A Postcard from Malawi

We have a long journey to Malawi but the route is scenic and the colourful street scenes interesting.  We make roadside stops for toilet breaks and buy lamb kebabs from the local stalls to keep the hunger pangs at bay!  One of the joys of long road trips is watching the kids run up to our bus to wave goodbye. The looks of sheer joy on their faces as we wave back makes us all smile.  We often wish we weren’t speeding by but there are long distances to cover and the conditions of the roads mean that we take twice as we would to cover this distance in Australia.  

The landscape is mountainous and the border crossing uneventful.  We finally arrive in Malawi and our campsite by Lake Malawi.

This lake takes up a third of the country and is more like an ocean than the fresh water lake that it is.  There are 500 species of fish in this lake and fishing is very much part and parcel of the life of the folk who live around here. 

We have just 3 days in Malawi and we spend it at the lake.   We have fun just chilling by the beachside bar, whiling away the hours playing cards, chatting to the locals and swimming in the lake. The water is gorgeous and warm and fresh and there aren’t any crocs or sharks to worry about!  No ocean currents or rips either.   We swim to cool off in the heat of midday and we swim at night to cool off before we sleep.  Lying in the warm water in the pitch dark, looking up at the night sky is bliss.  Again, I wish we had more time here.  

We have all decided to spend one of our mornings on a village walk.  Our local guide walks us through the village and invites us to the Village Chief’s house for a chat.  The Chief happens to be his dad and he explains to us how the title is passed down.  The reigning Chief appoints a niece or nephew as the next in line, ensuring that it passes on to another family.  The Chief also allocates land to each of the families in the village, enabling them to cultivate their staples of manioc, maize and fruit and also build a little hut to live in. 

There is a mix of Christians and Muslims here but they coexist peacefully.  Polygamy is practiced but our guide insists one wife is sufficient for him!  We find the people of Malawi to be incredibly welcoming and friendly.  They are more than happy to have their pictures taken and in fact thank us for doing so.   The women sit outside their huts, chatting to each other as they prepare food for lunch.  Their lifestyles our simple as is the meal they are preparing but their lives also seem incredible stress free to me. 

We visit the local school and the hospital and the kids are once again delighted to see us.  They hold our hands in theirs and keep quizzing us as to where we are from and what we do there.

The local hospital has very little resources and we find out that the majority of patients that visit are suffering from Malaria.  Fortunately, early detection enables them to be treated but it is still a massive problem in these parts.  A visit to the village is not complete without also having a chat with the local witch doctor.  I am not impressed by this man who doesn’t really tell us much except a bit of mumbo jumbo but in many African countries witch doctors are often visited on a regular basis along with visits to the hospitals for more serious ailments such as Malaria!

We say goodbye to Malawi by roasting a pig for a lakeside BBQ feast.  The pig has been purchased from the local village and cooked for us by a local who slaves all day by the spit.  Tomorrow we leave early for another border crossing and Zambia.  This will be the last country for some of us on this Kumuka overland tour.  We can’t believe how the time has flown but soon we will be in Lusaka! 

“If you are alive – Live”