Day 299 Malawi 28/08/2011, Pa Ntondo Pa Namalikhate hostel, Mua. A wander round the village and grounds of the mission.

After a nice breakfast and a very good nights sleep we went for a walk round the surrounding area. Being Sunday, the missions large church was surrounded by people. On further investigation there appeared to be a large service being held outside the building, attended by groups from different local parishes. The singing and dancing of the parishioners was a joy to watch and made an interesting start to our day.

Having been largely disappointed with African towns and villages it is a pleasure to arrive somewhere interesting. I have found the seemingly endless wilderness of Africa a little tedious. I am aware for some people that that is what they come for, but I much prefer some culture and areas of interest aside from game reserves. I am struggling to see how you can get that excited about seeing your umpteenth wild animal. I am of course aware that this is just my opinion and Debs would probably disagree with me, especially if it means seeing more giraffe, elephants and zebra!

Leaving the people to their service, we had a look at the wood carving showroom. I have to confess to being stunned at how little money many of the carvings were. If shipping wasn't such a costly option, I would now be the proud owner of an extremely large sculpture of two chameleons in a tree! Once again the curse of shopping and travelling by bicycle made us leave the showroom empty handed.

After walking round the beautifully painted buildings of the visitor centre, we went to have a look at the woodcarving workshop.

Disappointingly, the carvers were strangely apathetic at our interest and no one seemed bothered to show us what they were doing. Of course that would have involved effort, something that Malawians don't seem very interested in unless it involves asking for money! Which sadly we have encountered several times in the area surrounding the mission. You would have thought that the huge amount of money that has clearly been spent in the community would have been enough, but apparently not. Either that or stupid tourists have been ignoring all advice and handing out money and gifts to the locals!

Back at the hostel we have been relaxing in the peaceful gardens. Tomorrow we will leave the peace behind and head for the busier more touristy Monkey bay.