Helena B

I realised there was no picture with that last post so thought I’d give you one of us relaxing at the Lake….

We’ve had a few trips to the Lake since we’ve been back – for the Lake of Stars music festival (Oliver Mtukudzi and Tinashe were great to listen to on the beach with the Lake behind…) , diving at Cape Maclear and just relaxing at our favourite hang-out Norman Carr Cottage.

G&Ts in the Lake

Norman Carr Cottage is a lovely place with enormous beds, outdoor showers, tasty food and great boat rides on the Lake. We enjoy the evening sundowner cruise in particular. Bobbing around on floats in the warm waters of the Lake with your G&T in your hand, watching the beautiful reds and oranges of the sunset is very special… All here for you to enjoy too if you come and visit!

Yes it’s that time of year – although it doesn’t feel like it with the gorgeous sunshine outside at the moment. But still looking forward to Christmas lunch with all the trimmings, mince pies and presents round the tree.

I know I haven’t written for a while and have been prompted by a friend I used to work with. I realise how much I don’t take my own advice – I always said at work that there was no point having a blog unless you updated it regularly. Well my only excuse is being really busy….

We had a lovely but very full time back in the UK – catching up with everyone and spending some time in beautiful Scotland. We then returned to Malawi in October and have been busy since with work, studying for my new Masters (in case you don’t know I’m doing a distance learning MSc in Public Health which I’m really enjoying) and sorting out a new car (don’t ask – RAV4 got written off in an accident whilst we were away but we now have a lovely (bigger!) Prado).

We’ve also had lots of visitors since we got back. Andrew (who used to be in Malawi) came back for a trip, my brother and his girlfriend have now arrived for Christmas and we’ve also had Emma and Gav staying with us for a couple of months. It’s lovely to have old friends from back home out here in Malawi as well – it’s great meeting all the new people but having someone like Emma, who knows me inside out, makes me feel even more at home.

Em and Gav hoped to stay with us for a bit less time but as ever the container with all their stuff (and some of ours) has been delayed. We’re promised that it has actually been unloaded in Mozambique now and should be with us early January. Here’s hoping as I’m really looking forward to getting our sprung, super-king sized mattress – bliss!

As I said at the beginning despite the warmth (although it has been raining rather a lot recently – so I’m enjoying the current sunshine whilst it lasts) we’re looking forward to Christmas. We’re off with a big group to Ntchisi Forest Lodge where we last went in June and they’re promising us the full works. It’ll be my first Christmas away from the UK so will enjoy to all the traditional bits and pieces. Ruth and Steve’s little girls Hannah and Zoe are also coming so looking forward to seeing the excitement of Christmas through their eyes.

Anyway that’s my bringing you up to date post – promise to be back in the New Year with all the info on our trip to Ntchisi, Nkhotakota game reserve and the Lake. Have a merry Christmas and happy New Year!

As I said before the Nyika plateau is a bit like Scotland / Dartmoor but with a safari bonus. The plateau is about 80km2 and 2000m above sea level. It’s beautiful rolling hills as far as the eye can see once you’re up on the plateau and luckily it really was worth the 4 hours of dirt road driving it took to get there.

Lorry 'parked' on the Nyika road

We were glad we filled up at Mzuzu as the last petrol stop we knew of at Rumphi didn’t actually have any petrol, only diesel. They said they’d have some the next day but still didn’t have any when we came back through three days later – fortunately we had enough to get back to Mzuzu. The road was hard and very difficult if stuck behind something else due to the massive clouds of dust. You also have to be careful when coming round corners as you don’t know what’ll be there – could be a beautiful roan antelope or a lorry which has tipped onto its side!

I think Nyika is truly unique in Africa. It has panoramic views of undulating grassland with occasional forest patches in creases between hills, green protea bushes and  rocky outcrops. Actually half of the protea bushes we saw were either black or had new white flowers after burning. The burning is to refresh the vegetation and keep the game up on the high plateau – partly for the tourists but also to keep them away from the crops and animals of the surrounding villages. There is also a huge variety of wildflowers on the plateau which were just beginning to come out when we were there – pink, purple, orange and masses of the yellow ‘everlasting’ flowers Helichrysums.

View of the plateau

There is a wide range of activities available – hiking, mountain biking, day and night safari drives and they are soon to get horse riding back again (unfortunately there are no horses at the moment so I couldn’t try out my newly learned riding skills).

We hiked to a beautiful series of three waterfalls called Chisanga Falls with our really knowledgeable guide Duncan pointing out all the different plants, flowers, sounds and tracks around, most of which I’ve never have noticed without him. At the falls it was a bit unsettling to see orange ribbons tied to bushes which Duncan said were markers placed by Paladin mining company, who are building a Uranium mine in the north of the country. Apparently the orange ribbons were to mark possible sites for generating hydro electric power – I do hope they aren’t allowed to do it at this lovely national park waterfall.

Zebra on a ridge

We saw all sorts of game – zebra, roan, reed buck, jackal and even a pack of hyena hunting. We think we saw a leopard but if so it was a very small one running away at speed in the dark… Duncan said it was a leopard and I believe him as I just about saw the spots through the binoculars! We also tracked leopard when out biking and knew there must be a mother and her young around due to the paw prints and poo left behind, but will have to go back again to get that rare good sighting. And we definitely want to go back again but next time we might try flying in to avoid that drive…

As many of you will know we’re off back to the UK for six weeks on Saturday so this is likely to be my last post for a while. Really looking forward to seeing everyone back home though and hope the summer comes back for us.

My new travel game for Malawi is now I spy Chishango – spotting painted wall signs for our (PSI’s) condom brand.

We’re having a bit advertising push for our Chishango condom at the moment – radio, billboards and also wall signs. There’s a new tagline – “Kuyenda ndi mdidi” which literally translates as something like “walking like an earthquake” but is understood to mean “moving with confidence”. It’s great when you’ve been part of creating something to just spontaneously hear people singing the jingle and saying the tagline as soon as you mention the product.

Chishango wall sign design

In fact other than the generic Coca Cola, Carlsberg and mobile phone company signs you see everywhere the next most common brand in Malawi is probably Chishango. So much so that playing ‘I spy Chishango’ wall signs on our recent trip up north was actually pretty easy.

There are very few printed outdoor signs here in Malawi and instead they paint directly onto walls. The painters are amazing and can reproduce the designs really well – even colour gradients and making the shield look like it is shining.

It seems to be working as well We sold over 1 million condoms last month so there are certainly some people out there “moving with confidence”!

We’ve recently had a great trip seeing the different landscapes of Malawi but also realising that people from back home in Dulwich get everywhere….!

We spent a week up in northern Malawi staying at a rainforest lodge (best food in Malawi), on the Niyka plateau (looks a little like Scotland but with zebra and leopard) and on the Lake at Chinteche (a beach paradise).  (Too much for one post so will write another on Niyka and Chinteche)

Ntchisi Forest Lodge was built by a regional British commissioner about 100 years ago as his retreat from the lake in the hot season. You can still see the lake from the lodge with an amazing view across to Tanzania but are up in the mountains and forest. The Danish owners are very friendly and produce the most wonderful food (well definitely the best we’ve had in Malawi) with the Moroccan soup and beef pies being particular favourites.

Dawn view from Ntchisi over Lake Malawi

Our 'guide' Arthur

We hiked through one of the last pieces of remaining rainforest in Malawi with towering trees and creepers, accompanied by the resident Labrador guide, Arthur. (Never knew anyone or anything called Arthur before I came to Malawi and now I know a cat, a dog and a baby!!). He did however lead us down the wrong ‘blue’ path and we ended up on a 4.5 hour hike rather than the gentle 1.5 hours we planned to start with. Mind you we felt a little better when told that the hike normally takes 6 hours and that we were the first people to actually tire Arthur out – he was certainly asleep in front of the fire in the evening.

Moon over Nandalanda peak on Mulanje

Whilst at the lodge we met a guy who we realised we live round the corner from in Blantyre called Mike. But then I also found out Mike is from Dulwich/Herne Hill as well – both sets of his grandparents grew up there, his grandmother and mum went to JAGS and he went to Alleyns school. It’s very strange reminiscing about school and Mr Green from the toy shop when out in Malawi! Even more of a co-incidence was that the previous weekend up Mulanje mountain we met another guy who’d been to Alleyns. So just look out for the Dulwich mafia next time you go up a mountain – where ever it is in the world….

A little while ago (6th June to be exact) I was part of a team at PSI that organised an event in Lilongwe to unite people in the battle against malaria. I was sceptical about it to begin with but we managed to get 15,000 people attending and listening to malaria messages as well as replicating the success out in rural areas.

Before now I’ve mostly mentioned my HIV / condom work here at PSI but PSI also works in malaria, child health and reproductive health. This year PSI was part of a worldwide campaign to highlight malaria through linkages to football at the first World Cup in Africa. I think there were an awful lot of people trying to link things to the World Cup but in Malawi at least United Against Malaria was the only non-commerical link up.

The international campaign was to raise awareness of malaria and to encourage governments and funding organisations to spend more on combating the disease. Locally we also wanted the campaign to focus on the messages of using a net and prompt treatment for the target audience – rural mother/care-givers with children under 5.

The campaign had the support of the Ministry of Health and other NGOs and we got the Malawian national football team (The Flames) involved with radio and print adverts featuring the coach and players promoting net use. The players also came along to our big launch event in Lilongwe. This was held at the Silver Stadium and featured an exhibition football match between the two best Malawian teams and a concert by top Malawian band the Black Missionaries.

It was an awful lot of work pulling everything together all the branding, promotional items, radio and print advertising, a big-walk or procession to the venue, the two football teams, the band and the stage / sound equipment etc etc. Working with the Ministry of Health was also interesting – although PSI organised the event it was nominally a MoH event but one where we had to pay them ‘allowances’ to attend! I also really didn’t like spending £40 (which can go a long way in Malawi) of the money we had to fight malaria on flowers to sit in front of the Minister’s chair…

However, despite some last minute changes (deciding the place allocated for the band wasn’t suitable and getting a new stage built within 24 hours) the event turned out to be a great success. There were thousands of people there right up until it ended.

An interesting moment was when we were putting out footballs for the players to kick into the crowd and some people decided to climb over onto the pitch to steal them before we were ready. We then got extra security on the pitch and the next person to climb over was definitely the last… Was a bit disconcerting watching the soldier kick his legs out from under him and whack him hard with his truncheon. Certainly a very effective deterrent!

The main event was a success but the subsequent rural events (which also drew about 10,000 each to concerts and televised World Cup matches on the big screen) will be where the messages were going to the people that matter. Even with that  it will be the follow up work with radio advertising, wall signs and local activities that will actually make a difference. I’m glad I was part of the initial events though and it was great seeing all the work come together on the day. Hopefully it will only grow from here.

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas in July…

This is apparently an Australian tradition that we were introduced to by our friend Jacqui. Down under as it’s so hot on Christmas day (mid-summer) they also have a Christmas dinner in July when it’s actually a suitable temperature to consume huge amounts of meat, stuffing, roasted vegetables and pudding. So although we did have a lovely traditional Christmas last year we nobly agreed to eat another one in July.

Now everyone says it’s cold here at the moment – yes even I have been heard to say that – but to be honest during the day when it’s sunny (about half the time) it’s actually a lovely temperature. So on Saturday we got to sit outside on the veranda in the sunshine whilst sipping our mulled wine!

We actually had a ‘mulled-wine cook off’ with two different types. White, as prepared by Nick, and red prepared by Bridget according to a very good Jamie Olivier recipe. In the end we just decided it was all lovely though and we’d drink rather than vote.

As traditional at Christmas we ate and drank too much and ended up falling asleep in front of the log fire (after some slightly less traditional pool playing). Already looking forward to next year, especially as this year we’re likely to be spending Christmas in warmer climes. Christmas on the beach in Mozambique anyone?

Yes it’s been a very long time but I’ve been inspired to write on my blog again after looking at a friend’s blog and reminding myself what a great record it can be. Am also going to try writing shorter posts as I think I’ll be more likely to do it…

Well as many people know our adventure here is going to continue for another 2 – 3 years as Nick has been very clever and been given lots of money by the Wellcome Trust to do high-powered research. So we’re here to receive visitors for a while longer…

I’ll be continuing to work for PSI Malawi and with any luck (fingers crossed) it may even turn into paid work. I’ve spent the last few days choosing an agency to work on our HIV communication materials, coming up with a new tag line for our family planning brand, designing a sexual network and discussing how to test which condoms smell / look better!

I’m now getting to do this all from a very large and plush office  - but no it’s not mine for ever. The area I noramlly sit in is being re-painted so I’ve been moved into the vacant HR Director’s office (previous HR Director was asked to leave due to certain irregularities!!). Offices are very important status symbols here in Malawi so I think some people might be jealous even though it’s only for a few days.

Is very strange being in my own office – no one to chat to / be rude to / bounce ideas off. Then again no one to disturb you either.

In Malawi you’re not seen as important unless you have your own office and of course the bigger the better – open plan isn’t much of a concept here though we’re trying to introduce it for the internal creative department at PSI. I’m looking forward to seeing what ‘Google office’ looks like Malawi style… but until then I shall enjoy my ivory tower.

A long time again since I last wrote during which I’ve been back to the UK and also to visit my brother in Tanzania.

We spent 10 days in Tanzania in Dar, Kilwa and Stone Town, Zanzibar. We had a lovely time soaking up the sunshine (except the first couple of days when it poured) eating seafood, swimming in the sea and catching up with my brother. (Photos to follow) My brother lives between Dar and Kilwa (both on the coast – one a massive, busy city and the other a small town) and so luckily we had places to stay.

What really struck me was the differences between Tanzania and Malawi or rather how my brother lives there and we live here in Blantyre. It did make me wonder whether as some people say Malawi is ‘Africa for beginners’?

We do have a lovely house here with lovely garden which is certainly much bigger and better appointed than my brother’s place in Dar. That is partly due to the cost – accommodation is much cheaper here in Malawi than in Dar. Dar is an expensive, big, bustling city which makes Blantyre look positively sleepy in comparison. Blantyre is much quieter, greener and more spread out. I will also never again complain about the traffic in Blantyre (well maybe not never!) as the Chipembere Highway is nothing in comparison to Dar’s traffic jams – and apparently we didn’t actually see the city in rush hour!

The roads are also much better here in Malawi. Well actually some of the roads in Tanzania were excellent – it was just one particularly bad patch on the Dar to Kilwa road which hasn’t been tarmaced yet. 3 hours to do 60km of very bumpy road in the back cab of up a pick-up is not fun! Now admittedly roads in Malawi aren’t perfect but all the main arterial roads are at least tarmaced all the way, even if there are some potholes.

So our life here in Malawi does seem easier in many ways to my brother’s in Tanzania. Then again it may just be ‘Africa for beginners’ due to our privileged lifestyle. I’m very aware that we don’t live the way most people in Malawi do – in fact we might spend the equivalent of one of our guard’s monthly salary on a couple of meals out. The disparities are much greater here than back in the UK. So I’d say that whether Malawi is ‘Africa for beginners’ really depends on what lifestyle you can afford and we’re just really, really lucky.

Mind you I’d also much prefer to be living in a green, spaced out city like Blantyre than in busy, very urban Dar es Salaam – and, yes I know that’s coming from a London girl but I maintain that London’s a very green city too!

Malawi seems to be coming to the end of its fuel crisis but for a few days it paralysed the country.

As I mentioned in my last post I managed to spend 6 hours queuing for petrol on Thursday and I was just one of many.

If you listen to the government you’ll hear that Malawi’s fuel crisis was down to congestion in ports in Tanzania and Mozambique and the next day it was the fault of a bridge also in Mozambique. However, everyone else says it is down to the shortage of forex in the country. The country has no forex and therefore cannot pay for fuel to be brought in.

The shortage of forex is due to the government / president keeping the Malawi Kwacha at an artifically high rate against the dollar and other foreign currencies for the last few years. The Kwacha has been fixed at MK 142 to the dollar but it realistically should be more like MK 170. It’s been kept at this level to keep down inflation in Malawi  – otherwise imported goods would go up greatly in price and so beyond the reach of many Malawians. That’s not really a vote winner so in the run up to this year’s election, despite having a degree in Economics, the President kept the Kwacha at a fixed rate.

The problem is Malawi needs goods from outside and to buy these needs forex as no-one wants the Malawi Kwacha since it is so over-valued. This meant the country couldn’t pay for fuel and when they got too far in arrears the supply was stopped. The government does now seemed to have found some forex and fuel is coming into the country – however the forex problem hasn’t really been solved so this may just be a tempoaray respite.

So, last week we’d virtually run out of petrol in the car (which I need to go to work and which we need to go out after dark as you’re advised not to walk) and I had to go and join the queues. Nick went to work on his bike and called me to say he’d heard of a petrol station that had just received fuel. I rushed there with our guard Thomas, but the queues were already enormous. Therefore, after a stop to buy a jerry can, I went onto another petrol station where I’d heard a rumour there would be fuel that day…

This Total garage didn’t have an enormous queue but the cars were already 10 deep and a line of jerry cans was set up waiting. Thomas and I decided the best bet was the jerry can so we lined ours up with the others, parked the car just along the road and waited.

To begin with I was quite happy, it just seemed like part of my Africa experience – and then the tanker actually turned up after 1.5 hours waiting. Hurray I thought the wait won’t be in vain! However, it took ages for the tanker to maneouver its way in to deliver the fuel (cars and lorries had to move out of the way) and then to leave again. They started to give out a little petrol but then the crowd had got so enormous and everyone was shouting and pushing that the petrol station staff decided they wouldn’t serve people until the police arrived… it was carnage!

When the police arrived they did start giving the petrol out again but there was more trouble followed by baton charges from the police and threats of tear gas…! By this time I was begining to lose my sense of humour and called Nick to come and join me. However, I was actually shielded from the worst of it as I was waiting by the car whilst our guard Thomas was in the thick of it, so in that sense I was very lucky.

Anyway, after 6 hours we decided to take the car home as we wanted to make sure we could get there and it wouldn’t get stranded on the street. Thomas stayed though to see if he could get the jerry can filled. 2 hours later he arrived back at our house with a full 15l jerry can and looking exhausted – he’d carried it all the way home (we told him to call us)! He was a star and he looked much happier once we gave him water, bananas, beer and a bonus.

That bit of petrol was enough for the next couple of days and then on Saturday we realised we actually know someone who owns a petrol station – he rang us to tell us when he got some petrol and has said he’ll let us know when he has it from now on -  hurray! So our own personal fuel crisis is solved at least for the moment – we’ll just have to see if Malawi’s is also solved when we return in January.

In the meantime – have a great Christmas and happy new year! And think how lucky you are whenever you fill up with petrol…