Malawi

We had a five-day weekend for Fourth of July and two Zambian holidays. I went to Malawi - about a 12-hour bus ride to the capital, Lilongwe, and then several more to get to Senga Bay. It was a trip filled with lots of mishaps, and I can't say I ever intend to go back - more because of my personal experience, as opposed to the country itself.

The trip did not turn out any way I would have imagined. We ran into some issues at the border, and I was able to continue on, but on my own. I set out for Monkey Bay, a popular destination. When it took over 3 hours to get to Salima, a town near a stretch of Lake Malawi closest to Lilongwe (and less than halfway to Monkey Bay), I thought if I wanted any daylight by the time I arrived, I should get off at Salima, and I managed to squeeze in half a day on the beach at Senga Bay.

All the places I went to were not very touristy, which made for an interesting experience. I only had to bargain for anything twice; most of the time, they quoted me local prices, and I saw everyone else around me was paying the same amount. Almost all the people I met were very nice and would personally make sure I got to where I needed to go, but I got cheated a good deal of money by the money changers at the border, and on my last day, the taxi driver insisted that I had agreed to pay 20 times what any local would pay for transportation. It wasn't even that much, but I just felt that if I gave in, he would think he could take advantage of other travelers too. It didn't help that he just looked like a pompous jerk, with his popped collar and aviator sunglasses that no one else I've seen in Malawi wears. We argued for two hours until I finally just gave him the money.

It's too bad because Lonely Planet rated Malawi among the top 10 places to go for 2014, and I'm sure other parts of the country might have been worth it. For a while, I kept thinking, next time I come to Malawi, I'll make it to Monkey Bay and Cape Maclear... Next time, I'll try some of the national parks... But with each subsequent misadventure, there won't be a next time anytime soon.

I'm looking forward to a short work week and a quiet, relaxing weekend without any travel plans.

It's been a while since I had some food photos. This is chomba (a type of fish from Lake Malawi) and chips.

I woke up early to see the sunrise. I thought I missed it at first.

Then this popped up as I was watching the fishermen go out in their boats.

Surfing?