I spent my first day there catching up on sleep and walking into town to make arrangements for the rest of the week. I was very content to lay in the lounge area reading my book, watch cheesy movies in the tv area, and enjoy foods such as sandwiches and salads, which had been rare during our trip. It was also pizza night!The next morning, I headed early into town to go visit the witch doctor. This experience was worth it for the interesting, cultural commentary rather than any real knowledge. The witch doctor explained to me all about the common diseases and natural cures, but admitted that his cures only lasted a few days until they could get the patient to the hospital. He also told me that a father can curse his daughter and an older sibling can curse a younger sibling, but not vice versa, and that even if he performed the ritual for removing the curse it could not be removed unless the cursor had agreed to forgive the cursed. Perhaps most interesting, he explained that in order to perform the ceremony necessary to cast off evil spirits, the subject had to wear a costume with crosses on it (because they are Christian). They would first pray, then drum and dance until the spirits told them what to do to satisfy them such as slaughter a goat. This juxtaposition of Christianity and African medicine was very amusing to me.
When I made my way back to the Village for our free local lunch (Nsima), I was excited to see that Regina and Kaitlin had arrived a whole day earlier than expected. They were just in time for a dive. Lake Malawi is home to a large number of cichlids, which mutate very quickly, resulting in innumerable variations of the species. They are mouth breeders, meaning they carry the eggs in their mouth and, after birth, hold the baby cichlids in their mouths to protect them from danger. We saw this phenomenon, which is recorded on disc one of Planet Earth, several times throughout our dive. Also, the cichlids mate with one partner. If a male cichlid dies, its female partner CHANGES SEX! You could tell by their coloring, which cichlids were in the process of their sex change. We were also swimming late enough in the day that we were able to see the dolphin fish out trolling for cichlids.
The next day, Regina and Kaitlin worked on their dugout canoe skills for the entertainment of the rest of the camp.
Afterwards, I finished my village tour by visiting the local distillery (brewing Kachusu)—-in a dilapidated shed—-tasting the local beer (Chibuku, Shake Shake), and trying some medicinal plant (Gondolose). The guide explained to me that Gondolose is for women who want to have babies. After I quickly handed it back to him, saying that I wasn't quite ready to try it, he laughed, and further explained that it is somehow supposed to give women who are in labor strength. 
That night we had fun at the Mayoka BBQ, which is widely attended by Mayoka Villagers and the locals alike.On Saturday, we took a boat trip that included feeding the fish eagles (lovingly nicknamed Condie and Tony (Blair)), cliff diving,
snorkeling, and playing traditional games with the local children on a beach. That night we went to KayaPapaya for their three course Thai dinner. It was the best meal I’ve had on the trip. Unfortunately, it was the meal that immediately preceded my bout of food poisoning. I spent our last day in Nkhata in bed or in the bathroom. At least it was a nice place to be sick.
All over Malawi, people were selling dried fish on the street.
The street vendors always stack their produce into cute little, pyramid piles.
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