We woke to a grey and misty morning, breakfasted on fresh white toast with butter and marmalade and a mug of tea for breakfast.
We are relaxed and moving to a more positive feeling as we prepare to leave. The bus to the airport is warm and comfortable, then I realise that I have forgotten my fleece! The weather in Malawi is 28 degrees and wet, so I feel I might not need it.
Check in at Heathrow terminal 4 is impeccable, there are no queues for security and by 3.00 we are in the terminal with a coffee.
While we are at the gate we check passport details and realise we have 6 month visas with a 90 day period before we need to leave and re enter Mozambique, this is a real bonus and removes a lot of hassle that we had before where we had a 30 day turnaround requirement.
All the hassle of life in the UK finally falls away as we board and we look forward to arriving in Malawi, the warm heart of Africa tomorrow midday. We are both looking forward to travelling together and seeing our African friends again as well as seeing the Emerald landscape of the wet season. We wonder what changes have taken place at Nkwichi Lodge.
We are both feeling happy and we are lucky that we enjoy travelling together and experiencing new adventures.
After a gin and tonic and an excellent lamb curry we doze and wake at 5.00 am Nairobi time. After landing we are immediately immersed in African culture, flights are called to Somalia, Brazzaville, Entebbe, Johannesburg, and Amsterdam.
The airport looks green and pleasant, swallows make low passes in front of the terminal windows and Yellow Billed Kites patrol looking for small mammals on the airport grassed areas.
Tiredness comes in waves as we wait for the flight to Lilongwe via Lusaka.
Finally we board on time, and take off. Immediately we go up through the clouds we see Mount Kilimanjaro to our left, snowy tipped it rises gracefully above the clouds. This view is an unexpected bonus on the flight.
We slept on the flight for a couple of hours and feel much refreshed. As we descend to Lusaka the immediate impression is of a bright green patchwork, very green and fertile, every corner covered with bright green crops.
The flight into Lilongwe was easy and again our landing the bright emerald patchwork was a striking contrast to our previous view of the African landscape.
Clearing immigration was easy and we picked up our bags, always a relief. As we cleared customs we found a driver waiting for us with our name on a board. We thought that the hotel had arranged this, but in the end it seems that the Immigration officer and his taxi driver friend had an enterprising approach to acquiring customers. We did however arrange a good price, and also arranged a trip from Lilongwe to Chipoka at a good rate but more of that tomorrow.
Mufasa Backpackers lodge was great, and we showered and slept and then woke at 7 for a meal and then slept again. (We had made sure phones worked and emails were sent) We also looked at the published timetable for the Ilala and discovered it was incorrect; the correct departure time was 4.00 pm. We were lucky we went for the earlier time ensuring that we hadn’t missed the boat (literally!)
As we left Lilongwe we saw a sight, never seen before, a man wearing nothing but a cardboard box around his waist. Never seen anything like it before, it seems he was a known “crazy”
As we drove from Lilongwe to Chipoka the lush crops contrasted dramatically with our earlier memories of the landscape.
Our taxi driver was very pleasant and we arrived with about an hour to spare. Sadly for him as we arrived his driver side front wheel bearing shattered and ball bearings were liberally strewn on the concrete around the wheel of the car. My heart went out to the guy as we boarded the boat and settled down for a relaxing cruise on the lake. We were amazingly lucky that the bearing had lasted to get us to the dockside. We could have been stuck halfway between Lilongwe and Chipoka. Our luck and foresight had gotten us to Chipoka, with an hour to spare before we were to catch the ferry.
We had chosen to board the Ilala at Chipoka because they have a dock, so we wouldn’t have to climb in and out of the Ilala lighters. As it turned out the water level in the lake was too low and there wasn’t enough water for the Ilala to dock so we ended up clambering down ladders with our multitude of bags, and then back up to board the Ilala. Fortunately everyone was helpful and the bags were transferred easily and quickly.
Travel on the Ilala was uneventful and quiet. We sat on deck enjoying the evening sun with a bottle of Carlsberg “green” in our hand. The boat was quiet and strangely empty compared to earlier journeys. We ate a delicious beef curry with rice and slept early on deck, under the African sky and stars, the air warm and still.
We woke at about 6:30 to a heavy rain shower, and quickly moved our gear under a permanent shelter by the bar. After 30 minutes the rain cleared and we continued to sail to Metangula, where we loaded and unloaded passengers, and then on too Likoma Island.
We are both happy to be back in Africa, we have felt the stress and pressure of the UK slip away and we have relaxed and felt a peace come over us as we travel. We are both very lucky to enjoy travel and each other’s company so much. We have become used to the African way, and are happy to travel on local buses and minibuses, we meet great local people and as long as the accommodation has a comfortable bed and a shower we are satisfied. I am sure that travelling in this way we experience much more of the local people and their lives.
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