pastries, snacks and fish among others. Other stands on beer and soda crates. They sell drinks and more. OK, a guy in an Arsenal shirt just told us that our bus is here. It's really great service here.

09.28 Today's journey will soon begin. Big thanks to the Arsenal guy. We're almost at the front of the bus and he has asked several times if we are good. The man who formerly offered us to change buses is the bus host on this trip. We are making a short stop. It is time to refuel. We are once again going with AXA bus. One of the youngest on board is a little sad right now.

09.37 The bus has stopped at the bus station. We are not there in Blantyre, or in a town along the way. We are back at the bus station in Salima and more passengers are on board. One of the passengers is a man with a stick and a gourd in the pan-African colours: red, yellow and green. We've also got new bus hosts.

11.16 The bus has stopped at a place that hundreds of people know the name of. I'm not one of them. People are struggling, both outside and inside the bus, to get a place on board. The atmosphere is at times rancorous. We might be in Golomoti.

A man in a stylish hat sells dried mice.

11.44 We have made a new stop and make new discoveries. It's time to take on board more passengers. Outside stands a man in something like a Santa hat. Another man is carrying sticks and something which looks like dried/roasted mice. Much of the baggage on board is packed on the seats to my right.

12.03 There was a stop at a Sharpevale Police booth. It was a checkpoint. Everyone had to get out waiting while an old man went inside in the bus to check, out with the old man and in with everyone again. Any use, well, maybe. Extra time?, Yes. It is 175 kilometers left of today's trip.

13.14 Now we have stopped at the bus station in Balaka. Here in the city a liter diesel cost 445.60 kwacha, around US$1,32. A cabin bag just fell down from the luggage pile to the right of me and landed on my right knee, ouch! It seems most passengers want to get off.

13.43 For a short while Joseph was on the bus. He wrote on a piece of cardboard with a black marker pen, talked loudly, glanced down at Christer's book, said he was the son of a lioness and that there were others who were born of crows and camels. At the first village after Balaka, Joseph friendly got help out off the bus by the bus hosts.

14.21 At the side of the bus, we see different coloured, conical piles of gravel and/or other materials. There has been a new stop. On the horizon a mountain appears in haze. We are closer to Blantyre. I do not know how much closer.

14.50 We have walked out at the last check-point. We are in Zalewa. From here another road is leading into the neighboring country of Mozambique. We still got ay least one hour’s drive left. Despite the control and all the passengers on board, the driver is quiet and calm, so called routine.

16.15 We have finally arrived in Blantyre, Malawi's largest city. We are in Blantyre Bus Depot and have been arranged with a taxi from here. The driver knows where we want to go. We know what price he wants, 3000 kwacha. Now, the car doesn’t want to start. I think it is the steering lock which is fooling around, possibly the ignition.

16.20 We have a new driver and a new car, a car that wanted to start. The speakers play reggae. It is sung in full on Jerusalem and Israel. A young guy with no shoes helped us find a taxi to are with us to assist the driver.

Our room at Hostellerie de France.

16.51 After a little hassle and the fact that the driver drove to the wrong place we finally arrived at our hotel, Hostellerie de France (http://www.hostellerie-de-france.com). Here the check-in became a minor comedy. A man, the owner Michel, a caricature of a Frenchman, took our reservation confirmation. He could not read what was written on it. Once that was solved, he asked one of his employees about today’s date. The employee informed Michel that it was the 26th. The owner had never heard about Hostelworld which we had booked through. He asked us where we were from. Sweden, we answered. Aha, Suisse! No Sweden, Stockholm. Ah, you're Dutch, it will be US$81. By the way, what's the date today? It is the 26th, the employee responded again. We paid US$100. The remaining $19, has paid for us in advance. This was followed by a quick tour. We got to see the dining room, patio, conference room and gym. When it was over, one of the staff showed us to our new home. We live in room E is a small apartment with hall/living room, bedroom and bathroom. The hall is an emergency light in case of power failure. Our new home has dogs. We will like it here.

17.38 It's time again. There is no power. The emergency light works brilliantly. It's probably battery operated.

18.14 Light is back in our house. Power is back.

18.54 We have left the room and walked to the dining room for dinner. Here, we are resting in a couch each. You sit here and order. Beer and peanuts were consumed while waiting for the food to be served. A small vase with a rose and a Swedish flag stands for our table.

19.35 It went fast to get our T-bone steaks. Our host also took a picture of us. It was for his computer, website. It has not happened that often that we been photographed. John took a photo in 2007 and Kely in 2010. We listened to Swedish music during the meal. The power comes and goes. The flashing and the music gives us a true disco feeling. Breakfast is not included here but we have decided to treat ourselves to one tomorrow morning.

First, you sit at this table and read the menu.

Michel welcomed us to tonight's dinner with Swedish music and a Swedish flag.

20.02 We said Thank You to the waiter and Bon Nuit to our host. He has come to his senses, become more focused. We expect that he was sleeping when we arrived and was mildly surprised by our arrival. The dinner was delicious and welcoming with a Swedish flag and Swedish music were somewhat unexpected and special. Now we're back in the room E and Christer has hung a mosquito net over his bed. Now it is time planning tomorrow.

21.47 All problems and difficulties are not solved. Some question marks are straightened but some remain. We know we'll go to a cash machine but do not know the exact amount for the next outlet. There will be at least 30 000 kwacha.

22.12 We are still in Malawi but this day has brought us from a simple village built on sand to a fine hotel with delicious French cuisine. Sometimes you can cover a lot on the same day in the same country.

The photo that was taken during tonight's dinner.