From research, I knew that I would have to return to Zambia in order to get to South Africa for my flight home. Going through Mozambique from Malawi was a possibility but would cost me $100 visa at the border just to transit for a few hours so I thought Zambia was the best alternative. I took the early bus from Mzuzu to Lilongwe, stayed overnight there and then took the very early bus to Lusaka which took 15hours. At 5:30am I boarded the bus where I bumped i to a familiar face from Mayoka village in Nkhata Bay. He was going back to Zambia too but had taken the long journey all the way from Nkhata Bay instead of Mzuzu. He told me his crazy story about the 11hr journey, sleeping on the bed big ridden bus and then opting for a room in what he realised was a brothel, for a few hours.

We endured 15 hours of blaring loud Christian music and Malawian homemade soap operas, to the point where our ear drums nearly burst. I somehow had a few naps along the way despite the horrendous noise and the border the crossing at the beginning was straight forward. We were on the same bus me and Elise had taken from Lusaka back to Lilongwe last time and had our journey from hell but this time it seemed to be so smooth in the other direction. We chatted about our lives and laughed about the whole scenario on the bus, and there was even a point where a child started vomiting right beside him.

When we got to Lusaka, I spotted some buses to Harare (Zimbabwe), my next stop, and wondered if maybe I could carry on there overnight. After checking, it turned out they didn't leave until the morning and so I decided to take a taxi to Wanderers Backpackers because my favourite Lusaka Backpackers was full. I paid for a dorm room and a homemade pasta stir fry which the owner kindly made me (was delicious) and chatted to a Zimbabwean man who was travelling. I spent the evening watching 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' in their lounge and considering the wifi wasn't working, there wasn't much else to do. It was quite homely actually, but I was worried my friends wouldn't know if I had arrived safe or not.

I had a shower earlier and then went to bed at a reasonable time, only to be disturbed by a group of Scottish people banging on the door, turning the light on and having loud conversations. And I thought I was lucky to have the room to myself. The next morning I woke earlier than my alarm and decided to hop in the taxi outside my dorm and just get to the station early. When I got there I changed money into dollars for Zimbabwe at the bureau, bought some snacks for the bus (I'm a fan of the egg, onion and tomato roll sandwiches) and proceeded to my bus. When I saw the state of my bus compared to the luxury ones beside us, I hopped off and checked their price, to put my mind at ease only to discover they were the same price. I was tempted to pay another $20 to change to the luxury bus but thought I was being stupid. I tried to make a lame excuse to the ticket sellers of my bus but they were having none of it, so I just got back on and waited for the departure, trying not to overthink my stupidity and learn from it. In the midst I me waiting, a lady befriended me and asked if I would declare something at customs for her, which I bluntly declined. It was the first time anyone had ever asked me that and I could think of was 'Banged up Abroad'. The journey to Zimbabwe- my 47th country was about to start.

It was the end of March when I arrived in Mzuzu my first stop in Malawi after Tanzania. I had the intention of staying two nights and carrying on down to South Africa but as plans go, that didn't happen. I guess it was the mix of the great homely vibe in the hostel, the friendly people I met, the amazing nights I had there and the feeling I being so far away from home but feeling very at home. I met so many people who came and left, and some who never left. All of them who made my stay so incredible. People ask me what on earth did I do in mzuzu to keep me coming back so many times, but it's hard to explain. Sometimes when you feel like you've found a good spot and good friends, you just need to stay and enjoy the happiness. Every day I would learn something new about the Malawian way of life and it for to the stage where I couldn't walk down the street without at least 2 people recognising me and greeting me. It was a really nice feeling.

I gradually took time to leave and explore other things like visiting Nkhata Bay with Elise and Tijs the first time, Lilongwe, Zambia with Elise and Livingstonia when I returned. I even got the chance to go to Nkhata Bay one last time with some new friends and when I thought I wouldn't see my mzuzu friends again they hatched a plan and drove to Mayoka Village (where I was staying) to surprise me. It was the most incredible thing ever. I was so thankful for that! I even spent two last nights in Mzoozoozoo (The Zoo) when I thought I would never see it again.

Writing this I am grateful for all the people I met at The Zoo and for the best last day with them at Nkhata Bay, having a braii (BBQ) on the beach, chatting, drinking some greens and enjoying every moment. It breaks my heart to leave Mzuzu and to leave Malawi tomorrow to go to Zambia but I'm hoping that fate will bring me back here in a few months. Malawi truly is the warm heart of Africa. Thanks Nani, Jacob, Paul and everyone else I met during my time there. I'll be back- I know it.

Livingstonia and Manchewe Falls

It was an early start to the day, as the bright sun began to ride behind Lake Malawi and peek in to our dorm. It woke me quite early but I somehow drifted back off to sleep. I awoke later to the sound of people outside wandering about enjoying breakfast with a view. I got ready for my day of adventure and hiking and had a lovely breakfast of bread with avocado, eggs, tomato and delicious mayonaise. It was so delicious but so massive that it took a while to finish it! I needed the energy for the day. I left the lodge about 9:45am and headed up towards the top of the mountain along the dirt roads and short cuts to be greeted by locals with big smiling faces the whole way. I reached the steep hilltop town of Livingstonia about 1.5 hrs later and began my cultural experience by visiting the local craft centre and coffee shop for orphans. I sat and had a cold drink and a chat with the lovely man who worked there and we decided that because he loved Ireland so much that he would take my flight home and I would run his coffee shop haha. People can dream!

I left and carried on my journey to Stone House, passing the historic hospitals and churches etc all set up by Scottish missionaries years back. The stone house museum was great and I spent a while browsing all the memorabilia and historic information about the missionaries quest to abolish slavery and provide education to the locals. They also spread the word about Christianity and converted many people in Malawi at that time.

I visited the church afterwards where I went in and sat in peace for a bit. I said a few prayers and it reminded me of the days when I went to our local church at home but even though I'm not very religious, I can appreciate a beautiful moment in a place like this with so much history and ambience. After this I continued walking around and then headed back down towards the town again and further back down the mountain to pass by Manchewe Falls- Malawis tallest waterfalls. I met a few local kids who took me around the falls and showed me the hidden cave where a lot of locals hid from slave traders years back. It was amazing to see this and to hear all about Malawis history. I really loved the story of this place it was so interesting and I couldn't get enough. I continued on towards the mushroom farm but ended up stumbling upon the Manchewe Forest cafe which id read about so I went in and had a veggie stir fry in the cute little hut. The owner was so nice and he even showed me a short cut after I finished lunch. I headed back to the lodge and that evening I met a quirky Dutch guy with some funny stories, who had was cycling around the world. It was a good night having a beer, discussing travel plans and giving each other advice on our further African travels. I had another early night and prepared to wake up early to catch a local ride off the mountain. Livingstonia was another place to tick off the list and I was so glad I got to go and explore it by myself. Such a beautiful, quaint place with so much history.

Journey to Livingstonia

It was the moment I arrived at the crossroads of Livingstonia and Chitimba and was ushered on the back of a piled up truck, that I realised I was having a true African experience. The ride from Mzuzu had only taken a few hours and seed even less as I slept the whole way and had to be woken as we got to Chitimba. I had learned from other travellers that coming across a ride up the mountain, 15km along a series of intense switchbacks, was either hit and miss. For me it was a hit and it turned out that as soon as I arrived, a truck packed with locals and goods was about to head up the steep narrow stretch. I hopped on, paid 1800mk/$4 and held on for dear life as I balanced on the side edge of the truck. Bend after bend passed by over the course of half an hour or so, until we reached the sign for 'The Mushroom Farm' where I was staying for two nights. I hopped off, gave my thanks and headed down the dirt trail to the Eco lodge. The place was as awesome as I had been told. It was fully sustainable, with renewable energy for everything, fresh vegetarian food, their own chickens/ducks, an array of quirky cliff side accommodation and needless to say- an incredible view of the mountain ranges and beautiful Lake Malawi.

I had been in contact with the lodge about volunteering here so they knew me when I arrived. I had an amazing lunch - open veggie burger with avocado, tomato and onion with seasoned potato wedges. It blew my mind. I met some of the other guests and had a great time giving travel advice to one of the girls travelling to Tanzania soon. I wandered around the place, took some time to myself on a rock perched above the majestic view below me, took some photos and planned a full day of adventure the next day. I planned to visit Malawis tallest waterfall- Manchewe Falls and walk 2hrs to the town of Livingstonia itself. Maybe even do some yoga in the morning before it all! It was good to be or and about travelling again.

To be continued...

So it began with a stressful journey and ended with a warm shower, a cosy dorm, a friendly barman (Paul) and a tasty beer. It was the beginning of what would keep me here for the next two weeks or so. This place had such a good vibe that saw people from all walks of life and age groups, socialising and making travel plans together. The cosy hostel, once just a home, had that homely feeling with it's big fireplace, it's comforting food and the clientele they drew in every night and day.

The first night was the beginning of a trend! I hadn't mingled with this many travellers since Zanzibar and this was much needed after such a crazy last few days travelling. I met Christian that night, an older German man travelling by motorbike, due to meet his wife soon to continue his trip. The next day I met Renny, an older Welsh man who had the soul of a teenager and was always up for a few drinks at the bar, which even

led us to taste every kind of drink at the bar one of the nights I was here. Renny was like me and seemed to go with the flow, even missing his flight home from Capetown. There was a group of Germans volunteering with some local projects in the countryside, who occasionally came to stay here and gave me some great travel ideas and advice. Then there was Tijs and Elise from Holland, who were here researching for their Uni course and came to Mzoozoozoo occasionally on their time off to explore and do research work. We would end up going to Nkhata Bay together on a short trip.

At the heart of the hostel were two ginger kitty's, Luma(meaning bite) the puppy, Thoro the old soul doggy and John the doctor of metaphysics who ended up in Malawi somehow and is now the backbone of the hostel and is the funniest guy ever with his variety of tropical shirts. Paul and John work in sync to keep the hostel going and the more I stayed, the more everyone became like a little Mzuzu family. Most nights the locals came to drink at the bar and have food, so it wasn't long before I knew everyone by name. There was Ellen who lived down the street with her cute 6 month old baby Wanga (meaning mine in Chichewa) who warmed to me almost immediately. Every night someone new would come and it encouraged me not to leave and the more I got to know the 'family' here, the more I couldn't leave. It was one of these places that of I left, I would regret it, so I thought, why not stay and enjoy it. Enjoy the food, the laughs, the chats on the porch, sleeping in the caravan, playing with baby Wanga, having funny bar chats with Paul most evenings, and with Renny next to me on the bar stools.

Travelling is all about finding places like this, places that you will remember forever and finding souls that you were almost drawn to. It's inevitable that I will leave at some stage, possibly to go to Lilongwe and then to Zambia with Elise, but until then, I am loving every minute of my life and I love that at this very moment we couldn't be more like a family, playing scrabble around the fire, inside from the rain and drinking tea. I will never forget the comforting feeling that this place has given me.

I arrived in Mzuzu after a very stressful journey from Mbeya! I had originally booked a bus that would take me straight to Mzuzu and cost me around $20. I was told that I would leave from Mbeya to Karonga (the border of Malawi and Tanzania) and then there would be a bus there to pick me up to take me all the way to Mzuzu! Well from how the morning started, I should have known that this wouldn't go to plan. That morning I was escorted on a random bus going in the opposite direction, accompanied by the ticket seller who would take me to the other bus station. When we got there he put me on a medium sized bus which he said would take me to Karonga and then I would take the larger bus to Mzuzu! Well when I was told to get off the bus, a motorbike picked me up which I thought was a part of the deal, but in the end wasn't, and ended with a the driver demanding money which I didn't pay of course. Frustrated I went and changed money and headed through the border which was easy enough. When I got to the other side I showed my bus ticket and was told by everyone that this didn't exist in Malawi at all and that it was a scam. After all of this, I just wanted to get to Mzuzu, so I was taken to a place that had all the local Malawi mini buses. I guessed I was overcharged when I paid the mini bus towards the end of the journey, considering everyone laughed and paid less than me. I didn't care at this stage, for the sake of $7 I wanted to get to Mzuzu and eventually to a cool hostel Mzoozoozoo which id read about.

The bus journey there was rocky as expected but the lake views along the way were incredible. The tiny bus filled with at least 16 people each time and they would push us forward in the seats to make room for huge packages that seemed to be way to large for the small vehicle. But somehow in Malawian style, they fit, and even if they didn't, they tied the door shut. My backpack held on in the trunk, and saved itself from falling out many times. A little boy on his own, became my best friend on the journey as we gave each other thumbs up, hid from each other, pointed at the wild monkeys and ate some sweets.

When I finally got to Mzuzu I hopped straight in a taxi and headed for the countryside hostel Mzoozoozoo dubbed for being the kind of place that will change your plans maybe for a night or two...And that's how it began!