(Perhaps you will want to look at a good map of Malawi while reading this)
The trip started of with me hitching up north to a small city/big town called Mzuzu. This was my first time being north of Lilongwe, and I must say that the North is way different than the central region I am from. In brief, there are a lot more trees and a lot less people up there. Coincidence, I think not.
The next morning the five of us took a minibus up to a small trading center on the lake called Chiweta. I can best compare this area, the northern lakeshore, to the lakeshore of Lake Superior-except with much different flora, more heat, and warmer water. From Chiweta we took a matola (large flat bed truck used for transporting massive amounts of goods and people over rugged roads) to Mlowe. From there we started hiking south the rest of the afternoon. That night we found an idyllic beach to camp on just outside of a small fishing village.
The next day we were all feeling lazy and out of it, and we didn’t get very far. Nevertheless, we did move a little further south, and by evening we were having a difficult time finding a camp site. A little before dusk we spotted a small beach that was just big enough for the five of us… so we set up camp. While setting things up, some villagers came by to inform us that we had to move because this beautiful little beach is where the local women bathe every morning (oops!). Luckily, these guys helped us find another spot to spend the night further down the trail. They also informed us that a boat going south would be stopping in the nearby village the next morning.
With this good news (good because we were collectively disgruntled with the trail’s rough terrain (which begs the question: Was this trip worthy of the title “Man Camp”?) and it’s a heck of a lot easier to sit on a boat rather than climb mountains), we awoke early the next morning to catch the boat for an hour long ride south to Ruarwe, a larger fishing village. Here we spent three nights at a nearby lodge called Wherearewe? (lake-paradise.com), which was absoloutely beautiful. It feels silly to try and describe it in words. You all will just have to come and see it for yourself (I will be happy to serve as your tour guide). Anyways, here’s a list of some of the stuff we did there: two hour hike up a waterfall with tea at the top, jumping off 50 foot cliffs, snorkeling with the colorful fish of lake Malawi, eating great food such as banana fritters; ravioli; and good old rice with beans, attempting to paddle to local dug-out wooden boats, and chatting it up with the local village folk. All I can really say about this place is that it is one of the top five most beautiful places that I have ever been too. Get there fast while it is still cheap; the owner has plans of turning it into a five-star resort!
After three days of relaxation, we were running out of money and time so we decided that we better head back to Mzuzu. To do this, we first had a six hour hike with cool weather and gorgeous scenery until we reached a place called Usisa. We were told that a matola would be leaving at 6pm to take us over the mountains and back to Mzuzu. Not surprisingly, we didn’t actually leave until about eight, but looking back on the whole experience the tardy departure was the least of our struggles.
I will never forget this dark, crowded, uncomfortable, slow, muddy, wet, and frightening four hour matola ride. First of all, the road over the escarpment was barely passable-muddy, steep and rutted out, as the rainy season in this area was just coming to a close. On three separate occasions all of us passengers had to get out so that the driver could wiggle the truck up an especially difficult section of road. Once he made it through these obstacles, there was always a mad rush to get back into the truck bed as everyone yelled “Place!, place!, place!”. The last time we all mounted to truck, I wasn’t quick enough, and I ended up standing on the outside, barely hanging over the railing as we barreled our way through the hills in the middle of the night. To add insult to injury, it was raining during the last hour or two of the trip until we finally arrived in the quite city of Mzuzu. I certainly didn’t enjoy this last leg of our trip, but I must say that it was very interesting and crazy. It is something I am glad to have experienced, but not something I ever want to experience again.
The next morning, after taking care of some business in the city, I started hitching south to Lilongwe. My first ride broke down about an hour south of Mzuzu. Luckily, we stalled next to a small village where I was able to quickly catch another ride with some guys in a truck hauling lumber south all the way to LL. This wasn’t the best ride (we probably averaged about 40 mph with a heavy load through the hills, and we had to stop ever hour or so to find water for the engine with a leaky radiator). It took us about eight hours on a trip that ideally lasts four hours. However, it all ended well with our safe arrival in LL late yesterday evening.
I’m leaving out a lot of juicy details here, but I can’t spend all afternoon writing this. My vacation’s over, and I have to get back to saving the world. Peace out.
"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty." Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
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