The Illala over to Likoma

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Friday 4th
Steve, Leen and I set of at 8.30 in the hostel taxi to the market as this and the auction house are the 2 things to see in Lilongwe we though we better visit it before leaving. We left our bags in the car and entered a walled market where we were met by a maze of streets selling fruit, veg, fish, plastic bags, soap, clothes, nails, screws, timber, anything you could need there would probably be someone selling it (except ice cream!!!). I bought some peas, peanuts and doughnuts. Then the taxi driver helped us find the correct bus and we loaded our big bags under the seats and sat down waiting for the minibus to fill up. We wouldn’t leave until there are 4 people on each row- there is not enough legroom for 4 people on each row!!! While waiting people came and shoved things through the windows hoping we would buy them- drinks, food, electric razors, passport covers. I was enjoying making up reasons why I didn’t need these things as they tend to move straight on, until I realized one was trying to get into my bag under my arm- luckily the zip was on the other side. I told him to go away and then shut the window.
After 2 bus journeys we arrived at Chipoka but couldn’t see the lake. We were greeted by boys on pedal bikes with padded saddlebag racks on the back. We were told to get onto the back- so loaded with my 27kg of stuff (I had tinned food with me and lots of books) this poor guy had to pedal me nearing 100kg for about a mile to the lake- worth every quatcha (he charged 100- that’s 30p)!
Leen played a local guy at checkers, and won, while we waited for the ferry-The Illala- famous as it is the only ferry on the lake going between Mozambique, the islands and Malawi and is being talked about having to be stopped as it is so old, one story was that Livingstone bought it with him when he came to Africa in 1878!! But I think this is the second editions and 60 years is closer. At 4pm we boarded the 3-story boat. Us, two other white couples and 3 Malawians on top deck to ourselves with our cabins the floor below and the lower deck crammed with locals. I felt like it was the apartide. I had paid extra for a cabin, which I was glad of when I saw a rat run across the deck. We ordered what we wanted for dinner from a limited choice and eat it in a small dinning room and watched the sunset and the moonrise. The ferry got very rocky as the night went on as it headed into the middle of the lake. This lake is huge you’d think you were at sea at points you can’t see the land on either side of you.

Saturday 5th
After breakfast I went back to sleep and got up for lunch as I thought we should be arriving at the island at 1pm, however we didn’t arrive until 8pm. But this did mean that I got to eat dinner on the boat. Getting of the ferry was very hectic, there was no dock and we had to climb down from the Illala into small boats and get out into knee-deep water, hoping I wouldn’t drop my ruc-sacs. I was met by Jonathan and told Cecelia and Alfred had gone to the Illala to get me! After 15mins all was sorted and Alfred and Cecelia took me to a local guesthouse for the night.

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