WIHTWH: Luwawa Forest

When timed well with naptimes, three and a half hours north to the hills and woods is achievable with a one-year-old and a three-year-old.

Unfortunately, our camera (arh! which seems to be dying about three weeks too soon) only worked for about a quarter of our time at Luwawa Forest Lodge, where we

- canoed (for about ten minutes),








- played on giant rope swings


- followed trails from maps (Scout is very interested these days in directions, as in, "go to the end of the road; turn left at the t-junction; take your second right..."),



hiked in piney-scented woods,





pounded maize in a nearby village,


- saw the most amazing night sky maybe ever, crowded with stars, and showed Scout the "broad white road in heaven",
- read bedtime stories in front of a big cozy fireplace,
- visited with the travel writer whose books guided us through Malawi and Zanzibar and just maybe even convinced him to include indications for family-friendly places in his edition revisions,
- ate delicious homegrown food,
- and generally had a really really great time.

Then our car broke down on the way home, and we demonstrated how good we are at keeping our cool by staying completely friendly with each other, even though we were still 150km from Lilongwe and it may have been the most expensive day of our lives.

The car croaked at a police check.



Andy (yellow shirt) hopped on a taxi to go to the nearest town to find a mechanic.


The kids woke up from their naps. We stayed put and read stories with the spectators.



We all made it home safe and sound eventually, but it's a serious bummer to lose our car two weeks before we leave.