Trip of a Lifetime: Malawi

My husband and I have just returned from a trip to Malawi. It's a small country in Central East Africa. He spent 13 years there, from age 4 to 17. His Canadian father was a tobacco specialist, helping farmers improve their tobacco production back in the 1950s and 60s. He had only been back once in 1972 and had been bugging me for years to go back with him. I'd never been to any country in Africa.

I have to admit that I had a number of misgivings about going on such a trip. Fears of falling ill, contracting malaria, getting eaten by crocodiles, being mugged, being depressed by the poverty, just to name a few. However, I finally decided that if we were going to go, we had to do it soon (we are both in our early sixties) or before long it would just be too late to take on such an adventure.

Well, I'm thrilled to say that I didn't fall ill, didn't get malaria, didn't get eaten by crocodiles, didn't get depressed and didn't get mugged. Quite the contrary, we had a wonderful time. The country, especially since it was the rainy season, was just beautiful. It was so green, the scenery was incredibly amazing, and the people of Malawi were not only warm and friendly, but very polite as well. We travelled for 3 weeks all over the country in our rented 4x4 Jiminy. My husband did a great job of driving, managing to avoid hitting anything on the side of the roads, which included young school children, people walking to market, goats, bicylists (with very wide loads), and even hens.

We spent time staying with an old friend of my husband's on his farm, Matambo Estates, 3 days at a wonderful game lodge on the beautiful Shire River, and several days at the lake. Lake Malawi is a huge freshwater lake with gorgeous beaches, very colourful fish making for great snorkelling, and I have to say, the odd crocodile.

There is no question that Malawi has its challenges as a country. It has very few valuable resources, a rapidly growing population, and many hurdles to get over in improving the quality of life for its citizens. We had many interesting conversations with those we met about these issues. Despite these challenges, Malawi is a relatively stable country, living up to its image as the Warm Heart of Africa. I'd highly recommend it as a destination for anyone wanting to experience Africa. And, of course, I have earned huge points from my husband for finally agreeing to accompany him on his trip of a lifetime.