African Trails- Zanzibar to Malawi

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Zanzibar has been incredible. The people were very sweet and welcoming. We ended up staying for 4 nights in the north of the island and then returned to the south of the island to Stone Town for our final night. The night before returning to Stone Town we ventured to a local bar that our scuba instructors recommended. It was called Macks Bar. It was by far one of the coolest little hang outs I've been to. It was very small but had an upper level and was made completely of wood. It felt like a tree house. Here we had drinks with our new friends and the locals and were able to hear Dylan sing and showcase his talent with a guitar and the local band. It was a seriously fun night. However I highly suggest single females be careful on the island at night. We were in a group and local men were still acting quite inappropriately towards the girls and I.

Then there were 5. Before leaving to Stone Town we sadly said goodbye to Dylan and Jas who were finishing the tour in Zanzibar. In the south end we stayed at a place called the Karibu Inn. Before checking in we finished off our tour learning about the history of the slave trade, near the Anglican market, that took place many years ago. After this we ventured around the narrow streets of stone town and checked out the markets and local stores that sell various goods. Stone town is a main attraction for tourists where quaint shops and bazaars line cobbled streets. Homes have an arabic style to them whilst the buildings have an indian influence with latticework, bustling stores and street side vending stalls.

The previous night Harley accidentally lost my flip flops. Its fair to say, after a rather large night and no shoes, we looked quite ridiculous walking around, especially me with no shoes. That night we decided to check out the fish markets that locals set up close to the pier. Here every type of seafood is for sale for ridiculously cheap prices and it is up to you to barter the best price. It is also common to see men run and jump off the pier into the water, right next to the markets. Its quite a sight when you are not expecting it. You see them just run and jump off and before you know it they have disappeared, its a little breathtaking when you can't see where they go but at the same time it looks like so much fun!

Here in zanzibar the group was enlightened with Jays methods of tuning girls. One method in particular were two of his shirts that he swore by. No joke- one t-shirt had a picture of Taylor Swift (that he made) that he swore helped him in the ladies department, us girls pondered how exactly but apparently it works. The second t-shirt had a bird on it, which he had named roger. It's ongoing banter that we hold against him.

Our final night in zanzibar proved to be fairly quiet due to the previous night of festivities. The following day we took our return ferry ride ($70 US) to Dar Es Salaam where Bernie (our guide) was waiting for us with the biggest smile and our home away from home (the truck). Here we began our journey to Malawi. On the way we stayed at a camp site that doesn't stay in my mind for a good reason. I don't remember it's name but lets just call it Noahs Ark or National geographic. Here it felt as though all insects of the world decided to meet on the onennight we camped there. One preying mantis took a particular liking towards Jay. We were also woken up by roosters that thought crowing at 3am was reasonable and then dogs who thought they were roosters joined in on the annoying tune until sunrise. With a very unpleasant sleep we all sluggishly prepared for the next leg of the trip to the Old Farm House which is situated on the border of Tanzania and Malawi. What a nice change from the Nat Geo campsite! This camp had a really cool vibe with a bar that had a thatched roof and then a separate bar for the overland trucks. Here we were hosted by Tony an English guy who tried to combine our truck with another truck through chocolate brownies and amarula hot chocolate (gods gift to hot drinks). Instead we were were awkwardly greeted by a rather large group of german bikies who had taken over the bar. Consequently we only met a few of the other overland trucks crew (Acacia crew). Little did we know that the Acacia crew would soon become our buddies in the following days!!

The next day we travelled across the border into Malawi to Chitimba Camp where we stayed for 2 nights. Chitimba Camp is situated right on Lake Malawi and near Manchewe Falls. Here we relaxed by the water, played volleyball, got to know the Acacia crew and attended a wood carving class run by the locals which was fairly interesting!! Most of us carved out some pretty cool key rings, but I'm not entirely sure how much of the work was actually ours as the locals could see how terrible we were at carving.

Meals on the truck were really good. I'm putting it down to the fact that we had the most amazing guide/cook/driver all in one. We started to call him Bernie, the best dad, best cook and best guide. He seriously needs to have his own cook book titled 'The Best of Bernie- Cooking for Overlanders'. Meals were generally quite full of carbs as they are the easiest to supply and cook, but we also had a huge range of vegetables and stir fry's. You just had to get creative. Three meals in particular that stood out for me were 1. Beef stew pasta with veggies 2. Stuffed butternut pumpkin and a whole roasted chicken 3. Curry lentils with chipati and fresh guacamole. We all took turns helping prepare meals and doing the washing up. Breakfasts were usually scrambled eggs, fruit, toast, cereal or eggs and baked beans. Lunchs weren't included so we often would buy local food on the way, or buy canned tuna and cruskits or even have left overs from the night before.

Moving on from Chitimba camp we stayed at Kande Beach for 3 nights! Which also is situated right on Lake Malawi. Before arriving we were briefed on a punch night that is held at Kande Beach where all overland trucks join together for a fancy dress party. So prior to arrival we stopped to get supplies for the punch and fancy dress items. We had a sneaking suspicion it was a running tradition amongst overland trucks when we were greeted by a bunch of locals frantically trying to sell us op shop clothing on the side of the road. Something told me they knew we were coming. We had previously put our names in a hat and had to draw a name out. Whichever name we got, we had to buy that person a fancy dress costume. Lucky for me I drew out Jays name and bought him short leopard print clothing (we weren't to reveal who had who until the punch night, the following night). It was a lot of fun!! Later on I was going to find out that I wasn't so lucky as Jay also drew out my name and had sufficient pay back.

Our first full day at Kande Beach our group decided to go on a village tour to the local village. We visited the local school, homes and medical clinic. It was really interesting and great to meet the local people. I really loved the Malawian people they were absolutely gorgeous and so welcoming. It makes a huge difference when the local people are friendly. It makes you feel really humbled that they care and want to welcome you. Malawi alone is significantly poorer than other countries in Africa. This was clear when we visited the village. Homes are made out of mud and have barely any furniture. The one home we visited had a couch and table as the only furniture in the house; bedrooms were just concrete floors. Whilst visiting the medical clinic we witnessed childrens vaccinations being undertaken in the corridor and out in the open. It doesn't sound like a big issue but when you see the facilities first hand you realise the scale of poverty that the country faces. Even though I have seen similar circumstances all throughout Africa, Malawi seemed just that bit more unfortunate. I had also been told by many that Malawi was significantly poorer, although you would never be able to notice it in the people. Their kindness, smiles and welcoming nature is beautiful. Their happiness shines through their teeth. Many families make a living off wood carvings and selling furniture they have carved themselves as well as other souveneirs for tourists. Others are farmers and sell local produce. The school children were absolutely gorgeous. The classroom we visited was packed full of children waiting to greet us. Desks that would typically sit only two people had four to five children seated. Harley, Rae and I really loved meeting the children and hope to re- visit the school one day.

Before we knew it the punch night crept up on us. Everyone looked hilarious. Jay bought me a long black dress with a spanish white skirt, then to go over the top he bought a childs swimsuit, I was not impressed about the swimsuit to say the least. The girls soon helped me cut the crotch out after washing the costumes. All the overland trucks joined together at the bar and had a great night. I can remember at one point turning back to the bar and seeing everyone having a blast and dancing on the bar followed by an epic congo line. It was a great way to bring everyone together. It was here that we really got to know the Acacia truck and some are people I will always remember and hope to see again in the future. Here are some to name a few: Julien, Jay, Josh, Moggy, James, Holly, Carly, Yas, Fran, Michelle and Dave.

Our last day in Kande Beach we all chose to relax by the water and recover from the night before. It was a funny day reminiscing of the nights events. When I ventured to the bathrooms that morning I was surprised to find Rach lying on the bench inside. The two of us laughed for quite a while until she explained she had got up to go to the toilet and then the rain started so she was staying put until it settled. We then went and jumped on Harley and woke her up from her slumber- we are crazy morning people. That day some chose to hire kayaks and venture out to the small island we could see from shore. The lake itself doesn't look like a lake, but more like the ocean as you can't see the other side of it. However the water has a slight brown tinge to it and isn't as clear as what you would be use to, yet the water isn't stagnent and is safe to swim in from what I know.

Our next stop is Chipata in Zambia. Until next time!!

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Photos

Village walk, Kande Beach
Meeting the local children.