Malawi

Cool Waters

Malawi is a small country (18,000 km²), of which 20% is covered by Lake Malawi. This country is an undiscovered gem. The Malawian countryside is stunningly beautiful and varies from high mountain plateaus, rivers, waterfalls, valleys, and forests. Lake Malawi is an untouched paradise, miles of idyllic pristine beaches, interspersed with large boulders, palm trees, and small coves. The clear
Paradise water is safe and a warm 220C -270C. It is the 9th largest freshwater lake the in the world and the 3rd largest in Africa. The lake is the source of livelihood for most Malawians, who live in traditional villages, a very basic existence in simple houses with grass roofs. It is for most a subsistence life of fishing and a little agriculture. Currently it is the tomato, onion, potato, mango, banana, and pawpaw season and everywhere we went they were for sale, and they taste great really sweet and juicy. Most of the actual trading takes place at taxi stands, bus stops, and village markets. When the overloaded minibuses arrive at a stop, the hawkers would rush to the bus, and grass platters loaded with colourful food is held high to the open windows where the weary passengers make their purchases. A bustle of shoving, pushing, and noisy bargaining, repeated with every new arrival.

Moon Light

CANADIAN DIGNITAS INTERNATIONAL

Zomba is a charming little town, with many old colonial buildings from the past, which lies in the shadow of the spectacular Zomba plateau. It has beautiful large shady trees and is now home to Malawi University. While passing through, we spotted a sign with a Canadian flag. Surprised and intrigued and we stopped to find out who the Canadians were and what projects they were involved in. Directed by
To Market the villagers to the local hospital we met a young Canadian doctor and graduate of the University Of Calgary Medical School. Kathy is working for the Canadian aid agency, Dignitas International. We were given a tour of the hospital and were touched by the caring and compassion shown to the people by the hospital staff. Working conditions are very difficult and resources very limited but despite all the challenges, Dignitas International is having a significant and positive impact on the health of the villagers of Zomba.

WORLD LARGEST AQUARIUM

Lake Malawi is reputed to be the world’s best freshwater diving, so we headed for the Scuba Shack at Cape MacClear to organize some Scuba dives for ourselves. Climbing
A Day's Work into a little boat, we were informed by the dive master our first dive would be about 60 feet in depth and would be mainly over and through boulders, and our second dive would be to visit the amazing world of the cichlids. Snorkeling and diving in Lake Malawi has been compared to diving in a fish tank because one swims amongst thousands of cichlids, which are a beautiful colourful little fish. Lake Malawi is a tropical freshwater lake with no dangerous currents and no dangerous fish so we felt excited as we descended into this magical world. Tom has been diving for over 30 years off the coast of Southern Africa, the Caribbean, the Great Barrier Reef, and North America and nowhere has he seen so many tropical fish in a single spot. Lake Malawi is indeed a very crowded aquarium and home to over 500 endemic species of cichlids, found nowhere else in the world. Every Scuba diver should be
Christmas Sale At Toys R Us fortunate enough to experience diving in the lake at least once; it is diver’s paradise. The Cape MacClear peninsula in Lake Malawi has been declared a World Heritage Site to protect these extraordinary fish. If you would like to find out more about them, the BBC has an excellent documentary on these remarkable cichlid fish, which is available at the Calgary library, and well worth watching. We met Stewart Grant, an eccentric ex colonial British civil servant and wonderful man who has a cichlid breeding operation and ships these fish all over the world. The visit to his operation was very interesting.

POWER OUTAGE

We arrived at the Blantyre campsite and told that there was an electricity outage. In Africa, this is not unusual except the cause of this outage was very different and spoke to the desperation of the poor.

Preparing for a Night' Fishing

In disbelief, we listened to the cause of the explosion. The poor steal the transformer oil to use for cooking. He asked if we had noticed all the little stalls selling chips (French fries) along the roadside. The little stalls use the transformer oil to fried the French fries and other food which they sell to passers by.

A transformer had blown up the previous day but they had been told it should be fixed by later today.

In it dangerous and there are always casualties and many are seriously burnt, but the officials cannot stop them. There had been a casualty last night. Transformer oil is extremely toxic and banned in North America.

Malawi is desperately poor, with a severe food shortage predicted for this summer due to last year’s drought. We saw many aid agencies
Not A Happy Fellow cars and World Food distribution trucks. Little children eating dried soya flour, which the World Food Agency distributed to schools in villages affected the most by the drought. The rate of children suffering from malnutrition admitted to hospitals has increased by 30% since August last year. In fact, Malawi is a country with more coffin shops than gas stations.

Malawi is desperately poor, with a severe food shortage predicted for this summer due to last year’s drought. We saw many aid agencies cars and World Food distribution trucks. Little children eating dried Soya flour, which the World Food Agency distributed to schools in villages affected the most by the drought. The rate of children suffering from malnutrition admitted to hospitals
A Toyota Land Cruiser Taxi has increased by 30% since August last year. In fact, Malawi is a country with more coffin shops than gas stations.

MONSTER INSECT

The African baboon spider belongs to the same subspecies as the American tarantula spider. Baboon spiders, like the American tarantulas, are large, hairy, and fearsome looking. It was while I was showering that I realized I was not alone; watching me was a humongous, hairy and formidable baboon spider. I now had a dilemma as I had not yet finished showering and it was a little unnerving to be within several inches of such a menacing looking creature. He was much too large for me to kill if he had decided to have a “little taste of me.” Moving slowly so as not to upset my companion, I finished washing my hair, even closing my eyes briefly, while I rinsed the soap out of my hair.

Village Stall

Once out of the shower I announced to the other campers, “Come, and see what’s in the shower.” There were shrieks of horror, and a rush for cameras. The spider was much larger than my fully extended hand, about 20cm long while resting, and larger when he decided to move. Tom arrived amid all the excitement and I gleefully showed him who, I had showered with. He was not impressed, “How can you be so crazy and shower with a baboon spider?” was his response. “You have had your nose in insects since we started this trip, but this is ridiculous’” he went on (and on).

After several days when we were back on speaking terms he said, “I’d rather you shower with a strange man than a baboon spider,” and with that we put the baboon incident to rest.

A Work Days End

BIKES, BUSES AND TRAINS

In Lilongwe the capital of Malawi, we were surprised to see a row of wheelbarrows lining the street; we were more surprised to see that they were actually taxis. Too tired to walk or if you have a load too heavy to carry a wheelbarrow taxi can be hired. Many people loaded with parcels, were wheeled along. Sweaty men peddled their bicycles loaded with chickens, fish, furniture, firewood, dead goats, and/or passengers who all competed for space on the narrow roads. Bicycle taxis compete for customers. Women with babies strapped to their backs balance on the back of the taxi bikes often with a parcel on their head. Minivans called matolas are the most common form of motorized transport.
Collecting waterThe matolas drivers know no capacity or load limit. Uncomplaining passengers are squashed into the minibuses, others simply hang off the side, while it speeds along, and roofs piled high with baggage. Buses whiz past us with “In God We Trust” painted across their backs. Vehicles that have broken down, got punctures, or lost their load, place tree branches on the road to warn others to slow down.

The road from the lakeshore village of Chitimba up the Nyika plateau to the village of Livingstonia is a distance of only 15km during which it ascends over 1000m. The road is described in the guidebook as “difficult” and not “enjoyed by anyone with a modicum of vertigo.” It took us nearly 2 hours. It is a tortuous climb up a winding track with 22 hairpins bends. Some of the bends are so sharp that we had to backtrack as we gingerly hugged the edge of road going up the west side of the spectacular Rift Valley. The road up to Livingstonia was built by Scottish Presbyterian missionaries in 1905. They went higher elevation up because of many missionaries who died of Malaria at the lower elevation close to the lakeshore. There have been some improvements on the lower hairpin bends but as they ran out of money, the road is in poor condition. Gingerly hugging the edge of the mountain, with a sheer drop hundreds of metres down on one side,
Skinny Passing Lane we cautiously climbed upwards. The view is said to be the most spectacular in Malawi, but we cannot confirm this since we never took our eyes off the road.

We arrived in Livingstonia and while making some coffee, I told Tom, “I am not driving back down that road. I will walk down.”

By morning, I was ready to go back down, after being reassured the descent was easy and much better than the ascent. It was easier and the view was indeed spectacular.

We loved Malawi and the friendly people and plan to be back one day. It is a beautiful country.