30. August 2026

Baobabs, Bananas and Boat Trips

The area I'm staying at the moment has an abundance of baobabs, beautiful trees that to me will always be synonymous with Malawi. Their rich, deep brown bark glistens in the African sun and, at this time of year, their leafless finger-like branches reach from the trunk as if to point at the cerulean blue sky.

This week, one of the guys who works here took me to visit the fields where his family (and many others from the village) farms. After passing many, many baobabs, D and I arrived at an area of lush vegetation; rich, arable land that has been transformed by the installation of a water pump from the lake (installed by the owner of the nearby crocodile farm, to help the villagers).

D and his wife grow maize, egg plant and onions in perfectly hoed, irrigated rows. On neighbouring plots, there were bananas, mangoes, pawpaw, tomatoes, okra, cabbages...and probably many more varieties of fruit and veg that I didn't identify. I asked whether the many families of baboons that visit the garden and beach where I'm staying were an issue, but D explained that those particular marauders don't tend to venture as far as the farm fields which are far enough away from the rocky hills they prefer. The vervet monkeys like to go and visit the fields and take their chances, but they are easier to chase away and as D pointed out there are always people working the land from sunrise to sunset.

What's That Coming Over the Hill?

Is it a monster? No, just me, the mzungu, heading over to visit the next bay, which is stunning. On my walk over there a week or two ago, I had been chatting to a young girl who told me she was waiting for her national JCE exam results (taken at the end of junior secondary education, Form 2). This week, when she saw me heading down from the rocky path which joins the two bays, she rushed out to see me to tell me she'd not only passed her exams, but had done so with flying colours (all As and Bs). She's very excited about returning to school in September and the interaction reminded me why I, too, am so excited about getting back to the classroom soon!

Then, as I walked along the beach over there, I was escorted by a sweet crowd of younger children, one of whom was desperately trying to convert my very limited Chichewan vocabulary into one of the other Malawian languages, Tumbuka. Not entirely successful, but it amused her when I kept getting it wrong. I aim to please.

Looking Through the Lens

On Friday, F, my friend from Open Arms, had arranged a visit to the eye clinic for the families with albinism that he supports and whom I had previously met. I collected four of the kids en route to Mangochi, then met F with the other two, and we headed for the first part of the appointment.

This was my second visit to Mangochi hospital and I was struck by the care and attention shown by the eye specialist. Obviously, the vision problems people with albinism experience can be complex and they were shown patience and understanding as their sight was tested.

When each of them were sporting the correct lenses in those clumsy clinic contraptions, the specialist told them to go and stand outside and look around. They all came back in beaming, exclaiming 'bwino, bwino' (good, good)!

Once they'd been assessed using the relevant equipment at the hospital, we then drove to a private eye clinic for further checks.

We will be going again next week for a final confirmation of the prescription for each of them, then the relevant glasses will be ordered for them. I am so grateful to friends who have generously donated money to cover the costs of this. Originally, I had planned to get the glasses made in the UK and my friend P was going to bring them out with him when he visits next month. However, after discussing it with the optometrist, we've decided to have them made here so that they will have ongoing support. Thanks to everyone in the UK who has made this possible. It will make a huge difference and I look forward to sharing photos of them in their new specs!

The Eagle Has Landed

I had a great treat today; a morning trip on Alfie, the lodge owner's boat, to feed the fish eagles and swim in the warm, clear waters of the lake.

The water was calm and flat as we chugged down the shore, passing busy fishermen along the way. The fish eagles were screeching (they're not stupid, they know the appearance of Alfie heralds breakfast for them) and we could see right down to the sand and rocks in the depths of the crystal water. I loved being able to capture some of the fish eagle action with my zoom lens, and then we dropped anchor for a while and swam amongst the iridescent blue cichlids (native fish to the lake). A blissful morning.

What I love about Lake Malawi is how it can change so swiftly. From the calm of the morning, the wind blew up and since mid afternoon the waves have been crashing on the shore!

Blogging Off

As I head into my final week in Monkey Bay (I drive back to Nkhotakota a week tomorrow) there are lots of things planned with Open Arms in Mangochi, and another trip to the eye clinic, so I expect to have lots to report in my next blog. In the meantime, if you don't already do so, please follow me on Instagram @malawi_enjoying_ourselves. Thanks - and thanks for reading.

Clare