And so it was that we stayed a night or two in our backpackers hostel in Blantyre. The hostel was situated right next door to the local bus depot and we were woken every morning to the newest releases of the latest "Malawian-kwaito"; songs being played on antiquated speakers so that you could hear more distortion than music. This normally started at around 6am every morning!
The plan was to get stocked up and then go off and climb Mt Mulanje (the highest peak in Malawi) as preparation for climbing Kilimanjaro or Mt Kenya. So off we went to the Shoprite in the local mall, which was, even by South African standards, a pretty big shop. As you can imagine from the name of the shop we were able to get all our normal South African products (which is virtually all that Malawian supermarkets stock because they dont produce much locally) and it was then that we realized how much we were missing being at home and having all our little luxuries. Although these brand names were significantly more expensive than back home, we decided to treat ourselves and did some serious stocking up.
In general Malawi is no longer as cheap as it was a few years ago. Even the poor villagers have cottoned on to the idea that the muzungus; (who are generally Europeans on overland trucks) will pay European prices for goods that fall within Western tastes. For instance, a firm favourite with the overland trucks is to buy a live pig, which they slaughter a day or so later and put on a spit-braai&;. Just picture this scene, these trucks rock up at these campsites with a pig on the truck, that the inexperienced travellers have befriended (and normally named), only to have it served on their plates the next night. Anyway, the locals have cottoned on to this and live pigs suddenly cost twice as much as they used to as a result. Every where you go you have to be more careful than in any other country that youre not being charged muzungo prices.
Just before we left Doogles we met up with Andy (aka Superstar DJ/ exposure boy / junior) a British guy who had come up from Mozambique. He was also keen to climb Mulanje so he joined us for the drive out through the tea plantations to the forest station.
The Mulanje trip was met with mixed feelings by Lou who had been terribly disillusioned about mountains in Malawi, thanks to the weather in Zomba. Hiking in thick mist-bordering-on-rain didn't seem exciting at the time, yet the landscape was breathtakingly gorgeous. Once we arrived, locals who wanted to guide us up the mountain, once again bombarded us. We were taught to be polite to people in general, but a kind "no" just didn't work here, so we had to get firm. The basic tactic would be to ignore them, walk straight to the office and take it from there OR hire the first respectable looking guy and use him to keep the rest off you.
One would think that when packing for a two/three night hike it wouldn't be easy to fill two hiking bags... but I'm proud to say: We did it!!
The cock woke us up, literally doing his thing next to our tent, before Brett could stick his head out to call us. We had bought Cedar walking sticks and off we went up Mulanje. The first day's climb was extremely long, exceptionally steep and really tough, at times climbing at a 70-degree angle.... But the view was something out of this world. Men carrying heavy wooden slabs passed us on our way up and we marvelled at their strength and control over the slippery patches. These men climbed up and down the mountain twice a day (and we barely made it up once!!) for an average pay of R30 a day. We climbed till we were well above the clouds and had the most spectacular view from up there.
Our hut, or cabin, was made from wood and had a welcome fireplace. At such a high altitude it was reasonably nippy, so we stopped caring about saving the rainforests for a while and made a real homely fire! We had a gorgeous view of the mountain peaks from our "stoep" and a crystal clear stream flowed down below. We sat on the porch, staring at the view, on total adrenalin high from the climb, each having some of our slabs of chocolate..."Dear Mom, I wish you were here..."
Next day we were up before the sun, preparing for the big one. We were going to summit Sapitwa, the highest peak in Malawi and had to get going really early. The climb would mean a 10-hour day. We hiked through a pine forest, over and under trees and finally found a gorgeous viewpoint where we had breakfast. From there we slipped and slided down the hill and on rocks, to meet a rainforest at the bottom of the hill. But when you go down, you have to go up again... It was sad to see how the path had been eroded by feet and rain and I wondered what Kili would look like, having way more visitors than here.
After three hours of hiking we started our final ascent to Sapitwa. The going was incredibly slippery along steep rock faces, relying on our shoes' non-slip ability to keep us from falling hundreds of meters straight down. More terrifying, if one can imagine that, was the thought that we had to get back down that same route! The wind was cold as we kept climbing, our breaths and hearts racing with exertion. We got to the top, only to realize that we still had another hour and a half to go before summitting Sapitwa. Hungry and tired, we pushed on. By now, the wind was howling its icy breath on us and to make matters worse Lou had fallen and hurt her knee which was slowing us down even further. It would be well after dark before we would get back to the hut at the rate we were going and Lou started getting worried about the group's safety, especially down the three hundred-metre rock face. After a serious group chat, we decided to turn back. We were all gutted, as we had built up expectations of summitting and we were only about 150m vertically away, but anyway...
The next day Brett and Andy went to summit the second highest peak, while Daz and Lou chilled and allowed the injured knee to recuperate. A few hikers have died on the Chambe peak summit because theyve fallen off the mountain to their death far below due to the slippery rocks (this was however when it was raining which, thankfully, it was not at this point in time)
As we were sitting on the porch, reading and admiring the perfect view ahead of us, with the peaks not even having a hint of cloud cover, a mother and daughter came to the river to fetch water. The little girl was only about 4 years old and was walking ahead of mom, waving her hands and playing along the road. She was carrying an empty 5-litre container and I wondered how such a small child would be able to carry a full container back to the village. I waved and she, looking shyly at mom to see whether it was OK, eventually waved back. I must have been one of the first "muzungu's" that she had ever seen. Once they had bathed and collected water, I was relieved to see that the mom carried the water back. But the little girl stuck in front of mom, playing with the grass and chatting away happily. It was then that I realized: "I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they posses inside. Give them a sense of pride, to make it easier.. Let the children's laughter show us how we used to be.."
Dinner was a fun event. We had soup as a starter, while Lou and Andy played countless games of Rummy. Brett and Daz were thoroughly engrossed in their books. Main course was pasta and sauce, cooked over our fireplace. We didn't stay up too late as we were leaving again at 6am to hike down, and were soon asleep on our mattresses in front of the fireplace.
Once we got back down the mountain and to the cars again, Daz and Lou found that someone had relieved them of some of their stickers on the back of their car, which they had bought all along the way. Incredible how something so petty can really get your back up.
Once we got back to Blantyre, topped up supplies and had a well-deserved shower, we had a braai with Andy. We managed to convince him to join us in our journey to Nkhata Bay. And so it happened that Andy become one of our semi-permanent travel partners.
So off we went, first to Senga Bay and stayed at a campsite called Steps. The view equalled the view we had from Bamboozi when we were in Mozambique: The beach was white and clean, with bright blue water forming small waves as it came in to land. We stayed 4 nights, sunbathing and relaxing. We also had the opportunity to watch Bafana Bafana play in the World Cup first round. Even though we lost, it was great to feel part of something that we could identify with, a little reminder of home. Brett and Andy managed to convince the barman to give us a happy hour for the whole day one day, so... need I say more?
On our way north to Nkhata Bay, we once again had to go back to Lilongwe, as a bridge had been washed away on the lakeshore road. It was in Lilongwe that Daz and Lou realized that their camera was no longer working and that they had actually lost 6 spools of film (all the photo from late Namibia 'till then). They were thoroughly pissed off, but luckily Brett had some back-up pictures and they had taken some video footage, so all wasn't lost.
Between Lilongwe and Nkhata Bay is an old farmhouse in the heart of a pine forest, called Kasito Inn. It had a huge lounge with many comfy chairs and a lovely fireplace. Once again the weather had turned overcast, so we decided to stop for the night (regardless of the fact that it was only 10am!!!) Our host and caretaker, Joseph, also responded to name of Jeeves, so we had a right royal time being served and waited on!!
Nkhata Bay is a tourist trap, built around the route of the Illala Ferry. It consists mainly of places to eat and sleep... and of course, a market. The accommodation is very scenic and affordable, but the harassment that muzungu's get when going into town is to be expected. When Malawians see muzungu's, dollar signs fill their eyes and they are not shy to ask. "I want to hide my white face, not be observed, not be approached.." At times this gets a bit much, when one is having an "off-day", but mostly it is cool as one gets to chat to the locals.
We pushed on to Kande Beach, while Brett stayed on in Nkhata. Situated on the beach and only accessible by driving through the local village, it epitomizes paradise. The lakeshore stretches as far as you could see and the beach is sparkling clean. One day the lake looks exactly like the sea and the next it is as still and smooth as one could expect a glass of water to be. Each day unique, each day brilliant. We met many interesting people at Kande and got a few addresses, which we will definitely use in our travels to Aus and the UK.
Incredible how people don't like admitting that they are South African and rather use a foreign passport if they are lucky enough to get one. South Africans have quite a bad rep within the travelling circles, being labelled as arrogant and obnoxious. We're trying to change this impression with the people that we meet... Andy (a biker we met at Kande) was another of those, who had grown up in SA as has spent the last 6 years in London, calling himself British (with a very South African accent). He was a cool guy who had travelled down from London through Africa to Malawi (and was going on to Cape Town) on motorbike. He had a huge beard, but after one deborturous night at the bar, he lost it!! Speaking of which, Im sure everyone will be pleased to know that Brett has decided to trim his beard. He was starting to look a little like Moses (not even Kingsley Holgate)
The first night we arrived at Kande we were met by 6 overland trucks and it was quite cool to see a few young faces again. We felt in need of a bit a party.
One of the trucks had purchased one of these legendary pigs and had slaughtered it that afternoon. Unfortunately the driver was obviously a bit inexperienced and the killing went a bit wrong. After about 15 minutes of what apparently resembled a stab-happy; mass murder party, the pig was dead with about 15 holes in it as a souvenir of the meeting. Regardless the whole truck ate the meat and they all loved it. They even forced one Jewish-American girl to have some, who is now apparently going to go to hell as a result.
At Kande we also met another Brit called Ian. He had just split from his travelling partner (politics!) and was feeling very down in the dumps. It seems like a fairly common occurrence here in Africa for travellers to have a tiff and split... Meanwhile back in Nkhata, Brett and Andy teamed up with the self same travel partner, John!!! Little did we know we would be in for a surprise when we had our reunion! And now for another episode of the Bold And The Beautiful! Ian wanted to travel north with us, as he didn't feel confident travelling alone. It turned out that John also wanted to travel along with Andy (who was travelling with us) and this was potentially a conflict situation.
Andy and Brett rocked up at Kande (without John, who stayed at Nkhata for another night) on our last day there. We ended up having one huge day-leading-into-evening in celebration of Andy's birthday. What a blast it was!
Brett stayed for two more days (Ian keeping him company) and we went off to Chitembi Beach with Andy (who picked up John and a few more backpackers along the way). Ian had gone off to Nkhata the previous day to chat to John, realizing that they would be in the same company ,and they sorted their stuff out. The drive out to Chitembi, near Livingstonia, was extremely gorgeous. We drove through mountain passes, giving us an incredible view over the lake.
Along the way, we passed the house of Mr. S S Ngoma, a local who is "pleasantly obsessed with his death". He has a red telephone, which he uses to speak to his dead friends, has already built his coffin and dug his grave, and now is eagerly awaiting his departure from this world. Problem is that he is 87 years old and just keeps on going... Must be frustrating for the poor oke.
What can I say about Chitembi..? Once again, the shores of Lake Malawi did not disappoint us and our surroundings were spectacular. If I describe the white beaches and blue waters one more time..., I'm sure I'll start getting hate mail from the suckers at work!! We had a wicked braai (paying R15 for two massive T-bones) with John and the 5 backpackers. They were all teaching in Uganda for 3 months as part of the British "Gap-year" after matric and were travelling a bit before "uni" started. We made salt-and-vinegar popcorn (thanks Ma) for starters, baked potatoes and veggies in the bread baker with the meat, and icing popcorn for desert. There is something really exciting about meeting new people and it revitalizes one's hunger for travelling and adventure again. We enjoyed their company and felt free and young. "Come on, World, show me what you got!!"
Regardless of being tired and toxic (thanks, Andy!) we ended up in the bar 'till well after 12pm. Up and at 'em at 5.30am for a guided walk to Livingstonia (groan!). Livingstonia is set on the top of a mountain and is only accessible by 4x4... or by foot. Initially the walk was OK, as we greeted kids going to school. Then came the scrambling up the hill bit and we had vision of Mulanje all over again. Eventually, after 3 hrs, we got to the waterfall (which indicated that Livingstonia was still 5km away by steep dirt road). On the way we were met by a large group of kids, who were at school nearby. The eldest of these was about 6 or 7 and we greeted, laughed and shook hands for 10 minutes. Andy even did a bit of a jig with them when they started clapping a beat. There was something so carefree and contagious about these childrens' laughs, which I have not yet found in a white child. Andy made a sad point when he noted that half the children on our photo's would, in a year from now, probably have died from AIDS. We didn't really want to think about that...
Livingstonia, she was not beeg..., but we'll tick it off our to-dos. We were lucky to hitch a ride back down the mountain and crashed after a shower. After 2hrs of kipping, we were up for dinner and then, oh my word..!
A quite beer turned into a few and well, it ended in a competition to see who could collect the most tent pegs from the unsuspecting campers, asleep in their tents, at 2am. Lou won hands down while Andy and Darren and Steve (an Irishmen) were tackling and pinning each other down to ensure the other wouldnt win.
Brett and Ian arrived, just in time for a game of volleyball. That night we, once again, convinced Andy that he couldn't leave us and he (and John) agreed to accompany us to Tanzania and Uganda. We soon realized that the Ian-John duo would not work, so between the three of us, we agreed that one had to go...
A blood red moon came up behind a smooth black lake, with white beach sand in the foreground, lit up by paraffin lamps. Behind us, a dark mountain licked at the stars, as we sat staring into our campfire, each lost in his own thoughts.. A surge of contentment flooded over us as we analysed our position in the universe,.. and found that it was good.
Let's just say that Ian departed from us the following morning, leaving us feeling really bad. Things with Johnny worked out really cool though, and we've had some great times since.
Our last night at Chitembi was a real belter! We met up with some Aussies travelling through on an overland truck and... well, we'll meet up with them in January again! Brett also decided to shave the rest of his beard off but thought leaving a moustache behind would be cool. That night he wore his Hawaii ;shirt (even worse than Stuarts) and sported his new moustache claiming to be the next Tom Selleck. We however thought he looked like a real porn star and even named him Larry Lounge Lizard. Needless to say he never scored!
But still we were up at 6am. We packed, said our goodbyes and made our way to Tanzania. This time with Johnny in the back of the car.
Along the road to the border, we saw this gorgeous tree-butchery and we promptly turned around to get a photo. In Africa the "duka ya nyama" or butchery, is basically a tree with a large chunk of meat hanging from a branch. During the later hours of the day, the masses of flies are also present, so you really need to do your shopping early. But this butchery was unlike any of the other ones we had seen before. As we drove up, the sight of a freshly slaughtered carcass met us, its bright red contrasted by the evergreen leaves of the tree. Still draining blood, the carcass appeared pink as the sun illuminated it from behind. It was so fresh that the de-skinned head was still present, complete with tongue hanging out from the side of the mouth. After chatting to the locals, there was no stopping Darren and he promptly purchased a 2kg chunk of boneless rump steak for R40! This is something we said we had to do before we finished our trip. Now all we need to do is slaughter something ourselves!
We felt really sad to leave Malawi. We have had such an awesome time and didn't want it to end. Malawi is such a beautiful country, with beautiful people and so much potential.
Daily GPS co-ordinates:
S 15 56 096 E 35 34 933 Mulanje base
S 15 54 496 E 35 32 607 Mulanje Chambe hut
S 13 42 977 E 34 37 719 Senga Bay
S 13 01 984 E 33 28 855 Kasungu
S 11 52 598 E 33 47 600 Kasito
S 11 57 082 E 34 07 338 Kande Beach
S 10 35 133 E 34 10 518 Chitembe Beach
Average cost of camping: R20 pppn
Average cost of fuel: R6.90 / litre