On the Monday following my last post i attended my first ever HASH meeting where I met up with fellow HASHers to run/walk around Blantyre for about 45 minutes before having a few bottles at chai maky and my initiation into the 'Drinking club with a running problem' which involved a bottle of beer going over my head! Good way to get to know people and have a bit of exercise and fun though.
Tuesday we caught the 4pm coach (which arrived at 5:15) to Lilongwe where we were to conduct a strategy development workshop with the board and secretariat of the Grain Traders and Processors association. the workshop went very well and it gave me the chance to meet members of the team in lilongwe and see our house up there which has a really nice garden unlike our bare patch at the Big Brother House. Our ride to lilongwe seemed to be at break-neck speeds and i have seen better lights on many a pushbike than the ones we had on the coach. Occasionally we would pass through small settlements with their glowing lights from charcoal or oil lamps and even sometimes an electric bulb but for most of the time we moved through sheer darkness with only the lights of the stars and our pitiful headlamps to guide us.
On Friday morning i was up at 5:30 and heading down to Lilongwe bus station (picture above) the buses go when they are full so i had been informed that it was wise to leave early. Having stood for two hours my bus finally arrived and men started to syphon diesel from a 50 gallon drum into buckets and then from the buckets into the bus! eventually the doors were opened and their was a free for all scrum to get onboard. The driver indicated I should get onboard so I pushed and heaved my way through, paid my 1000 kwatcha and found a seat mid way up the bus by the window. At 9;45 we finally departed. The journey was horendous! the bus was absolutely packed with people, goods and livestock and it was a really hot day. we made numerous stops and on each occasion seemed to cram in more passengers. Thye journey to Monkey Bay took six hours and after four hours i was feeling quite ill from the smell of diesel and human sweat and the sheer lack of air and the heat. By the time I squeezed off the bus I had a pounding headache and was about to throw up. It was great to get some fresh air and at least my next mode of transport would offer plenty of that. I climbed aboard the Toyota pick-up along with my 17 fellow passengers(including a baby) sacks of potato, rice and corn, suitcases, a bucket of fish and two goats hog tied and strapped onto the tailgate. The journey took about 40 minutes along a dirt road but it was nice to have some air around me. At one hill there was too much weight for the vehicle to make it so we had to put stones under the rear wheels and get out and walk to the top before jumping back on(picture left).
Finally we arrived at chembwe village, Cape Maclear and I was dropped off at Gecko lounge where i booked into my dorm, had a nice shower and got changed before grabbing a carlsberg and taking a look around. I had a wander down the beach and looked at the local fishermen preparing their dugout canoes for the nights fishing. I was feeling hungry so went and sat in the open lounge area which struts out on stilts over the beach with fine views along the shore and out to sea. i had a meal of Ncheni, a lake Malawi fish, fried in breadcrumbs and served with chips. after my dinner I laid in a hammock under the full moon, looking up at the stars and listening to the sound of the water just 30 feet away. I had a relaxing snooze before retiring to my dorm and taking a top bunk. I was soon sound asleep.
I was awake early Saturday morning and by 6am walking out along the beach and seeing the villagers coming down to the shore to wash their pots and pans and their clothes, to bathe themselves and for the children to start fishing. the picture above shows a women from the village bringing the household dishes to be washed and alongside her one of the canoes now beached after a night on the lake fishing.
Saturday i spent the day walking around chembwe village, getting some clothes made from the local tailor, resting on the beach and swimming in the lake. evening time i met up with my companions from my dorm, a south african guy and four Canadians. gecko lounge got quite lively and we drank, ate and chatted into the small hours. My younger companions were still enjoying the evening when I headed to bed at aroun 1;30am as i had to be up at 5:30 to jump on the 6am Toyota back to Monkey Bay for my journey down to Liwonde national park.
i had really enjoyed my short stay at cape maclear but was also looking forward to the next part of my trip and the opportunity to see some of wilderness africa and the wildlife it has to offer.
The picture above is of children fishing in lake Malawi which provided local people with a rich source of protein. They fish with a line that has a single hook attached and a 4 inch nail as a weight. they bait the hook with nsima and just about everytime they cast their line they bring in a fish. their catch is mainly Uduka (not sure of spelling) which is a small goldfish size fish which they then dryin the sun and either consume themselves or sell.
Sunday morning I was up sharp and as I walked past the hammocks said goodbye to my Canadian friends who had decided to spend the night under the stars. My Toyota arrived just gone 6am and I climbed on board as we headed off bumping our way along the road out of chembwe village and towards Monkey Bay.
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