Malawi: Chikwawa

We left Cape McClear at 9 am in order to head back down to Brittni’s village. Brittni said it would take all day to get there, so we tried to leave early. Our first leg of the journey involved riding in the back of a pick-up truck (Motola, as the Malawians call them). The bed of the truck was already completely full of people and luggage, but this was our only option for transportation. Brittni climbed in the middle of a bunch of people and had to sit cross-legged in a tiny space. I sat on the edge of the pick-up bed with my legs hanging over the side, gripping on for dear life on a bungee cord that was attached to the truck. On my left was a giant, stinky, dead catfish. The fish was rubbing against my leg for the whole 45 minute journey on the motola. Gross. By the time we reached the main road, I was so covered with dust you could barely tell what color my shirt was supposed to be (or my hair, for that matter). After disembarking from the motola, we waited on the side of the road for a hitch for about an hour, with no luck. Eventually we hopped on ANOTHER motola. This one was less crowded but it took us almost 3 hours to reach Mangochi, the next town where we could hitch from. By the time we reached Mangochi it was 1:00 and Brittni was freaking out that we wouldn’t make it down to her village in time. We had to be there before 5:00 in order to catch a bike taxi. The bike taxis no longer run once it gets dark. At this point, we were still a good 4-5 hours away from Brittni’s village. And we still had to stop in Liwonde and pick up a bunch of stuff we left at Tim’s house.

By some stroke of luck, we were able to get a hitch in Mangochi which brought us to Liwonde, and then got another hitch to Blantyre. Brittni figured out that a friend of hers was in Blantyre and was leaving to go down to Chikwawa that night. We absolutely had to be in Blantyre by 5:00. We ended up getting there about 5:30, but luckily her friend, Simon, was still waiting for us. He wasn’t able to drive us to Brittni’s village, but he brought us to a wildlife reserve down in her district, Majete. Simon works as a guide in Majete, so we were able to stay for free at the lodge where he stays. Since the lodge was still under construction, we got to stay there for free in a 5-star room. The lodge was the most amazing place I’ve ever seen. They served us a 3 course meal when we got there, and then we retired to our room to take a shower in the outdoor rain shower. In the morning, we were awoken in our king-size bed to the grunts of hippos in the river just outside the lodge. We were truly lucky to have been able to stay in such an amazing lodge.

Robin Pope Lodge - Majete Wildlife Reserve

The next morning, we got a ride into Nchalo, which is the trading center closest to Brittni’s village. From there, we took a mini-bus to the turn-off where Brittni lives. Her village is about 10 kilometers from this turn-off. And the only way to get there is by bike taxi. Reluctantly, I climbed on the back of a bike taxi (sans helmet). Brittni got on another bike and our luggage got its own taxi. I suffered in extreme pain for 45 minutes as I felt every rock and bump in the road all the way up through my spine. By the time we got to Brittni’s house, my butt and legs were so fast asleep that I could barely walk.

Bike taxi

Finally I got to see Brittni’s house. She lives in a two-bedroom house, which is fairly nice by Malawian standards. The floor and walls are cement and cracked. There are exposed beams in the ceiling with lots of termite damage. The rooms are very small but Brittni has done a lot to make the place seem homey. She hung up a few maps and some photos from home. In the second bedroom, she had a bed built for me to sleep on. Brittni’s house has no electricity or plumbing. To get water, we had to bring buckets to a well that’s about 500 yards away and carry them back on our heads. Quite a workout! The hardest part was not spilling the entire bucket on yourself by the time you got back to the house. Which I did. Numerous times. Our lives revolved around getting water. To cook, we needed buckets to wash the dishes. To drink, we needed buckets to fill the water filter. To take a shower (bafa), we needed buckets that we could heat up and pour over ourselves. To do laundry, we needed buckets to wash clothes in. I found this part of daily life in the village to be extremely difficult. The lack of electricity I didn’t mind so much. Reading by head lamp was fun and felt like camping. But the lack of plumbing was almost intolerable. Instead of a toilet, Brittni has a “chimbuzi”, which is essentially an outdoor brick structure with a hole in the ground. This style of living really makes one appreciate the conveniences we have in the United States.

Brittni's house - guest bedroom

Brittni's house - backyard

I stayed in Brittni’s district for about a week. Here are some of the fun things we did in Chikwawa:

Gule wamkulu:

This was a traditional dance presentation that we attended in Jackie’s village. The people in the village dressed up like spirits and performed dances for us. It’s customary to give money to the dancers in order to honor the spirit.

Croc farm:

Brittni’s friend, Murray, works at a crocodile farm in N’gabu. They raise the crocs for their hides. We went to the farm one night and saw every size crocodile, from tiny babies to giant adults.

Nyala lodge:

Brittni knows the manager of Nyala Lodge in Lengwe National Park. Lengwe is about 2 kilometers from Brittni’s house. We stayed at the lodge for one night and saw warthogs and impala, ate amazing food, and drank some greens. We stayed in a cabana in the woods with no sheets on the beds.

After about a week, I left to go to Victoria Falls with Jackie and Christine, while Brittni stayed back in Chikwawa (as per Peace Corps orders). Next post will be on the amazing Victoria Falls and the hellish journey there and back.

Malawi: Cape McClear

Cape McClear is a resort town located on the shore of the stunning giant Lake Malawi. It's not a typical resort town, however, in that it's still a village where local people live normal lives, intermingling with tourists who are there to enjoy the lake and lodges. We stayed at a lodge called Mufasa, and while lying on the beach many local children approached us and started talking to us. In fact, we were quite the attraction for them. On many occasions, Malawian children sat on the beach in large groups watching our every move (as was common all over Malawi). I went to the lake shore with my friend Brittni and a big group of Peace Corps volunteers for the 4th of July weekend. In order to get there, we had to hitch. Hitching is generally the fastest and safest way to get around in Malawi. Taking overcrowded minibuses and motolas (essentially the bed of a pick-up) can be slow, dangerous (they frequently get in accidents), and uncomfortable (I once had to sit with two chickens under my feet for two hours. I thought they were going to peck me to death).

We started out in Liwonde in the morning. Our first hitch was a Malawian guy driving solo. He brought us from Liwonde to Mangochi. A little outside Mangochi, we were able to get a hitch from a Muslim man. The lake shore has a very large Muslim population. This man stopped alongside the road and bought us coconuts! We drank the milk and scooped out the flesh inside. Afterwards, he wanted to show us his house on the lake. He owns a huge mansion complete with guest houses and manicured beach. We were eager to get to the lake, however, so soon we were back on our way. The next hitch that picked us up was a couple from South Africa. They were Afrikaaners (as opposed to white South Africans of British decent. Click here to learn more about Afrikaaners). They were on vacation in Malawi and out for a drive (during a fuel crisis, yes, but we didn’t point this out since they were giving us a ride). Since the couple had no plans for the day, they offered to drive us all the way to the lake. An incredibly interesting conversation ensued about race relations in South Africa. That’s one of the reasons I liked hitching so much in Malawi. You meet such interesting people and have enlightening conversations.

Hitching a ride

Stopping for coconuts

Lake shore compound/mansion

After driving for an hour on the bumpiest dirt road I think I’ve ever seen, we stopped to get drinks out of the Afrikaaners’ cooler. They gave us a bottle of South African wine to share. Once back on our journey, we passed the bottle around in the back seat, careful not to take a swig while going over the giant bumps (don’t worry Mom, drinking in a vehicle is legal in Malawi). Eventually, we arrived at the lake shore. Cape McClear (and Lake Malawi) is one of the most beautiful and serene places I've ever been. The Afrikaaners decided they’d like to go on a boat ride, so they paid for us to be taken out to one of the islands in Lake Malawi and go snorkeling. We sat in a pub and drank Greens (Carlsbergs) for awhile, and then headed out on the boat. Lake Malawi is probably the clearest lake I’ve ever seen. The water is turquoise green just like the ocean. Beneath the surface you can see schools of fish swimming along. We reached the Thumbi West Island and suited up for our snorkel trip. After snorkeling and seeing tons of little cichlids, we got back on the boat and went around the other side of the island. The boat conductor began whistling for the fish eagles, Jerry and Obama, to come catch some fish. He would throw a fish into the lake and one of the eagles would swoop in and catch it in his talons. We fed the fish eagles for awhile before heading back to shore. The rest of the 4^th of July weekend was spent lying on a dock in Lake Malawi with other Peace Corps volunteers and having a braai (South African BBQ) on the night of the 4^th. On the 5^th we packed up and prepared to head down south to Brittni’s village.

Boat trip

Snorkeling on Thumbi West Island

One of the fish eagles (either Jerry or Obama)

Stunning Cape McClear

Malawi: Liwonde

Our second stop in Malawi was Liwonde. Located on the Shire River, Liwonde has great mountain and river views and lots of hippos. I spent a few days here before heading to the lake shore, and then again at the end of my trip as a place to unwind before going home. A former Peace Corps volunteer named Tim lives in Liwonde and was kind enough to let us stay at his house. When we first arrived, he lived in a house with a Peace Corps volunteer, but then decided to move to a bigger house right on the river. I had the pleasure of being able to stay at both houses. Liwonde was extremely relaxing and beautiful. I loved sitting by the river and listening to the hippos grunt! Before heading to the lake for 4th of July there was a big blow out at Tim's house with some other Peace Corps volunteers. We also hit up the market in Liwonde and scored some good deals.

Shire River

Shire River

Tim's first house

Tim's second house

Gnarled tree in Tim's backyard

Brittni and me drinking a Green (that's what Malawians call the widely available Carlsberg Beer)

Brittni playing with neighborhood kids

Brittni playing with neighborhood kids