Changes....

So last time I updated, I indicated that I would be at the lake, in Senga Bay for the next 11 days.
Apparently not.
We arrived in Senga Bay in the evening on Tuesday Sept. 30. The meeting that was supposed to start at 2pm started instead around 5, so I got to my hotel room around 7pm. The hotel I stayed at is called Horizons, and was really quite nice - very clean and new....though the ceiling fan didn't really make a dent in the muggy heat.
For some reason, it is much hotter by the lake than it is in Lilongwe (which makes for a great weekend there, but isn't so nice for a conference or training). Anyways, our participants were a bit sluggish in the hot conditions (no air-con or fans), but the conference went well. On Thursday we started wondering if the facility was really the best for the upcoming week, since it was so hot and most of our lunches and breaks were an hour (or more!) later than scheduled.
So at the last minute, the conference for this week was moved to Zomba, where it should be much cooler - in fact it is the same venue we used for my M&E workshop.
So instead of staying at the beach, the plan was that I should return to Lilongwe after camping with Jules and Regan and on Sunday afternoon drive to Zomba.
Heather was also in Senga Bay, so when we were both done our workshops early Friday afternoon we headed to Livingstonia beach to sit by the pool and relax until the rest of our camping group arrived.
Jules, Regan and Terri finally arrived just after dark, and we set our tent up and went out for dinner. The next morning was beautifully warm and we were up early reading books on the lounge chairs. We camped at a place called Cool Runnings, and I would definately return there - the grass for the tents was nice and soft and the prices were reasonable and facilities quite nice.
On Saturday morning, we were joined by more friends, Carmen and Francesco, and in the afternoon, Bryce (my volleyball captain) and Marie arrived. After an afternoon in the sun, we dragged ourselves up and made a delicious BBQ meal - baked potatoes, salad and steaks...it took a while to finish everything up at the same time, but it was well worth the wait!
Sunday morning was relaxing - more reading on the lounge chairs for me and Regan and a sleep in for Jules. We left at around 1 for Lilongwe, as I was supposed to meet my colleagues at 2:30. Alas, it was not to be, as the Arntz-Gray mobile decided to break down completely on the side of the road about 35 km from Lilongwe. Thank goodness for the help of friends!!! Carmen and Fran and Bryce were about an hour behind us, so Jules and I played yahtzee on the side of the road (to the delight of an audience of about 10 children), while Regan and Heather read and slept in the car. Fran is a mechanic and was able to tell us it didn't look good. A few minutes later, Bryce pulled over, just as Fran was saying 'It's too bad we don't have a tow rope', and guess what? Bryce had one.
We made an interesting caravan back to Lilongwe, Jules steering our Pajero while being towed behind Bryce, with the rest of us piled into the back of Carmen and Fran's pick up. We all made it home at least, though unfortunately Bryce's tow rope broke at the last minute (only 3 blocks from our house!). We tied it up and made it home in the end....but the engine needs a total overhaul, so we are back to the tight budget we experienced in September again - except this time, it will last for TWO more months....ah well, such is life!
Needless to say, I missed my ride to Zomba with my colleagues, but one co-worker has a father that is quite ill, so he ended up staying in Lilongwe also and will be driving up to Zomba tonight, so he has saved me from a 6 hour mini-bus ride.
Of course, that is if things go as planned....apparently we might leave tomorrow...
Life here just keeps you guessing!