We took the kids to Senga Bay yesterday and got back about 3 pm this afternoon..
Senga Bay is about 2 hours drive from Lilongwe and goes through some beautiful country .. Lots of hills, lots of villages, lots of real Africa. The kids had an enjoyable drive to the lake.. I am sharing a slideshow and most of the photos were taken by Maura and Kate.. Thought they were worthwhile to share..
Anyway, due to the fact that there are no road signs, no nothing , you have to take down directions from people the old fashioned way... write them down.. We got lost, drove through miles of sand in a little hatchback, drove through the middle of tiny villages only to make it to our destination about 1 hour late.. When we arrived I think we were all very happy .. The place was gorgeous and the accommodations (at 30$ for a lake front room with a pool and a bar ) was awesome... There was no power the whole day, so as the sun set , the candles came on. The lake itself is gorgeous and looks like the ocean.. The kids played all day and we played scrabble in the evening.. Instead of grilling here, it is a called "braaing" .. and it's a big deal.. there was a community braai set up and everyone just through the meat and vegetables on the braai and stood around in darkness drinking beer by the lake.. not a bad way to spend the evening... shortly after the braaing started, the electricity came back on.. which meant lights, water, cold drinks... life was good. All in all it was a great trip to the lake and we plan to head up there at least once a month.. the drive wasn't bad and honestly , there's nothing else to do...
Even though the lake was wonderful, I think some homesickness crept through this afternoon. For all of us.. On the way home, we stopped at a gas station and they had Pringles.. I splurged and bought the 4$ container which lasted about 2 minutes.. The kids are doing great, but you could sense a bit of a cloud over the lot of them this evening. .. Below is a video of the lake front and a slideshow.. Again, most of the photos were taken by the kids... Check out the baobab trees that scattered the landscape as you head eastward.. they are of another world... Also for a laugh is my photo with a woman who gave me a free Carlsberg Tshirt on friday.. I walked out with a crate of beer and she was doing some type of giveaway.. she said I had bought the most beer of anyone at the grocery that day, so I deserved a free tshirt... I didn't argue..
.m4v)
