Boring Logistics

So this post is really just an update on where I am and what's up in the next few weeks. Hopefully it's only boring to me (I just wrote about five emails about it to various people) and most of you will find it somewhat interesting.

Tomorrow morning I'll be leaving Malawi for about a week. The maximum you can extend a visa for is 90 days, and we're here for about 94, which means that we have to leave the country at some point. So a few of us have decided to go for a bit, see some of Zambia, and save a little bit of money on visa renewals. Plus a week away from work for a short vacation with some pals.

Here's the plan: leave early in the morning, hit up one of the national parks that's right close to the border. Hopefully we'll get to see some of the stereotypical African animals (elephants, zebras, lions and the likes; the only ones I've seen so far were a few monkeys) because they aren't around this part of Malawi. Then we'll head to Lusaka, the capitol of Zambia. From what I hear, Lusaka is much more 'developed' than Lilongwe, so it will be really interesting to compare. Then we're hoping to make a run for Victoria Falls. It's quite a drive, so we don't know if we're going to make it, but it's supposed to be beautiful enough that it's worth it. I'll be sure to get some pics up.

After that escapade, I'll be in Lilongwe for the rest of the placement. This is where I'll be doing the report writing stuff that goes along with the field work type stuff I've been doing up to now. I promise I'll do better with the bloging once I'm back, and have regular (and awesome by Malawian standards) internet access. It's good enough to get a choppy (but free or super cheap) skype call in, so anyone who's interested in that let me know!

back in a week

Lucas