Africa is simply astounding…and I’m saying that after having experienced just a minuscule fraction of what she has to offer. Already I’m planning to come back here and spend a good 6 months exploring! The first thing that struck me as I landed in Lilongwe was how beautiful Malawi is…and that was just from the view of the airport! Beautiful lush palms – and gorgeous Jacaranda trees that have the most gorgeous purple blossom – greeted with a sight like that, of course I fell in love at first sight. It was such a joy to see Tanya at the airport – and to finally be here with her, ready to experience the country she has made her home for the past five years.

The first part of my adventure was to take place in the southern end of Malawi – we were to spend one night in Lilongwe with Tanya’s good friends Mick & Tracey at their wonderful Kambuku lodge, before heading to the Lake Of Stars festival that takes place on the sandy shores of Lake Malawi. It was hot & dusty in Lilongwe, the soil, a rich deep copper, contrasts the green vegetation, creating dramatic landscapes. It was here in Lilongwe that I had my first market experience…and what an experience it was! We were literally swamped by people trying to sell us their produce – even Tanya struggled to keep the market sellers at bay – hectic was definitely one way of describing the experience – and I’m sure that was just the first of many of those kinds of experiences! Of course, moments like those reminded me of how poor these people are – poverty is not something you can ignore here. It reminds me to be so thankful for the life I have – and to remember to take nothing for granted. Having said that, the one thing I have been deeply touched by is how friendly the local Malawians are – they really are such beautiful people with big hearts.

After a good night’s sleep we set off to Lake Of Stars. Huge thanks to Tanya for driving 4 hours to get us there! Driving through the country again demonstrates the poverty of some of the locals – make-shift villages are scattered by the dusty roadside, formed out of little mud huts with grass roofs – or corrugated steel for those with more to spend. Locals were sitting at rudimentary market stalls selling huge bags of mangos for 150 Kuacha (less than £1). We also passed stalls where artists sold beautiful wooden carvings – from almost life-sized figures to intricate masks & wooden jewellery. These pieces really are gorgeous – I definitely want to bring a few samples back to London with me!

As we arrived at the festival site the first thing I noticed was how huge the lake is. It’s known as the calendar lake as it is 365km long by 52km wide – of course, the number of days and weeks of the year! This is a truly idyllic location for a festival – and I’m told that where we were (at the southern end of the lake) isn’t a patch on the northern end (ooh can’t wait to see it!). Ah but to have sun, sand and a fresh-water ocean-like lake to swim in…not only did we have the lake but there was also a pool for us to lounge around – and BBQs serving up massive chunks of meat…yum. Now that is how festivals should be done!

The festival itself was quite small – there was a main stage, the Star Bar which hosted DJs when the main stage was shut…and a third, smaller stage for both live acts and DJs. It was absolutely wonderful – the small size of the festival meant that socializing was super easy – I met a host of amazingly inspiring people and by the end of the festival we had a wonderfully big group of friends, laughing & dancing in the sand together. It was great to meet some of Tanya’s friends at last & finally get to know the people I have been hearing about for so long. We saw 2 breathtaking sun rises, coming up behind the mountains of neighbouring Mozambique, to shine down upon the lake, glittering with pink, orange and golden beams. There definitely has to be something said for dancing all night on the beach, covered in dust, waiting for the sun to come up. Magical.

I even had a chance to DJ at the festival on the Friday night which was way too much fun – and such a treat! Definitely one of the highlights of the festival for me was a band from Southern Africa called Freshly Ground…they made me cry…not once, but twice - yes twice!! I was literally almost sobbing by the end of their set – their music was out of this world – the lead singer, a beautiful woman from Zimbabwe was a true poet who told the most heavenly stories - and the musicianship – my goodness – absolutely exquisite. These people had their instruments truly making love. The music they created was absolutely divine. I can’t remember the last time I felt so inspired.

Another highlight was having the honour of dancing with a local Malawian. These guys are crazy good dancers!! Tan & I saw this guy cutting some seriously good grooves at the main stage, so we headed over to him & started dancing alongside him. He & I ended up having a massive dance-off – it was so invigorating! The energy exchange between us as we danced sent shivers down my spine – coming from a dancing background it really was such an awesome experience - these people dance with such expression – and so naturally – it felt so good to move from the soul and briefly connect in that way with someone from this country.

Despite the fact that locals and foreigners were all dancing together, I couldn’t help but feel that we were not all totally united. True, I had some wonderful encounters with locals, from dancing to chatting with them, but there were moments when I was really struck by the poverty that some locals suffer. Walking from the festival to the camp site there were groups of locals begging – most of them children. It is heart breaking to be face to face with a child who has to struggle for life. I must admit, a large part of me wants to do something to help the local people of Malawi – especially the children. I have been born into a privileged life and I have found myself asking the question “should I not use that gift to help those that do not have as much as me?” One of Tanya’s friends that I chatted to at the festival – a local Malawian businessman – is planning on setting up a school to teach Malawian children classical music. If his plan comes to fruition I’d so love to volunteer and really use my skills for something positive.

After the festival we headed up to the north to Tanya’s plantation. The anticipation of finally seeing and experiencing all that Tanya has been doing these past few years filled my heart…I couldn’t wait! As we headed northwards the landscape began changing – the dryer, dusty plains slowly began to transform into rolling, tree-filled hills and mountains. We eventually turned off the main road onto the dirt track that leads to the plantation. Dusk was falling and we could just about make out the eucalyptus trees of the plantation as we began to enter into Tanya’s land. It is absolutely stunning up here – mountainous and vast – with the most breathtaking valleys. The scenery really reminds me of my parent’s place in Italy, although I must admit, the African wilderness is much more dramatic. It’s so green and lush up here - and the rains have come early this year, so everything has started to blossom & bloom. And the smell - it is divine! So fresh with hints of pine. For the first time in my life I’m actually happy to see rain (although the storms do mean it is a little cold – quite the opposite of the weather we were experiencing down south at the festival where temperatures were scorching). Tanya is absolutely thrilled that the rains have already arrived and I’m happy that Malawi has rain. Last year’s rains were apparently very low and crops suffered as a result. We so take the rain for granted back home. I will definitely now think twice now before I start cursing the rains back home.

Life up here on the plantation is absolutely beautiful. Tanya & Francois’ home is stunning – built entirely out of timber it has a warm, welcoming charm and is full of wonderful positive vibes. In addition to her 1.2 million eucalyptus trees in the ground, she also has a further 600,000 trees in the nursery…plus ducks, chickens, rabbits, sheep, vegetable plots both for the staff and for personal use, 3 gorgeous cats, Talula, Bugsy and Inque…and 2 bouncy, bubbly puppies Sam & Africa. Imagine Little Life On The Prairie and you won’t be far off! It has been such a pleasure relaxing with Tanya and Francois in their home and of course having the grand tour of the plantation and finally developing a deeper understanding of Tanya’s life out here. So much of Tanya’s way of living reminds me of my parent’s life in Italy – in so many ways I feel like I’m at a home away from home here.

It was Tanya’s birthday on Thursday…a cake was baked, champagne was popped, Francois cooked up an amazing meal and of course Miss Tanya was spoiled rotten. We enjoyed a wonderful relaxing day together that culminated with the 3 of us passed out on the sofa together, full of cake, champagne and bubbles. I’m so happy I have finally been able to celebrate her birthday with her here at her home. It really has been so amazing to spend time with both her and Francois. Tomorrow the 3^rd chapter of the adventure begins…a trip to Chisala to see the primary school Tanya built (which was the project that initially brought her out to Malawi), then on to Nkhata Bay for a spot of partying, then Chintcheche to see Tanya’s plots of land by the lake & on to Kande beach for some horse riding. Wonderful.