Malawi - Nkhata Bay

Inside the minibus to Nkhata bay
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Following the harrowing journey from Dar es Salaam we finally arrived in Malawi and after spending 1 night in a drab hotel in Mzuzu toasting the opening match of the World Cup we took a minibus to Nkhata Bay ready to soak up the sandy shores of Lake Malawi. Winding down the hill to the Bay we felt as if we were somewhere in the Carribean. The sun was shining, everybody was smiling, reggae beats were pumping and de herb was freely available.

However, with 30mins to go until kick-off we were most concerned with finding a suitable establishment to celebrate the opening match of England’s World Cup voyage. After dropping our bags off at the Big Blue Backpackers we opted for the Golden Dawg and settled down in the front row with a bottle of Kuche Kuche (22p) and some pub snacks. The less said about the match the better but we were happy to have a bitter taste in our mouths! The drab 90minute encounter was punctuated by chants of Ingerland, Ingerland, Ingerland, la la la led by Becs. She had initially tried to teach the locals the chorus of Three Lions but it was a bit much really so she stuck to the simple ones instead.

Ingerland, Ingerland, Ingerland, la la la

They love the ganja in Malawi
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Feeling slightly jaded but buoyed by the sun slanting through the gaps in our banda the following day we headed for Chikale Beach for a spot of snorkeling. This was a first for me and apart from swallowing several pints of lake water I thought it was brilliant fun spotting all of the luminous fish and constantly looking over my shoulder for a croc or a sabre toothed otter.

Deciding that sun, sand and water was really what we had been craving for the past month (no debate really!) but wanting somewhere more secluded, away from the beach boys pedalling their wares we decided to board the Ilala (night ferry) and head to Likoma Island for five days.