hello again my friends. they say there is no rest for the wicked: conversely that must mean there is rest for volunteers. therefore i am writing today from the comfort of a hotel reception computer in the fat monkeys establishment in cape mclear - MALAWI SUMMER 09 ON TOUR!!!!!!!!!

not really, we're just here for a weekend. anywho the ride here was fun-we got sumthing called a matola which is a pickup truck that u jst ride along in the back of. i know what you're thinking, maybe a little unsafe? well no actually becoz with anything between 20 and 30 people in there you actually get squeezed in quite nicely, like a big organic seatbelt and airbag system. in addition the 8 petrol canisters at the back do give you something to hang on to.

in order to keep any mothers reading this happy, most notably mine, i didnt get killed. in fact the only medical mishaps i have so far are when i forget i have suncream on my hands and rub my eyes. really quite a nasty one that. i had a pizza last night for dins and full english for breakfast-could well have set the world record for timed food consumption. not that we're eating badly in any way, its just a little repetitive and theres not much meat action going on. going on a boat and scuba thing later which is supposed to be great giggles and also very cheap! like everything out here. when i changed $600 at the airport i was handed about 80,000 kwacha (malawi moneys) in return! i thought i was a millionaire! (that last sentence is wildly incorrect on many levels).

right well id better get back to tanning, or burning in my case. damn this translucent skin.

tionana, until next time, and nobubu.

ok well this is th first one actually from malawi making it a wee bit special i suppose. let me fill you in...

this place is amazing. the scenery is jst beautiful, especially with us being literally our garden away from the beach of the lake. just a stunner. obviously there have been a few culture shocks but nothing untoward - i will count myself lucky if the power stays on while i do this. on that note this internet is right dodgy so if anyones sent me a message particularly on facebook then apologies if the reply takes its time.

malawi people. basically i am a 'mazungu' (dont quite know the spelling) which means foreigner. so they shout this at us when we walk through the villages, usually followed by 'give me money' or 'give me pen'. the best way to deal with this is to reply 'no, you give me money/pen' which really throws them. although apparently one of the girls tried that the other day and the kid actually gave her his shirt! not really the way its supposed to work... but the thing is shouting at us and demanding stuff isnt them being rude its just their way. they barely know much more english at that age than 'give me...' and hello and what is your name. the amount of conversations ive had today which go:
me: hello
Malawi kid: hello
me: how are you?
malawi kid: i am fine how are you?
me: i am fine. what is your name?
Malawi kid: Malawi kid. what is your name?
Me: will
Malawi kid: willy?
me: yes.
(awkward silence)
me: goodbye
malawi kid: goodbye.

but thats how they are taught, in full phrases. some of them aged 14 or 15 r better tho. ANYWAY more to follow but my 20 mins computer time is almost up.

until next time. (tianama in malawi)

Day minus one and here I sit in a depressing airport lounge at Heathrow. A whole pound for 10 computer minutes is a bit of a joke, as is the £3 i just paid for a iced caramel macchiato. Which is disgusting. Also I just found out something very interesting (OK well you will be the judge of that) - the electrical plugs in Malawi are EXACTLY THE SAME shape as British ones. So in these credit crunch times it looks like a trip to Malawi will save on adaptor costs. Top tip there.

Anyway better be going, I've got to go and buy one of those god-awful overpriced caps with LONDON written on it that tourists buy because I left my hat at home.

Until next time.