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MALAWI
Day 260 27.09.05
Lundazi to Mzuzu
Camp Mzoozoozoo
In the morning the motel staff put a bucket of hot water in the bathroom which the four of us could share for a wash!
Jacque and Elizabet are heading in a different direction to us so we are continuing to Malawi on our own. We hope to meet up with them later in the trip.
We crossed the border near Lundazi.
This was one of the friendliest border crossings we have experienced. It is very quiet and everyone was very relaxed.
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As there are no signposts we headed east for about 50k until eventually we met the main tarmac road. The mountainous scenery is beautiful. It is quite a contrast with Zambia. There are lots of trees with beautiful colours as well as lots of pines for the wood industry. It's also a lot cooler although still hot.
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Malawi
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Stayed Camping Mzoozooozoo
We needed to stock up on gas and supplies and get a slow puncture repaired so we took time to get these done and met Johnston and Amos 2 locals who took me to find eggs in the market and agreed with the stallholder a vastly inflated price and presumably went back later for their commission. But hey everyone got lucky -we got our eggs not so expensive, the egg guy got his money and Johnston and Amos got their share and they were a couple of skinny guys!
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Mzuzu to Nyika
Stayed camping Chilinda
S10 35.097
E34 01.697
2 Dutch couples also staying at Mzoozoozoo were heading to Nyika.
Michael and Karen in Nissan petrol V6 wanted some company on the road as the books described it as hard going. Diderik and Femke didn't have a vehicle so we managed to do some rearranging and squash them in the back of the landy.
Nyika plateau was a big surprise although we had all read the guidebooks.
Outside the park there were villages along the road and the usual slightly burnt looking landscape as the road climbed steadily.
Through the park gate the hillsides were covered with trees in beautiful reds, gold and green. The trees gave way to rolling hilltops with grass and wild flowers.
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Could this be Africa? It was more like Scotland or the Yorkshire moors!
Even the temperature was more like Scotland. We needed all the warm clothes we had as the campsite was in quite an exposed spot.
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Campfire in the mist
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Nyika campsite
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Luckily there was Thompson the campsite attendant,( a young man dressed in shirt, tie and waistcoat) who lit campfires for us and kept the hot water boiler well stocked. (Some of the best showers so far!) Day 263 30.09.05
Stayed Nyika
Most campsites have something that wants your food whether it is monkeys, baboons, hyenas, jackals ground squirrels etc. Here there didn't appear to be anything and there was a large clear area around the campsite. I had asked Thompson were there any animals that steal food and he had said no.
When the raven swooped down and swiped some bread I realised I had asked the wrong question. When I mentioned it to Thompson he said yes the ravens steal the campers food. I hadn't asked about birds!
Diderik and Femke set off early on a three day trek down to Lake Malawi. The weather continued to be Scottish. The clouds were low and the mist swirled.
In the afternoon it cleared in time for us to enjoy a horse ride across the moorlands. The wild animals are not so wary of the horses although there are not huge numbers of game here. However we were able to see Eland, which are huge antelopes as big as the horses. The flowers were beautiful and it was great to be able to do something in the afternoon without the usual afternoon heat. Day 264 01.10.05
Nyika to Livingstonia
Stayed Lukwe Eco camp
S 10 35.133
E 034 07.675
No pics
We said goodbye to Michael and Karen who are heading to Tanzania.
There is a through road on the map from Nyika to Livingstonia but the guide book had already warned us that the road does not exist and this was confirmed at the camp. So we had to retrace our road out of Nyika and back to the tar road.
After some to-ing and fro-ing we managed to find the turn off to go through the Henga valley. The track wound up and down through the hills. As there were some quite big tyre tracks we assumed that bigger vehicles than us were using the road and so if the bridges could hold them they could hold us!
As the sun was setting we found Luckwe camp.
The stunning setting is the edge of the Rift Valley. We were now midway between Nyika and Lake Malawi.
The camp was set up as a permaculture camp some years ago by an English man and was taken over separately from the permaculture venture by an American couple a year ago.
In the absence of the owners the staff were very welcoming, especially Robert, the manager. The toilet is set up on the hillside so you can sit looking out over the top of the door onto the trees and the valley beyond. We are glad there are not many people here! Day 265 02.10.05
Stayed Luckwe
It is the cook's day off so Robert is cooking today.
Why eat muesli when you can have mandasi, which are amazing pancakes with banana incorporated into the batter.
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Gotwin took us to see the nearby Manchwe falls, 2 spectacular waterfalls which fall 100s of metres into the valley. Venturing into a cave behind the falls was like being in a huge rainstorm.
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Behind the falls
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In the village they tried to explain the rules of bowa. This game has different names all over Africa but they play a more complicated version here, which we have been trying to get the hang of.
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Bawo
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Back at Luckwe Femke and Diderik arrived triumphant, if exhausted, having spent 3 days walking from Nyika. Just one more stage for them to complete down to the lake.
Finished the day with a wonderful veg curry. There is no point in us cooking here, as the food is so good with fresh ingredients at a very reasonable price. Day 266 03.10.05
Luckwe to Chitimba
Stayed Chitimba Beach Camp
S 10 35.121
E 034 10.541
We had come to Lukwe hoping to visit the museum at Livingstonia, which is on the next hill.
Also we had wanted to drive down the Gorode road to Lake Malawi. This road has a fearsome reputation with 20 hairpin bends in quick succession but reputedly unrivalled views of Lake Malawi.
However the museum is closed as the president of Malawi is visiting later in October so the long overdue refurbishment is taking place.
Also the road is closed for repairs! Such is life.
Livingstonia is a settlement on a small plateau. Robert Law a Scottish missionary founded it in the early 1900s.
Livingstone had written such graphic accounts of the awfulness of the slave trade here that some Scottish missionaries were inspired to come out and they were hugely influential in ending the trade.
Robert Laws was obviously a man with a lot of energy as he went on to establish a mission at Livingstonia, which is still flourishing today with a hospital, schools and a university.
He also organised the building of the Gorode road down to the coast road complete with the 20 hairpin bends and organised electricity using the waterfalls.
It's a quirky kind of place to find in the middle of Malawi.
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We were shown around the church by James, the estates manager, and were impressed by the stained glass window donated in the 1950s.
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Livingstonia church
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Because the road down to the lake was closed we thought we had to retrace our route along the valley. However at the camp they told us to ask at the coal mine about the new road. So after about 15k we suddenly spotted some coal by the track. We stopped and Chief Kachulu introduced himself.
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Chief Cachulu
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Yes there was a new dirt road put in by the mine company, which would save us from completely retracing our steps. (hurray) He drew us a map and off we went.
It was a spectacular route winding its way through the valleys and mountains for another 15k.
This was only the second time in the trip that we used the rear ARB diff locker to ascend a particularly long and sandy stretch of mountain road!
At the end the road suddenly led into a coal yard with lorries and piles of coal with a padlocked gate separating us from the tar road. The staff were somewhat puzzled at our appearance on the wrong side of the gate. We explained that the chief had sent us and they let us out!
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At Chitimba we met up again with D and F who had completed their trek by walking down the hill to the lake. They had our camera with them so we could see what we missed!
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The Gorode road
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They had taken less time to walk the 15 k down than we had to drive the 40 k over the tortuous road!
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Being by the lake was great as we could enjoy a swim but the Chitimba beach campsite is used by the big overland trucks full of young tourists out to party and the music was loud and the beat insistent! The showers were slimy.
However, the staff were very friendly and the setting was great.
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Chitimba beach on Lake Malawi
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to Tanzania
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