Well, so much for a relaxing time. . We've enjoyed, sorry, endured, some more early starts and long days on the bumpy roads of Malawi and Tanzania. We did enjoy our stay in a camp right on the beach of Lake Malawi. Craig took a trip out to an island on a catamaran to do some snorkeling, whilst Vanda read her book for a couple of hours. It's a huge Lake and represents 1 5th of the total land mass of the country - you can't see land the other side and the centre of it is the border with Mozambique. It's weird to swim in as you get a mouthful of fresh water! We visited a local village and met the local head teacher who told us that their small village school had 1500 students and only 12 teachers. Primary education is free and 98% of children attend school but the government won't recruit any more teachers. Next we visited a local clinic where we met 2 young mums (17 & 19 yrs old) who had babies of 1-2 days old. The one and only midwife explained that women are encouraged to go to a clinic to have their children rather than stay at home and that this had helped to reduce infant (& mother) mortality. They also inoculate all new babies and test mothers for HIV - with the rate reducing to 3% from 8% over the last 10 years. It was an interesting but humbling visit. Travelling through the small villages we've had fun waving to the local children who seem very excited that tourists are passing through. It's nice to be somewhere where tourists are still a novelty and people are happy to greet you, and not just sell you souvenirs. As soon as we stop at the side of the road for our lunch we are surrounded by local children who watch us with amusement. The downside of being somewhere so remote is that there are only bush toilets ! Travelling through Tanzania has been a bit more challenging as there is a lot more traffic, in particular trucks, and with the poor Road conditions we have seen the results of quite a few accidents with overturned trucks blocking the road. Our driver, Doc, is a very good driver and we avoid driving at night, which is one of the reasons for the 5am starts! We've now reached the spice island of Zanzibar and are enjoying a bit of relaxation in the tropical paradise. We're making the most of it as well soon be back on the road before a 4 day trip camping in the Serengeti (& more bush toilets). Our guide keeps reminding us that this is an adventure, not a holiday! !