3rd September 08

Date: 3rd September 08
Location: Senga Bay, Malawi
Weather: Cloudy start clearing to give perfect blue skies, hot again, 36°c
Status: Ben and Bre on the move together!

Up early and packed everything up in double quick time, even managed to get a whole round of sandwiches prepared for the journey ahead!

Scoffed down breakfast and hit the road towards the central part of the Lake Malawi area where we hoped to be by mid afternoon. The road, as with all in the country, was superb and as we travelled further north the road followed the shoreline almost exclusively only waning a few kilometres inland to pass around mountain ranges which extended all the way to the waters edge.

The landscape became greener and more lush as we travelled further north we passed mango trees by the hundred; although none in fruit just yet unfortunately, rubber plantations with slits cut into the trunks collecting the vital sap and as we arrived in Nhkata loads of stalls set up to sell the produce collected from the lake…..dried fish everywhere!

We weren’t sure where we like to stay when we arrived in the town so we went to Aqua Africa, the centre for my dive course – the cheapest in the world with one of the best safety records too. Awesome.

We drove between Mayoka Village and Njaya camp a couple of times trying to establish which would be bet to rest up in for the five days of the dive course and struggled for hours to work out which would be best! In the end it was decided that as Mayoka had offered free camping we’d make that base camp and set up camp in their car park. A wicked little place perched right on the steep banks of the lake with a vibrant little bar area and even a coupe who I’d met previously in Canada, Cathy and Phil!

Bed as knackered and up early to start the course at 8.30am.

End of day location: Nhkata Bay, Malawi
Distance covered: 326kms