[Travel] Malawi

Greetings from Malawi – An exceedingly scenic country, the biggest drawcard being Lake Malawi ‘Lake of Stars’, stretching some 500km across the country’s eastern border. The lake is an impressive sight, an enormous expanse of freshwater with a backdrop of small villages, kasava and maize plantations, banana trees, and stunning mountains stretching off into the distance.

Tourism on lake is a growing industry and there is no shortage of resorts, lodges, backpacker camps ect to choose from along the many scenic stretches of lakeshore. One such place is Kande Beach, where I arrived after another day travelling by overcrowded public transport. The last hour of the busride included sitting next to a man nurturing a large and noisy box of baby chickens. We start talking; the man’s name is Keltone, and he works next door to Kande beach for a locally run charitable organisation. He wants to show me the facilities which include a school and a medical clinic under construction. I reluctantly agree and we catch a ride from the main road with the pastor who apparently runs the project. He tells me that much of the funding for the clinic construction has come from a church group in Melbourne. However, as things stand now it sounds as if money is in short supply for the local community projects. I can’t help but notice that the vehicle the pastor is driving is a very new and expensive looking Toyota Hilux 4X4.

So after a small tour of the not quite yet completed clinic and school I make my way across the beach to Kande Beach Lodge, an idealic haven for travellers situated right on the sandy shores of the lake. I spend two nights here soaking up the relaxed lakeside atmosphere; the swimming and snorkelling off the nearby Kande island is fantastic. Kande beach is also a popular stop-over for many of the overland tour trucks and so naturally the bar can become quite lively at nights (Think thirsty backpackers, cheap beer, cheesy music and dancing on top of the bar next to rather suggestive life-size African woodcarvings)..

And so it is with a slight hangover that I find myself once again hauling my backpack onto my shoulders and heading off to find a bus to take me to my next destination. After a sandy half hour walk back to the main road I sit and wait for the bus, accompanied by two of the local alcoholics who’d obviously already been into it even though it is only 10a.m. in the morning. The bus eventually turns up but is already way too full, and so I sit back down despondently, preparing to wait another hour or two for the next one. Fortunately I don’t have to wait too long as I manage to score a ride in the back of an old army truck surrounded by sacks of bananas and a few other stray passengers. For the next 5 hours I kick back and watch the countryside go by as we make our way south, stopping only to unload the bananas, pick up another cargo of dried fish and occasionally picking up or dropping off other passengers.

Finally arriving at a road junction in the middle of nowhere, I climb from the back of the track, shake off the dust and pick up my pack once again. I walk down the road and manage to squeeze into a very crowded minibus and travel the remaining 50km to Lilongwe. Despite, being the capital city, there is not a great deal to do or see in Lilongwe. After a day wandering around some of the local markets and hanging around at the hostel I now have to decide my next move. South to Mt Mulange or back towards the lake at Cape Maclear?