Zim and Zam It was time to leave Malawi, work was as frustrating as ever and I can't say I was enjoying Lilongwe much. Had an amazing last weekend though. Went to the lake for a bank holiday weekend and met a wicked group also working in Lilongwe. Drunken couple of nights and then lazing on the beach with good food. Real shame that I hadn't met these guys beforehand, things might have turned out different. I think with hindsight December was a bad time t...

Flies and Foundations Sat in the dappled sunshine under the trees on the guesthouse terrace. Having a work laptop at my disposal now saves me from the dingy internet cafes to write this blog! As predicted life has got a bit duller since staying put here in Lilongwe and the jackanories are few and far between. Have got into a routine of an 8-5 job with a meal and my book providing the only means of entertainment at the end of the day. Yawn. We did have our Chri...

Bliss and b******s How many nails do you need to fix the purlins to prevent the roof blowing off? If only I knew the answer. How many bricks are in 6m3 of brick walling? And how big are these bricks? If only I knew the answer. Igot on my train in Dar es Saleem eventually not really that bothered that it was leaving 6 hours late. I think I might turn into one of those trainspotters, I feel totally at ease travelling by train and sometimes get quite excited abo...

Safari and Spices I got to Dar es Salaam train station for 1pm today ready for my 2pm train. I went to the ticket desk and was informed that the ticket office was closed until 2.30 for lunch. Later I also find out that it is delayed 6hours. Time to do the blog... I came to Tanzania with a certain amount of trepidation as I'd had it pretty good in Rwanda and Uganda and heard that Tanzania was hassle central. It is. The first couple of days were spent on bu...

Lakes and LethargyI arrive on a modern bus that runs to a schedule which does not allow standing, something of a novelty in Africa. I get a moto taxi to the guest house where the driver insists in French that I wear a helmet (elsewhere in Africa your only hope is that the driver hasn't been drinking). On arrival I give him a 500 note (50p) and he is proudly distraught that he has no change for the 400 fare. He reluctantly accepts my 10p tip, I think of what ...