Pretty & Pristine Kande Beach

Wow!  What a birthday weekend!  I don't know if it will ever be topped, as this one was just so much fun!

It started on Friday, my actual birthday, with some cards from my grandparents, parents, and aunt - such lovely reminders of home and loved ones!  Thank you so much for those - I actually rationed them out over the weekend so that each time I got a little family-sick (I don't do homesick, just missing the people!), I opened one up!

I left work a little early to purchase the car featured in the last post - first car purchase of my life, and I managed to have it completed on my birthday - that's skill, folks!  Then I used the oh-so-convenient ability to drive to the grocery store and purchase mounds of food so that I could pick up my housemates, Brittany and Alisha, and begin our cooking extravaganza!  They worked on pizza toppings and I made dough for 7 pizzas, and a tray of caramel squares.  Eventually, friends started to arrive for the dinner, and we had a blast eating and chatting (in the dark, because, of course, the power cut happened 1/2 way through the 4th pizza cooking!).  Jen, my coworker and friend, made an amazing chocolate cake with Nutella frosting and cookies crumbled into it, and I was ambushed with a very loud, multiple-keyed Happy Birthday!  Such a fun evening!  Thank you to everyone who came out - Jo & Jo, Mylan, Ellie, Colette, Duane, Farid, and the Kande crew.

Thanks Colette for the wonderful picture!

We then all piled into various vehicles, with the group of 7 heading off to Kande in a big van that we borrowed.  We drove off into the night on a 4 hour adventure on bad roads, arriving at Kande Beach at midnight, with a rowdy van full of friends!  We enjoyed the night sky and went swimming, and some of us actually went to bed and got some rest!

Stormy morning skies.

It was a stormy weekend, which made for amazing photos of wind, waves, and clouds, and when the sun did come out, we took full advantage and headed into the water for hours!  We also ate cake for breakfast... 'cause that's how we roll on birthday weekends!

Jen dishing out her masterpiece!

Gino wanted more than just a slice... sugar addict!

See... sun! The nice thing about the storminess was that the waves were around all weekend long, and so much fun to play in!

Gino capturing some of the awesome cloud cover!

Just gorgeous - all weekend long!

We spent most of Saturday on the beach or in the waves - it is such a beautiful place!  The sand is a lot more fine than at Cape MacLear, and it is not nearly as built up, so the waterfront is very clean.

Gino, Brittany, and I, drying off in the sun after a long few hours in the water.

Alisha enjoying the sun.

Malawi-sisters...

View from our dorm to the beach.

In the evening, we took over the beach-side bar, Ian pulled out his DJ equipment, and we danced the night away... with a few foosball competitions and swimming breaks thrown in in between songs!

Adnaan's 'farmer' style for the night.

Ian at his post.

Sunday morning there was a serious storm, so we stayed in bed until it cleared up and the thunder disappeared (it was scarily loud... couldn't see the lightning, so I never had any idea when the next crash was coming - and got laughed at for jumping out of my skin every few minutes!).  But, when the storm was over, the sun came out and the green of the plants was magnified... such a beautiful view from the dorm!  We spent the morning and early afternoon hanging out on the beach and in the gardens.

Lovely gardens outside our balcony.

Oh yes - there were hammocks everywhere on the property, which made for lovely relaxing times when not in the water or sand! Jen pretty much lived in them!

Another storm rolling in in the afternoon.

Ignoring the inclement weather and enjoying the beach anyhow!

Adnaan & Ian coming to join us on the beach.

Not sure what was being captured in this shot... but that camera was out a lot on the weekend! Maybe even more than mine!

Photoshoot with Flat Sandy - she travels with me as a substitute for my Alyssa!

Housemate cuddles... saying farewell to Kande Beach.

Too tempting to not do it - the office was a fake boat, and the stormy weather just called for a TItanic shot!

A fully carved tree next to the bar area - so beautifully done!

Dodged the normal goats, chickens, and people on the way home - and a more rare pig!

We eventually all bundled into the van and headed back to Lilongwe - once again, a very rowdy crowd!  The drive was rather more exciting on the way home, because most of it was in daylight, and that meant that we encountered more people and animals on the road.  Thank you Gino for the very safe chauffeuring for such a long haul!

Got to watch the sun set over the lovely Malawian landscape.

Final flare of the sunset.

So that was the weekend!  And of course, I can't forget to thank all the friends and family who sent me facebook messages and emails to wish me a happy birthday!  I love you all!