(Posting these on Tuesday as we wait in the Toronto airport enroute home; our last few days were very busy, and we were without internet and electricity some of the time.)
We woke very early this morning and went on a boat safari at 6 am. Kari woke earlier and caught the sunrise from a viewing deck behind our tents. So beautiful. We followed guide Blessing through the bush to the Shire River, where our boat and driver Noah picked us up. We watched the locals head out in their boats and carved out canoes to fish. We saw so many hippos, mostly all in the water with just their ears, eyes and noses showing. Hippos stay in groups, no more than 15, and hang out in the river. They can hold their breath for 5-6 minutes, and they walk along the bottom of the river. They come out at night to eat grass along the shore. We also saw crocodiles, who hang out by themselves, eating fish, and waiting for a baby hippo, impala or waterback to eat.
After a wonderful breakfast, our drivers picked us up and we left for Cape Maclear on Lake Malawi. After about a 3½-4 hour drive, we arrived. What a view! Lake Malawi is beautiful. We checked into our accommodations at The Funky Cichlid, did some shopping from the locals at the nearby stalls, and then set out for a sunset cruise on the Lake. We stopped to see some of the amazing multi-colored cichlid fish which are found only in Lake Malawi. Our guide threw fish to the Fish Eagles (Malawi’s national bird) and we watched them swoop down and grab them in their claws. We watched an amazing sunset, and went back to The Funky Cichlid to hang out for our final evening in Malawi.
Monday morning came early, and after a nice breakfast of crepes or French toast, we left for our 4+ hour trip to the Blantyre airport. Our flight home has taken us through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dublin, Ireland; and Toronto. We have been traveling now for 36 hours, and are in the Toronto airport awaiting the final leg of our journey. It’s been long, and tiring, but oh, so worth it. What we experienced these last 10 days have been amazing. The friendships we made, the laughter and joy we shared, the amazing beauty of Malawi we experienced, and the incredible feeling of making a difference for two families and four orphans is so worth it. We are so much richer because of this Habitat trip, and we leave part of our hearts in Malawi…
Thrivent Builds Malawi 2015 