malawi: journal

sangilo - 28th december

malawi is a small country dominated by a huge lake. the lake slices down the east side of the country, almost from top to toe. the eastern shores belong to tanzania and mozambique and the western shore is skirted by a dramatic rift valley escarpment. the lake is so large that it appears more like an inland sea. an impression that's reinforced by its clear water and sandy beaches which being fringed by palm trees and smooth boulders are more reminiscent of those on the thai islands. so, after our long drives and relentless tourism, we planned to spend some time doing very little.

the idea was to lodge-hop the well worn route down the shore of the lake. however when we arrived at sangilo sanctuary, with its private beach, cosy bar and friendly owners, we lost all inclination to move on. in the end we stayed a week over new year, reading, swimming and watching the evening storms throw bolts of lightning across the lake. oh, and we had a couple of drinks too.

 
koh phi phi? no, lake malawi

nkhata bay to kande beach to senga bay - 4th january

when we finally dragged ourselves away from the sanctuary, we moved slowly down the shore, driving only small distances and stopping off at all the better lodges and beaches along the way, though sometimes only for a cold beer.

 
the "soggy kwacha" bar, lake malawi

cape maclear - 8th january

monkey bay and the adjoining cape maclear are the most southerly and most established resorts on the lake. we drove there feeling relaxed but also lazy, lethargic and a little dispirited. it was the rainy season and low grey clouds covered us for an increasing portion of each day we'd spent in malawi. the country offers plenty to do and see and we'd made little effort at any of it. after over seven months on the road we were certainly suffering a little tourism fatigue, but maybe something more. since leaving home, it had always felt like the trip was building momentum; everything becoming bigger, more dramatic, more colourful and more vibrant the further we went. we rushed from one once-in-a-lifetime experience to the next, with barely a chance to look at the photos between. now suddenly it seemed that the climax was past, somewhere in the sweltering plains of northern tanzania. but then again maybe it was just january. we were enthusiastic still. at cape maclear we would scuba dive with colourful fish, kayak, horseride, visit the islands and get back to the serious business of world-class sightseeing. the sun shone when we arrived and the beach looked good.

 
paddling home at sunset, cape maclear

the campsite was directly behind the beach with a few trees for shade. we parked the land rover and headed straight for the shore, where the turquoise waters of the lake lapped the sand and promised some respite from the sudden burst of heat. we didn't make it to the water though. intercepted by touts we were subjected to the series of saccharine greetings and enquiries - delivered too politely to be interrupted without guilt inducing rudeness - that are the instantly recognisable and virtually uniform patter of hawkers from egypt to, well, malawi it seems.

the next day the weather deteriorated along with the politeness of the touts. "oi, englishman," was the new form of approach favoured by stoned looking teenagers, whom we would have to pay if we wished to rent kayaks. the watersports suddenly lost their appeal. we wanted out of cape maclear. in fact, we wanted out of malawi and the english weather that we'd gone to such lengths to escape.

we knew we hadn't done the country justice and that we were letting rare and isolated incidents taint what had in reality been the idyllic and relaxing break that we'd hoped for. but none the less we packed up and headed for blantyre, the unofficial capital from where we planned to head directly into mozambique. or so we thought. malawi still held a few surprises for us yet.

 
push and pull, cape maclear

it was still raining the following morning when we set off through the muddy village and onto the heavily eroded dirt track that spans the 20kms to the main road. rivulets and streams had cut channels and trenches through the soft road surface. some of them were deep, one deep enough to swallow the front wheels of the land rover after the rain soaked mud thwarted our attempt to stop. the land rover sat resting on the front steering guard, but amazingly popped itself out when the low range and diff lock was engaged. then, of course, the rear wheels were in the now slightly enlarged trench, the chassis resting level with the road and various bits of the suspension and transmission burried in the mud.

i was still contemplating winching angles and digging furiously with the appropriately named trenching tool when a pick-up full of rain soaked malawians pulled over to offer their muscle to push. it was an impressive gesture on a muddy road in a downpour. gladly though, we were able to let them get on their way and spare them further unnecessary soaking. two south african vehicles had just pulled up; one of them a jeep. the jeep driver told us he'd been stuck in the same gulley two days before. having cleared the mud that was snaring the underside, the v8 wouldn't have much trouble pulling us out - though the enthusiastic south africans we're keen to push anyway, just for good measure.

the land rover seemed to have survived its indignity without any mechanical damage. and though wet and muddied we too were happier. the enthusiastic offers of help from locals and tourists alike gave us a cheer that replaced the unjust animosity we'd been feeling towards the touts - who we know are really only trying to make a living in the face of the very limited opportunities that a poor malawian village can offer. we almost turned around to give it another try. almost.

 
curious buffalo don't mind the rain, lengwe np

things got worse again, before they got better. the mozambican consulate wanted four working days to process our visa request. we had to stay 'till friday. four days hanging about in the reasonably pleasant but dull city under persistently grey skies. we took the opportunity to make some repairs to the land rover, update the website, visit the dentist. we were surprisingly busy.

when friday came we were ready to go. the visas are only available for collection for 1 hour in the afternoon, so we had to wait some more. unfortunately though, we got that hour wrong; missing the collection time by five minutes. the weekend and a bank holiday meant that we couldn't try again until tuesday afternoon. we couldn't leave until wednesday.

we couldn't stay in blantyre - too depressing. we wouldn't climb any of the nearby mountains - too wet. we decided to head south, down from the cool highlands and hopefully into the tropical heat of the shire river valley. we would spend the weekend relaxing in a lodge in one of the areas small game reserves.

lengwe national park is home to several species of antelope, a good number of buffalo and one quiet little lodge. we got the sunshine we wanted and the heat was oppresive, though we didn't complain. we relaxed, read, and went on game drives. and when the long weekend was over and we drove back to blantyre we were glad that circumstances had forced our little excursion. malawi had given us a sunny ending to remember it by.

malawi: accomodation

malawi: other info

entry checks: no visa required. carnet is recognised, ACT insurance is mandatory - you will need this as there are plenty of road checks.

costs: malawi is very cheap. camping costs about $2 a person and meals are affordable. diesel worked out at 47 pence a litre. there isn't too much choice on the beer front - carlsberg brown, carlsberg green and carlsberg special brew or the weaker kuche kuche; all cost c.40 pence. the national park we visited only charged a few dollars entry. accommodation and food costs significantly more in blantyre.

money: most large towns have cashpoints which accept visa; however, the large towns are few and far between.

must sees: lake malawi - particularly the beaches in the north; sunsets over the lake at cape mclear; get a taste of luxury at the lakeside lodges; enjoy the hassle-free, relaxed atmosphere of the country (with the exception of cape mclear); visit the national parks at a fraction of east africa prices. shop for curios.