THE intrepid five were myself and Rachel, Andy & his girlfriend Chi, and Mel.

Andy is a long-time friend of mine from university, and Mel is a similarly long-time friend of Rachel's.

Up until the holiday, never the twain did meet. You may think that strangers brought together in a foreign land is a foolish concoction!? Well, if you're such a cynical smart-alec, all I have to say to you is; "Yah boo sucks - everyone enjoyed their stay! If they don't want to photo-swap in London, that's their business!"

And that's all I'm going to say.

Five go everywhere: The Plot

We made a plan - as all intrepid types are wont to do - and it went like this:

• WEEK 1 - couple of days in Blantyre to acclimatise; visit to Zomba and the luxury of the Kuchawe Inn
• WEEK 2 - hire car, visit Liwonde National Park; travel to Monkey Bay and board Ilala (to top of lake)
• WEEK 3 - back down on Ilala; spend the last few days at Monkey Bay; buy last-minute curios, and go