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Published: June 15th 2012
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Lake Malawi is the 3rd largest lake in Africa, being approximately 356 miles long and 52 miles wide at its widest part. It's the 8th largest lake in the world and is also the 2nd deepest in Africa. It takes up a third of land-locked Malawi and is also located in Tanzania and Mozambique. It is a crystal clear freshwater lake and has fine sandy beaches which make you forget it's a lake and not an ocean.
Lake Malawi fish, the 'cichlids' species, are one of the biological wonders of the Earth. There are estimated to be some 750 to 1,000 species of cichlids in Lake Malawi. They are the only freshwater species endemic to the Lake, meaning they are found nowhere else on the planet. The Lake water was so clear that you could always see huge numbers of these colourful fish swimming around, they were blue, green, yellow, brown, small, medium and quite big. They were totally visible in the clear water and it was very easy to catch them by hand. We saw exactly that when we spent time on Thumbe Island at Cape Mclear and Stephen our guide caught some cichlids by holding a piece of
bread and dunking it under the water for the shortest time. He hand-caught one in no time and popped it back into the water when we had all had a look.
As well as the freshwater tropical fish, there is also a wealth of spectacular birdlife around the Lake including kingfisher, fish eagle, heron, egret and white-breasted cormorant. We saw all of these birds around the Lake and it was amazing to watch them flying around and diving into the water to catch fish. The kingfishers were particularly vocal whilst the eagles flew so fast they were almost impossible to photograph Then there's the hippos and crocodiles - both live in large numbers in the Lake. Have a look at my blog about the safari for more detail about all that.
Lake Malawi is a critical resource for the people of Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi - who rely on it for food, water, irrigation, work and hydroelectricity. The Lake supplies work for thousands of Malawians who are fishermen, net makers, canoe makers and fish traders. From early morning until after dark fishermen are out in canoes and small boats and men and boys fish with home-made wooden rods
on the rocks. We also saw women wading out into the Lake with large squares of fishing net which 2 of them held and skimmed across the surface of the water. When they took the net out it was full of little fish!
Local soil is poor and the crop failure rate is high so the lake side inhabitants depend heavily on fish for their diets. I tried fresh fish from the Lake at a restaurant in Cape Mclear. I had chambo and chips and it was absolutely delicious. The chambo was a member of the 'cichlid' group of fishes and it tasted similar to cod. This dish is apparantly one of the commonest in Malawi so it's no wonder that chambo supplies in the Lake are said to be dwindling.
The Lake is used by locals for a wide variety of purposes. I saw women washing clothes, preparing food, scrubbing children. Kids went swimming and spent hours playing in the water. I saw people cleaning their teeth, washing pans and scrubbing their feet, whilst others, including children, collected water in large buckets and carried it away of top of their heads.
The Lake and all that
went on around it was a spectacular sight. Lake-life was vibrant, active and noisy. It was fascinating to sit in the garden of the volunteer house and watch what was going on, although you had to be really careful that the children didn't see you watching them otherwise you would have had company before you knew it!
In particular the sunrises and sunsets were incredible over the Lake and both ends of the day were really worth seeing. As the first rays of the sun shone through the dawn sky in the cool of the early morning the Lake seemed to dazzle and sparkle. I took one photo which seems to show small stars on the top of the water - have a look to see what I mean. The Lake was a hive of activity by 6am, with fishermen in one-man canoes, women fetching water and washing clothes. The local people were always up and on, making the most of every part of the day.
Sunsets were equally as enchanting and we watched several times from the house as the light faded and the sun disappeared behind the horizon over the Lake. Sunset colours were amazing and
even when the sun had gone from view it stayed light for a good while longer. It was always pitch dark by 6pm and most evenings the sky was filled with what seemed like millions of twinkling stars.
Lake Malawi really was a spectacle to behold. A vast expanse of clear blue water, full of wildlife and constant human activity. It was home to hundreds of different fish, numerous birds and lots of other animals and mysterious creatures. It provides work for some, pleasure for others and is a paradise for those who enjoy swimming, snorkeling, diving, and sunbathing.
My favourite memory of the Lake was watching a couple of young boys fishing with a home-made wooden rod. They were aged about 10 and were fishing for hours on end, appearing not to have a care in the world. When one of the boys caught a fish the other one helped him get it off the rod and put it safe inside an old beer carton. In addition to their joy at catching the fish, the highlight for me was watching the unorthodox method they used to put the fish out of it's misery. No knife or other
Hard work
Washing clothes in Lake Malawi, Nkope Village instrument ws used - the young fisherman simply put the fish in his mouth and bit down hard! Something I doubt you would see at the local lake back home!!
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