The end of an era: the physical and digital move begins

Just a quick note to you loyal readers to say we're moving. Literally, away from Malawi and our lovely house here, and figuratively in terms of our blog. New life plans have us transitioning away from our tropical paradise sooner than we had predicted, and we're aiming to increase the adventurous times, so we've moved to http://travellingcarrs.wordpress.com/.

Looking forward to having you on board at the new locale!

out of town gallivanting

We recently finally made it out to one of the more accessible yet lengthy local hikes, Nkhoma Mountain. It's been on the list for awhile, but we've been caught up with town-shaped chores and getting back into the Lilongwe swing of things.

looking northwest towards Lilongwe

So we piled into Nikky, our little tiny pickup, strapped the dog into his bed in the back, and took off down the dusty road that connects our northeast neighbourhood to the southbound Blantyre road out of town. We had almost reached the 'highway' without mishap when a passing vehicle approached in the oncoming lane, a touch too close for comfort. Devon steered our chariot to the side, but just as we were squeezing by, the aft passenger door opened into us, apparently with purpose. He quickly wheeled around and after a few minutes of wild arm waving and not a small amount of yelling, we managed to get an apology out of the guy.

It was a strange start to the morning.

work life

I haven't mentioned much about the 'what' of what I'm doing, and I heard some complaints to that regard whilst in Canada. My apologies. I think we both struggle with the dynamics of writing a travel blog while not really travelling, and the balance between a light anecdotal take on life versus falling into the trap of lengthy verbose prose that no one wants to read.

sunset from our house

Since October I've been working on a CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) grant with the local agriculture college near Lilongwe, Bunda College, part of the University of Lilongwe, but formerly part of the University of Malawi, a change which led to a months-long protest by students last year and the closing of the university for half a semester. Consequently, the school year is all thrown off now, and students went back to their fall term in late November, only to turn around and get Christmas holidays three weeks later. Hmmm... One wonders how long this schedule will persist before getting back on track. 

snow, sun, and a proposal

A post, for post-Cape Town.

We made it home, and it was good. Four weeks spent frolicking in the mountains and rainy streets of Van was just what our sun-soaked brains needed. Oh, to be cold! The luxury of a down duvet in the winter. And, the luxury of time away to contemplate life, to take a step back from the day to day and consider the next steps. To consider the lives we have lived versus the path we are currently wandering, and those we might trespass to in the future.

Community, conversation, and some mountain shaped trips. 'Twas all good.

our home in the mountains for a few days in early January.

and....we got engaged! Our Malawian colleagues will be delighted to know we are no longer living in sin. Or, at least we're a step further away. I hear that at this stage we're expected to plan a wedding. Since I've never been one to imagine my Perfect Wedding (let alone a dress), we're in discussion mode. All we know thus far is that it will be outdoors. That's a start, right?

As we prepare to sign on for a lifetime of matrimonial bliss. Devon's beard is getting gray just thinking about it. 

We're incredibly thankful to all the folk who made time for us in their busy lives to spend some quality time together. Trying to pack a life into four weeks is quite the challenge, but we felt really lucky to have seen so many people that are important to us, and especially to have enjoyed several occasions where many of them got together in the same space. So, so appreciated. 

the view into my wee hometown

Sam, Devon & I, loving the up tracks. Jenn at the camera.

So for now, we're back in the southern hemisphere, and will be for a few months yet. There's work to be done (more on this later), a house to pack up, a puppy to find a home for, parents to entertain (mine, on a visit in the spring!), and the whole of Africa to explore.

Or at least some of it.

Til next time,

C & D.

ummm...You actually get to live here?

A lot can happen in six weeks.

A lot of flights. A lot of excellent (and cheap!) wine in South Africa. A lot of skiing. A lot of catching up with good friends, old and new, and with our (amazing!) families. A lot of cooking all the things available in food-oriented Vancouver. Did I mention the skiing?

thought provoking snow decisions

I'll rewind a bit. On our way home we blew all our British Airways points to get a good set of flights and a layover in Cape Town, a place we'd both always wanted to go. And it was, as expected, incredible (an early warning - this post seems rather on the sappy side. Life is good. I'm sorry).

We embarked on our first Couch Surfing experience (as surfers - we've both hosted before, separately in Vancouver and together in Malawi). Doug, thank you - you really made our stay. Our house is yours, anytime, wherever it may be.

Cape Town is really a most amazing place. The sheer spectacular beauty rivals Vancouver, and dare I say, may surpass it. It's like Vancouver on Viagra - that much more intense. The Southern Ocean crashes straight into the peaks of the Cape, with winds to match. The climbing looks incredible. The diving is (although bloody cold). The continual sweep of cloud over Table Mountain lends a certain ominous air to the scene.

Devon, Allison, and the tablecloth

Coming fresh from Malawi (and a brief stop in Joburg), we were also easily amazed and overwhelmed by the abundance of good food and wine. I've never been so aghast in an only half-decent grocery store before. There were two cheese sections! We continued a made-in-Malawi friendship by meeting up with our dear friend Allison, who had made it to SA a few weeks before us. She knew just what it was like. But that didn't stop her making fun of us as we proceeded to scarf the first croissant in the store and ask for another. The check out lady was less amused.

We managed to pack a lot into a long weekend. While I didn't quite make it through either dive due to my freezing cold extremities, we got out on a boat for a day and did two dives, one wreck and one in a seal colony. So. Cool. We literally danced with hundreds (thousands?) of seals in only about 15 feet of water and kelp forest. One of many moments that I have wished for an underwater camera.

so many layers of neoprene.

Hiking Table Mountain, visiting vineyards, and driving the coastal road to Hermanus topped off our blur of a trip before we caught a flight to London. I'd heard horror stories of being robbed while hiking, but this seemed beyond the realm of possibility as we joined the throngs of folk scrambling up the rather Grouse Grind-esque trail to the top. Not a bad morning workout.

at the top of Table Mtn. 

Yeah....we'll be back.

it's always malaria...

...Even when it's not. We went in to the nearby 'good' clinic last week for an ongoing GI complaint on Devon's part. After describing his intestinal discomforts, and protesting the malaria swab test, we finally succumbed with a sigh. After the allotted ten minutes of lab time, we were brought back to the doc's office.

It went something like this:

The Doctor  - Your test came back negative for malaria.
Devon - I told you so. I have none of the symptoms!
Doc - Yes but your white blood cell count is high
Devon - okay, that could mean a lot of things. Could you diagnose some of them?
Doc - Yes but it's more likely that you have malaria.
Devon - you just said the test was negative!
Doc - Take this prescription. You have malaria.


And as a closing thought, here's a photo we should have posted a few weeks back.

Private bridge: No motorcycles!

Much love, C & D

mango season!

Since Devon has been busy and is yet to post an update on the why and how of Malawian politics, as a follow up to our investigative journalism take on the dark underbelly of life here, I'm here today to post a brief update of our lives in the past month. I promise that he's hard at work on a lengthy and well thought out follow up, and that it will be in your inboxes soon.

(Right, honey?)

It's been a hectic month. Or two. Since our last submission (confession?), I've started a new job, Devon's continued to take on more and more at his preexisting job, and we continue to dream up new adventures and ideas at every turn. Many of which we actually intend to do, which can make things rather, shall I say, awkward.

some of the less work-shaped adventures have led us to new climbing routes 

while others have had me out during harvest day in local aquaculture communities. Tilapia galore! More on this later. 

One of these things that we leapt at with great enthusiasm six or eight months back was running the annual Lilongwe Half Marathon. We'd both never run a half, had entertained the idea here or there, and so we thought hey, why not now? It'd be good incentive to run more, would help get us into a semblance of ski-worthy shape for our trip home over the holidays*, and accomplishing something new is never a bad thing.

And then the months ticked by, I broke my toe by dropping the motorcycle on it (those things aren't light), and we remembered that November is the hottest time of year in Malawi. The last item being the most concerning. Running in 40 degree heat is more than miserable, it's probably a health concern. I know, I know, try telling that to the crazies that run ultra marathons across the Sahel, Sahara, or the like, but for mere mortals it's not something to be taken lightly. The solution? Early, early training runs, or late, which here with equatorial day/night periods means anytime after 6pm. We thankfully live on the outskirts of town (literally, 10m from the end of the paved road), so within 20-30 minutes through a nearby village we are beyond the riff raff, roads, and out into the relative wilderness beyond Lilongwe. While it may not be the trail running of home, it's the closest we're going to get.

Basically, imagine a hotter, drier, flatter Baden Powell, with random villages interspersed along the route. Villages where masses of small children chase you and proceed to yell at you and your dog in a language you don't quite understand, and where you can't seem to effectively communicate that said 30lb canine is not at all a threat to their lives.

But to get to the point, we successfully completed the run, and both of us within our goal of two hours or less**. More importantly, before the sun reached it's ferocious worst after about 8am. Thankfully the event began at 6...And, considering the shock (and often outright laughter) we get whilst running/biking/climbing/what have you (literally, I've got the pointed finger and a "Haha! Exercise!" on more than several occasions), we were surprised at how many locals came out.

Random tid bit: it's now Mango Season! The time year when fruit that would sell back in Canada for multiple dollars per unit becomes the cheapest thing available. The time of year when you eat as many mangoes as you possibly can, just because you can (or because you accidentally bought three dozen ripe ones for the equivalent of 50 cents). It's a time of plenty (of fruit flies, and wasted fruit), of sticky hands, sticky faces, and....of mango wine! It's true. On Sunday we purchased a few hundred of the finest fruit and filled the back of the truck for just under 1000 kwacha (or about $3). This Sunday, we'll hopefully decide that said fruit are overly ripe enough to spend a few hours mashing them up into a big bucket with some yeast, sugar, water, and love. In a few months, we'll have pure and glorious mango nectar, guaranteed to make us at least a few new friends.

our recent haul, destined for mango wine and peach...smoothies? 

stands like these line the roadsides

 *We are coming home! Arrival back in Vancouver is slated for December 11, and we'll be somewhere on Canadian soil until January 13. We'd like to share a meal, an adventure, or even just a hug with all of you. 

**barely. But who 'won' between us? your guess...