The holidays and lack of internet in Africa have caused our blog posts to be a little behind. We are excited to share the remaining blogs from our trip to East Africa.
Leaving the island of Zanzibar behind us, we continued our journey through east Africa with a one-night stopover in Dar es Salaam. Located on the Indian Ocean coast, Dar es Salaam is the former capital of Tanzania and the largest city in the country. It isn’t much of a tourist city but interesting to see the day to day life of the people while passing through. Continuing southwest on the road toward to Malawi, we passed through many small villages. All along the roads local children and adults waved to us a we passed by.
Before making it to the border, we stopped at Mikumi National Park in Tanzania. We camped inside the park and did a long game drive the next morning. The landscape of the park is similar to the Serengeti National Park. From the very first 30 minutes of the drive we were up close and personal with a family of lions. We really enjoyed the visit to the park and the wide variety of animals that we saw.
Eland 
Our safari truck 
Baobab Tree
Leaving Tanzania behind us, we traveled toward the border of Malawi. Along the way we made a stop to the large amount of baobab tress. These trees are considered Africa’s “Tree of Life” and was used a such in the Disney movie “The Lion King.” The trees are enormous. It is really incredible when standing in a valley that is surrounded by the monstrous trees.
After our brief stop to see the baobabs, we made it to the country line. The border crossing into Malawi is not easy. The process is manual for the passports and it took over 3 hours for our group and our truck to be cleared through the border. Once we finally made it through, we continued the drive to the northwest side of Lake Malawi. There we spent the night along the sandy beach with a beautiful view over the water.
Lake Malawi is also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique. It is the fourth largest fresh water lake in the world by volume. Lake Malawi is home to more species of fish than any other lake in the world, including over 700 species of cichlids.
There is very little industry or work available for the local people in Malawi. The lake supports the people through fishing, providing both a source of work and of food. Many of the other people in the surrounding area farm using the small pieces of land around their homes.
After our first night, we moved to a different resort along the southwest side of the lake. We stayed for two nights, camping along the beach. The next two days, we played beach volleyball, played cards and hang out with our group. It was such fun to relax and enjoy that beautiful spot.
Even though we had a lot of time for fun, we also got a chance to go on a tour of the local village. During our three hour walk we visited a local’s home, the village school, the area hospital and the local market. The visit to the school was interesting, heart-wrenching and intense. Hundreds of children gathered around us from the moment we reached the school yard. All of the children wanted to hold hands with us and speak to us in English.
Our tour of the village continued with a visit to the local hospital. We were greeted by one of the two doctors that tend to a population of over 200,000 people. The medical treatment is very limited to delivering babies and treating minor injuries. If a patient needs surgery, they will be transferred to the major hospital 90 kilometers away. The transport is provided by one ambulance that serves five different medical facilities in the region. The doctors are doing the best they can with limited resources. The majority of treatment is given to people suffering from malaria.
Pharmacy 
Adapted wheelchair 
Hospital waiting room
We ended our tour of the village with a visit to the main street and local market. It was interesting to see the happenings of everyday life. Women were getting water from the local well and selling their fresh grown veggies in the market. The children who are too small to go to school, go to the market with their moms (notice the baby under the table of tomatoes).
Our visit to Malawi was relaxing and fun while hanging out on the beach. It was also a close look into the lives of the Malawi people. It was a great opportunity to explore more of East Africa.
The last country on our journey is Zambia. We are off to explore the nature and wildlife of South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.
WOW! another amazing blog! So cool that you got so up close to the lions in Mikumi National Park! Such beautiful animals! I wish I could see the Baobab trees. They do look like the Tree of Life. did you really sleep in the tent? I’m sure you are probably used to that by now! Who would have thought you would play beach volleyball in Africa ?That’s crazy! the Malawi schools are incredibly interesting and yes, sad but hopeful! Such poverty! The kids couldn’t get enough of seeing and touching you! What another amazing experience! Love, MOMO