Malawi – Day 1

Aloha ~

Last night I got about 40 minutes of sleep total. I think the excitement of knowing that we were heading to Malawi was too much for me. I was like a little girl on Christmas Eve. Our shuttle picked us up at 4:30am this morning for a 6:15am flight. Not too bad of a trip – 2 hours to Johannesburg and a little over 2 hours to Lilongwe, Malawi. In J-berg, Anne, John, Clay and I met up with Karen. (Our Team Is Assembling)

Drive from Airport to Lilongwe

We were greeted at the airport by Consolata from Habitat Malawi. That is also where David met up with us. The drive to Lilongwe (Capital City of Malawi) was easy. We are at the end of the dry season here in Malawi so much of the vegetation is yellow-brown color.

Road to Kuka Lodge

We will be staying in Lilongwe for the next two nights while the team gathers. Our accommodations are located in the Embassy District. This means that the vegetation on the roads leading to the lodge are greener than elsewhere. Impressions are everything

Kuka Lodge

Once at the lodge we dropped our stuff off and headed to a local market for some supplies. Upon returning to the lodge, the six of us crashed and burned. I think all the traveling has caught up with everyone. Naps were taken, beer was drunk, books were read and photos were taken.

Rooms at Kuka Lodge

Our rooms are not bad. There are mosquito nets over the beds if needed. The beds are actually very comfy --- best nap I ever had. We have fans, a refrigerator, a TV (may have to watch some Malawi TV later just to check it out) and a shower with hot & cold running water (we have been told---morning will tell).

Clouds Moving In

When I woke up from my nap a breeze had come up making for a very nice evening around sunset. I diligently put on my bug repellent (started taking my Malaria pills 2 days ago as instructed), grabbed my camera and headed out to the gardens at the lodge. The sun trying to peak through the clouds was a wonderful welcome on our first night.

Dinner at Kuka Lodge – Grilled Chicken & Chips

Laura and Allison had arrived at the Lodge yesterday and were out shopping in town when we first arrived. After all the new arrivals were well rested, introductions among the group were made. Then we sat down to dinner prepared by the staff at the Lodge.

Tomorrow is mostly a free day and I anticipate that some of us will head into town before team activities in the late afternoon.

WiFi is sketchy here but I will try my best to keep up on the blog. Once we get to our accommodations for the build week I am hoping that the internet will be more reliable.

Until next time…