Mayoka: V 2.0

I spent another fun, gorgeous, relaxing weekend at Mayoka Village this weekend. Anna was kind enough to drive me to Nkhata Bay on Saturday morning and I arrived by 8 in the morning, ready for a full day at the beach.

My own little beach outside of my room. Not bad for fifteen dollars.
I ended up going on a boat trip around the bay that afternoon. We stopped at cliffs to jump from, good snorkeling areas, and a small beach where we played volleyball and soccer with local children. It was so hot, though I'm happy to say that I finally have a hint of a tan. Sixteen of us were packed into a four-row rowboat with a teeny motor attached - in addition to the four Malawians steering the boat/drinking rum and Coke from water bottles, among us were 3 Swedes, 2 Swiss, 2 Dutch, 3 Brits, an Israeli, and me.

As we passed the town of Nkhata Bay, kids jumped into the water with their clothes on and swam after our boat.
We bought some fish on the way.
Our trusty captain
The rocks we jumped from were about fifteen feet tall - just high enough give you a few butterflies when you look down, and to make your stomach drop right before you hit the water. The climb up was scarier than the jump itself.

Struggling to make it to the top
My second time jumping - holding my nose after having swallowed gallons of water the first time.
A few of my fellow travelers:



Our trusty captain in his underwear
Thankful for sun, and for cool water
The snorkeling wasn't very good - the water was too cloudy (but I did see some really cool fish the next day, just on the shore at Mayoka). I had so much fun at the beach. I'm terrible at beach volleyball but I managed to smack the ball a few times and get us a few points. I also strategically placed myself on the team with all the athletic-looking people. We won both games.


I sat out for soccer and chatted with some of the others. Everyone who stays at Mayoka is so interesting to talk to. Some were married couples taking a year off from life to travel; the three Swedish kids were my brother's age and were on a gap year between high school and university; one British girl was volunteering and traveling by herself, like me; the two Dutch guys were medical students who had just completed a semester at a hospital in Tanzania.

On the way back, we saw an African Eagle, and our guides threw the fish we had bought into the water.



The sun was beginning to set as we headed back. Doesn't this look fake?
Saturday night was chill - we were tired from the boat trip. Sunday we spent laying out, swimming, and reading. Sunday night we had a little more energy. It was pizza night at Mayoka, so we all ate dinner together, followed by gin and tonics by candlelight.



I left Monday morning, and when I came back it was raining in Mzuzu. Sigh. I felt like I was too tired to teach but of course once I started I forgot all about that. Not sure where I'm going this weekend - maybe to Blantyre - though that's a hike.

Well, this was a marathon post. I hope you read it all because it took me forever. As always, be sure to keep checking for my posts at The Maloto Journal, and for more pictures on My Picasa Album.