When we got to Zomba, we met up with Emma, Dani, and Louke. Emma, of course, is the Canadian teacher who lives in the same compound as us, Dani is from Ireland, Louke is from Holland, and all three teach with Kate at Bishop Mackenzie. We dropped off Emma's smaller car at a lodge in Zomba, hopped in Dani and Louke's Rav4, and headed up the mountain for the Zomba Forest Lodge.
The lodge was simply unbelievable. It is run by Tom and Petal, a lovely couple who have essentially turned their home into a guest house. They are both Brits, although my understanding is that Petal's grandparents were missionaries here in Malawi and that she spent quite a bit of her youth here. (http://www.zombaforestlodge.com/) There was another couple staying there as well, for a total of 7 guests for the time we were there. The word on the street is that the lodge is especially known for their amazing food. It is all situated right in the forest, with hiking paths running right past their property. They have also done a great job decorating and setting the atmosphere. Also, no electricity, so they mainly get by on solar lanterns and candles; we hardly noticed.
Once we got settled that first evening, Dani and Louke pulled out Kubb (aka "Viking Chess"). We all had a beer and settled into what was the first of many rounds of this entertaining lawn game. For fans of bocce or bags, I highly suggest looking into it. Much fun, very strategic, and like I said before, we ended up scheduling much of our time here around when we could get another game in.
After a few games, we headed over to one of the overlooks to take in our first sunset on Zomba Plateau. Beautiful, and at times like this it was easy to feel very lucky about where we were at in the world, with the opportunity to meet new friends and simply soak in the adventure. Like I have said before and will probably say many times again, not the pictures I had in my mind when I envisioned Malawi. Stunning.
After watching the sun set, we headed back to the lodge for what was the first of many amazing meals. While I know it is in fashion to take pictures of all the wonderful food people eat, I forgot to take any. Perhaps that is a testament to how good it really was! I can say that every morning we were treated to local coffee done right with the french press, homemade cinnamon roles, muffins, fruit, everything you'd want. Lunch was packed sandwiches and fruit for our hikes, and dinner every night was what could be described as gourmet food fit for kings.
We spent the days hiking up to the top of the plateau, exploring, eating great food, and simply relaxing and enjoying each other's company. It is always nice to meet new friends, and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to help me celebrate my first week in Malawi. 
I know that my time here will be spent with many days that are not quite as exciting as the first few that were spent here. There will hopefully be much travel and exploring, though, as that is one of the best things about Malawi, all the places waiting to be discovered. Trying my best to absorb the culture and understand the people here will undoubtedly be a large part of the process as well, but one that I look forward to. Learning the local language (Chichewa) is definitely on the list, and so far I am happy to report that I have a dozen or so phrases that are helping me get by.There will also be the upcoming challenge of figuring out how to really spend my time here, other than simply being a house-husband (which does have its appeal). I miss my work at the public defender's office in Louisville, but know there are plenty of opportunities to have impact here as well. My initial plan was to spend 6-8 weeks simply relaxing and decompressing before I start the attempt at finding work. I don't know if it is simply my inability to stay still, but I have a feeling that time frame will be pushed up just a little bit.
As of today, I've been here 22 days. Some days it feels like I just arrived yesterday; others, it feels like I've been here six months. While I miss my friends and family, that is sometimes the trade off: exploring and having new adventures far from home. There's an energy and life in Malawi that is hard to really explain (although that is exactly what I will continue to attempt). Many people say that Malawi is perhaps the easiest country in Africa for someone new to the continent, and thus far that is exactly what I've found. Looking forward to today, tomorrow, and everything after.
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