the problem with Ls and Rs

We'll start this off with 2 good stories from our trip last week:

Rowland:  You are most welcome.  I am Roland, the Chief Lab Technician.
Lauren:  Hi Rowland, very nice to meet you!  My name is Lauren and I’m from the---
Rowland:  WE HAVE THE SAME NAME!
Lauren: Excuse me? (with a puzzled look on my face)
Rowland:  Rowland and Lauren (pronounced almost identically because Ls and Rs are interchangeable here) – they are the same! Hahahahahahahah!
Lauren:  Ah, you’re right indeed!  Sooooo, Mr. Same Name, let’s talk labs...

Then while waiting in a diesel queue, we were approached by some artists – who were actually quite good and we all ended up buying some of their stuff.  Anyway, their names were Kwacha (so the equivalent of “dollar”) and……wait for it…..Will Smith.   “You know, like the actor?!”  Kwacha signed his artwork as "Mr. Fantastic" and Will Smith signed his artwork as...well, Will Smith, naturally.

So the past several weeks have been completely non-stop.  We have spent approximately 40 hours in the car between Aug 22-Sep 3.  We went from Lilongwe to Nkhata Bay....back to Lilongwe.  Then a weekend away in Monkey Bay (Mangochi) followed by a trip up to Mzuzu (Mzimba) and then even further to Karonga and back to Lilongwe.  It has been utterly exhausting and we didn't have internet (or phone!) for nearly the whole week in Nkhata Bay which made me feel like....well, like I live in Africa.  

dizzy yet?

The thing is - we have seen some absolutely stunning sites and although I am ecstatic to be almost finished with my site visits (seriously, I can't stop smiling), I'll miss being able to just gaze out the window at the amazing scenery that seems to be everywhere in this country.

Myoka in Nkhata Bay (our favorite spot to work in the evenings)

Weekend away in Monkey Bay

a newborn baby boy at one of the sites we visited

this just never gets old.  En route home from Karonga

chicken waiting to see a clinician in the outpatient department?

I was also reminded of my very first view of the lake (from last fall) while en route to Karonga.  Last year when we drove to Chitipa (the northern most district in Malawi, to the west of Karonga), I had my very first view of the lake from atop a winding mountain road.  When we drove it again this week it brought back such a sense of nostalgia.  I can hardly believe that trip was nearly 10 months ago.  It's scary, really.  Anyway, the drive was just as breath taking this time as it was last time and, after having been all over this country, I think I can safely say that it is most definitely my favorite drive in all of Malawi...