You can just see Cory and Theo peeking out behind the crates by the climber.
Niall was so happy that Kellen was up for playing chess with him on his new chess set. I don't know who won but they were busy playing for quite awhile. 
Oh, Cory was such a hoot this morning. He saw a "face" in a piece of his waffle and couldn't wait for me to take a photo of it.
These are some of the beautiful carved wood items I brought back. I just love them. 
This book is from Tribal Textiles (where I got the placemats and a bunch of other neat stuff). I plan to make a photo scrapbook with it. Love the hippo on the cover - reminds me of all the hippos in the river at Camp Nkwila.
I took this photo over the weekend: my little blondie boy, sitting on the couch across from me, jabbering away while he creates a "pattern" on the calculator for me to check out.
Back to a typical morning scene at home: Niall reading the morning paper.
Opened the suitcases and working on unpacking. Of all the fragile and precious cargo I brought back, there was only one casualty - my beautiful carved wood bowl. But I think we (Dad!) can glue it together (FX).
At the Amsterdam airport, you naturally see clogs for sale.
We went through security for our flight back to the U.S. as soon as it opened - 1.5 hours before the flight was scheduled to take off. There were 20-25 security people carefully reviewing passports, baggage packing and handling questions, patting us down, and more. But they were still screening people as we filed into the airplane, and we took off 20 minutes late because security took so long. Crazy world.
Back on home soil at last! We had to wait ages for a shuttle, and the shuttle itself took several hours to get us home. But we made it at last, with an eager little 5YO and a relieved Grandma awaiting us.
This is Niall at the airport in Lilongwe, checking out the planes.
We had a six hour layover in Nairobi, during which we entertained ourselves by shopping (!), playing cards, interviewing each other and writing down notes ("What was everyday life like when you were a child?" for example), and drinking Fanta (and bottled water!). Niall was delighted to find a reasonably-priced drum. He'd been hoping to get one ever since he tried the one they used at Nkwali Camp to awaken us in the morning and let us know that meals were ready.
Today we went searching for a place to swim, starting with the girls' school where we've swum many times on this trip. But they had laps and swim lessons going on (even though it's Fall and swim teams are finished).
As we headed home, disappointed, Sieglinde remembered that we could just go to the hotel/gardens across the street from her house and swim there. Yay! They have a pleasant pool with a cafe so we got some yummy samosas with chips (French Fries) and had a refreshing swim.
This is the view from the little balcony just outside the master bedroom at Sieglinde's (the room Niall and I are staying in). Also known as the spot from which you can *just* get Skyband Internet access from the hotel/garden across the road...on a good day, at least.
The girls are back in school this week, at least until early afternoon. Sieglinde had arranged to meet a colleague for coffee this morning, so Niall and I tagged along for a change of scene.
The avacados here are enormous! Sieglinde says they used to be regular size but in recent years have gotten huge - no idea why. They're really impressive though.
The kitchen at my sister's in Lilongwe where we spent lots of time making meals, tidying up, listening to BBC on the radio.
We visited the big local market for a bit this morning, and I bought a few yards of Malawi fabric.
My cute nieces - don't think I've posted enough pix of them from this trip!
For a late lunch, we enjoyed pizza and gelato at a local cafe. Yum!
This morning Sieglinde and I went on a walking safari with guide Bertie and several other people from camp. Great experience! The girls and Niall stayed back at camp (much to Niall's disappointment - he was too young to do the walking safari, poor guy).
The termite hills are stunning. Especially when there are big trees growing on top to boot!
The birds here are incredible. Such variety and so colorful and dramatic. I'm not a bird watcher normally but the birds here are irresistible.
This morning Laly wanted to see a cape buffalo, and lo and behold, Sebastian found one for us!
This is Niall having a turn riding up front with Sebastian. You can see more from the stadium seats in the jeep, but when you sit with the guide, you can ask more and learn more along the way.
Intrepid safarier Niall. He loved it.+151.JPG)
The baobob trees never cease to amaze me. They are just so odd looking and fascinating.+037.JPG)
We were thrilled to see wild dogs on our morning safari. Sieglinde was especially happy to see them, as she's missed the chance every time previously.
Our first day at Camp Nkwali! We crossed the border into Zambia midday and drove over very rough dirt roads to get to the game park, but we're here at last.
Niall delighting in a nice, tall glass of cold Sprite after our day's journey. This is the life...ahhhhh....
Niall and I headed out to Bunda College with Sieglinde today to see her workplace and the gardens there. Here Niall and Sieglinde are checking out some soybeans growing in a greenhouse that are part of an experiment.
Niall and I wandered through the gardens while Sieglinde had some meetings. Niall was delighted with the impressive cacti!
Later in the day, we went to a nearby market and Sieglinde bartered with the merchants there for a chess set for Niall. He was over the moon. :-)
Niall's little bed at Sieglinde's - neatly made up for him by Aggie every day.
Aggie washes clothes nearly every day next to the house in this outdoor sink. She was good enough to come today (on her weekend) to help us since we had so much laundry after being gone on vacation.
Niall really liked the pottery village scenes and the chess set. I thought a pottery chess set would be a major undertaking to bring home - yikes. Luckily Sieglinde mentioned that there are some really nice carved wooden sets that we could check out when we're back in Lilongwe and Niall thought that sounded like a great idea. Whew.
This is Niall and me at breakfast - self-portrait, as you can tell. :D
The sunsets over Lake Malawi are to die for.
We left the Lujeri Tea Estates this morning (after one last swim!) to head to Club Mak on Lake Malawi. We stopped for lunch at a place Sieglinde had been before called Tasty Bites.
We arrived at beautiful Club Mak in the late afternoon, in plenty of time for a swim in the pool after settling in to our spacious cabanas right on the beach. Gorgeous!
Arrived at the Lujeri Tea Estates lodge a little later than expected yesterday evening, and found that although we opted to bring our own food, the place comes with a chef and staff! 
This is a beautiful spot, up on a hill with the Mulanje Mountains around us, a beautiful garden full of exotic plants, refreshing swimming pool, and a lodge brimming with old-world elegance. The kids are practically living in the pool, while Sieglinde and I chat and catch up on writings on our laptop while we watch them.
These pink booths are sprinkled along the roadside. People can buy cards with minutes for their cell phones or charge their phones for a fee.
Most women carry a baby wrapped on their backs and something on top of their heads as they walk along the road. I was surprised at the thick, warm blankets many babies were wrapped up with. Sieglinde reminded me that it's moving into winter here. But still feels very warm to me.
We drove through some driving rain along the way. Some people carry umbrellas which provide shelter from the sun and are also handy when a squall comes up suddenly.
