it's all relative...

No worries...i have not fallen off the face of the earth...although being on the other side of the world, might lead one to think that it is possible.  These past few weeks have been full, fun and busy...usually when that happens I have little reserve to capture all the fun moments no matter how badly I would like to.

Yet...here i go.  So...literally almost three weekends ago now, my sister Rachel and I ventured to the Lake for a weekend get-away with the Jones' clan.  Well just to start this fun adventure I thought I was getting my first bought of Malawi stomach just before we left.  However...i was NOT going to miss this trip.  I was really eager to get outside of the city after being here for 7 weeks.  So we load up...three kids in the back, Rachel and I in the middle seat with Ruthie, who being the youngest and naturally smallest reserved the most room for herself and her sippie cup..and John and Emily in the front.  Departure time was way later than hoped for and I am sure our 'greenness' at traveling the malawi roads in the dark was humorous to those veterans waving to us as we left.  

So...traveling in Malawi is one thing...traveling in Malawi at night is a whole different ballgame.  Oh my word...this is an excerpt of the conversation in the car at any given moment past 6 pm.  Rachel:  "I really dont understand why pple in Malawi think it is necessary to keep on their brights, especially when they are coming right at me.  I can see you, I promise!"  

Emily:  "John! Do you see that bicycle??! Watch out for the cow....Oh my word!"  

John:  "Duuddde"  

Caroline:  "You know this reminds me of the trip our family took to Winter Park."  

Emily: "Just what exact part about this experience reminds you of Colorado.  Because I feel far from it."  

Caroline:  "the near death driving experience on treacherous roads."

John: "SON!" (i have to note here, John was not addressing either of his biological sons, only the mere nearly-dead pedestrian)

Sam or Ford:  "Mom, can i have a snack?!!"  5 minutes later..."what do i do with the banana peel?"

Caroline:  "I ll throw it out the window."

Rachel:  "It's biodegradable."

Caroline: "Knowing me...I m gonna accidentally hit someone with it."

So we drive, Ruthie, bless her heart gets sick just as we arrive, which is remarkable timing if you ask me.  There was no room in the inn at Livingstonia so we ventured to our reserved place of Safari Beach Lodge.  I must say...i m not sure that the words Safari and Beach can logistically go into the same title.  Getting to the actual location was a Safari in and of itself:  another excerpt of conversation:

Emily:  John I m not sure the van is going to make it down this dirt road.

John:  Did anyone actually look at the website?  Did they mention a dirt road?

Ford:  Are there any baboons out here??! "BABOOON!"

Emily:  Is there another side to the top of that hill??! (gasp!)

Caroline:  There are people walking out here!

John:  No way.  where?

Caroline:  Right there in the woods.

Rachel:  I dont think we should speak so loudly..in all probability they understand English.

Ford:  Caroline! dont stick your hand out the window with food in it...there are baboons and they will come after you!  "Baaabbboooon!"

John:  "To your left you will see the great white Rhino..native to southeastern Africa"

Emily: oh here we are...wait...is this the place?

John: duuude...yeah it is.

Emily:  John, I think this is someone's house.  Are you just going to park in someone's driveway and walk in?

John:  Yep, I sure am!

 

so we have arrived and the lodge has no electricity at the moment...we are kindly led to our own lodges where we will be staying..with Joseph leading the pack.  When i say 'leading'...that is being very gracious..as he had one mere lantern lighting the path up the mountain..literally.  Poor John and Emily, they were carrying 1 if not 2 kids each.  Emily had Ruthie, still sick, wrapped in a towel, and John held Ford and Alice Ann.  No worries...Joseph had Sam by the hand.  Rachel and I...well we had bags...i guess.

anyway...the mere adventure in getting to the location would be enough to write home about...however...the guests that awaited our arrival are a whole different saga.  Gnats.  It was the plague. I was not prepared for such.  Little did we know, but they are a fine cuisine here in Africa.  We could have had a cookout, bbq, shin-dig of a banquet if only we had known.

the view the following morning was very much worth it.  We ate breakfast with the infamous baboons which Ford so eagerly awaited to see.  It was unbelievable.  These huge monkeys literally come and eat the food off your plate.  I think this one even ate my cereal...milk and all.  

I loved having a photo session later on as a family of the monkeys played around.

the remainder of the weekend was wonderful.  Time spent at Safari Beach Lodge and Livingstonia were great.  Great company, food, friends.  I cant remember the last time I stayed out on the beach from sun up to sun-down.  Great times...I definitely want to return, baboons, breakfasts gone MIA, gnats, and all.

More to come!