Malawi

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We headed from Tanzania into Malawi and after a brief spell near the highlands in the North where we stayed somewhere with a funky tree shower but, unfortunately weren't able to use the tree bed due to the weather we headed to the coast of Lake Malawi.




First stop was Nhakata bay where managed to get some locals to take us out fishing in their dug out canoe which we very nearly capsized and the fisherman nearly cr@pped himself when we saw an otter!! Seriously? He's from Africa! Lions, elephants, no worries...but the evil otter, who knows what could happen in the presence of such a savage beast? He nearly fainted when i got in the water to try and take a photo!




From here we'd planned to get the ferry to an island near the Mozambique side of Lake Malawi called Likoma. But, as is par for the course the ferry had broken down and they hadn't bothered to put it in for it's yearky service so it was not going to come this week and maybe not next week either, so we hitched a lift over on a speed boat which actually worked out pretty well! There we were supping, albeit warm, beers on the placid lake with out legs hanging over the front making you feel like you were flying while the slightly drunken S.African skipper provided us with useful information about the islands before dropping us at the waters edge next to our hostel while other people who turned up on Likoma several hours after us, having left several hours before had to experience the joys of the crossing on cargo ship and walk half way across the island at midnight guided by a drunken local - After Hondurus I think I've paid my dues to the world of container ship travel!

Likoma island was a lovely place with warm friendly locals, hot weather and a beautiful sandy beach which, we camped on. The only downside was that sand isn't apparently that soft to sleep on and all the local kids not only wanted a photo but, kept wanting to hold your hand - I made sure i was always carrying a lot of things!! While we were there we formed a little clique with the other inhabitants most of whom were also 'stranded' there (not exactly a hardship) and waiting for the ferry. Anyway, we amused ourselves by helping the locals drag in the fish haul; playing volleyball very unskillfully and patenting the highly accomplished ball-in-face move, drinking the local brew which randomly enough is Carlsberg(!); purchasing a live chicken for dinner from the market and then getting it, well, un-lived; setting fire to a table when our camp stove exploded; trying to catch bait for fishing culminating in three of us unsuccessfully swimming around after fish with a mozi net - we eventually found a fish that was already dead and then went about spending hours not catching anything with said bait; and as has seemed to become tradition, going for a walk 'just over the hill' to the town and going some ridiculously long route around the island, through the shrubbery and emerging hot and sweaty about 2hrs later in town which should have taken 45 minutes to get to!





From here we made the short hop over two another of Lake Malawi's islands, Chizimulu with some of the gang from Likoma. Chizi, as it is affectionately known, had a similar to set up to Likoma with a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of friendly photograph loving, pen requesting locals! Here we did a bit more Billie and Jimmy style 'off road walking' i.e. getting lost; we canoed around the island while our friend Jose decided to be canoed around it by a local and spent a large quantity of it petrified it was going to capsize; Visited a local 'bar', even in its loosest sense, bar would be stretching the definition! It was a mud hut with a stereo and half the family kids sleeping on the floor on a sheet of tarpaulin! Just as we were about to abort the visit the owner emerged drunk as skunk, dragged us all in, woke up all the kids, unnecessarily turned up the music and promptly bought us all the wrong drinks; did a spot of snorkelling during which the locals started screaming at us as there was croc swimming around! We thought they were taking the p!ss and didn't exactly rush out of the water...apparently they weren't! The manager said there were actually some crocs around...Oh well, all limbs are still attached and by then Jimmy and I had found a water slide to play on!





The ferry decided to turn up this week, so we said farewell to the islands and and tried for attempt number three to get to Mozambique! As it turned out it was third time lucky but, the ferry crossing wasn't without its hiccoughs! After having to board the ferry at 1am, we settled ourselve on the top of a box of life jackets where we were rudely awakend by the rain which was pouring through the not-so-waterproof roof onto us. There was a space of about 6 feet square that was still dry and we, along with the rest of the upper deck all made an attempt to cram into it. Comfy! We then travelled back via Likoma where we were supposed to stop for a few hours to pick up/drop off supplies. We ended up leaving there at about 1pm the following afternoon! And so it was that in 12 hrs travelling we'd managed to do the 30min crossing from Chizi to Likoma and after 14hrs we could still see where we'd come from! Thankfully there was a bar on borad! We finally arrived in Mozambique in the dark where we climbed aboard a small boat and waded to shore! - Sadly, arriving 13hrs late and getting soaked in the process is still the most successful attempt to get Mozambique yet!

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