Internet
The internet is really unstable and I only have access once
or twice a day, which makes it very hard to post anything on my blog. It’s
unbelievable slow, but it’s good to be unreachable as well, it makes this
holiday more relaxing (even though it’s
unbearable not to know the football results now that the Norwegian Premiership
has started!)
Cape Maclear
When I was planning my trip to Malawi, I had one mission,
and that was to kayak in Lake Malawi (which has been on my Bucket List for a
couple of years). So after I’d googled “Kayak Lake Malawi” Cape Maclear came
up, therefore I am now in that exact spot.
Poverty
The first impression of this little village far away from
the city was really good, it seems peaceful and relaxed. After a few days here,
I’ve noticed all the poverty that is so common in Africa. I walked around on
Saturday and kids would come up to me and say: “How are you”, I answer: “Good”
then they would say: “Give me money”, or there are kids walking around with a
sheet of paper saying they need transport money for a football match, even
though I didn’t believe them I gave them some.
And when I walk the beach there are always someone local
coming up to me to sell me things, either “happy pants”, jewellery or other
things that will last one week. I am never interested in these things, but they
keep trying. Since it’s out of season now, it’s not many white people here,
making them try extra hard to sell me products or entertainment (playing drums
for money).
Cut feet and Kayak
trip
On Sunday morning I had originally arranged a 5 hour hike
with a local guide, and we had agreed to meet at 5 o’clock in the morning, (so we could avoid the worst heat). But
during my first day in Cape Maclear I walked around and managed to cut my feet,
making them very sore. Not until 6 ‘clock did my guide show up, and I told him
I would rent a kayak instead and postpone the hike to Monday. So at noon he
came with the kayak (that was another long wait, with the kayak I also got a
mask and snorkel. Thumbi Island is about 1500-2500 meters away from our beach,
so I paddled there first. The water was calm and so warm I didn’t mind using an
open kayak which I’ve never done before. When I reached Thumbi I jumped in the
water and did some free diving (I don’t like using a snorkel that’s not
mine). There was a lot of pretty fishes
to see, but they were all small so not too impressive. What I did notice was
that I sank like a rock, I’m used to the ocean, and it was so different from
the salt water that makes you float. After 15-20 minutes I continued my kayak
trip, and I decided to paddle around the island (about 3km). The weather was
nice, sunny but not too hot, so I went to shore and lied on a big rock. This
was peaceful! No one around, except one canoe that paddled slowly and
silently past me, and I noticed later that I wasn’t the only on the small
island. Some other tourists had rented a boat and did the same thing as me,
chilled on some rocks away from everything and everyone. I paddled all the way
around the island, and I saw a couple of fish eagles by the shore. It was
awesome to get so close to them, I was literally right beneath them! I wish I
had my camera with me but I will defiantly go back on the kayak another day, so
hopefully I will see the eagles again.
After 4-5 hours on the lake, both swimming and kayaking I
went back to shore, where a bunch of locals met me, two kids was asking for
money, one guy wanted to sell happy pants and a couple helped me with the
kayak.
Hiking
Monday morning at 5:30 I got up and ready for a five hour
hike with my guide Isaac who let out the kayak the day before. He charged $25,
but he told me we would go to the top, and he would show me all the good spots
to take pictures. At the entrance of the national park I had to pay another $7
($3 cheaper than non-residents), and we started our hike. We walked into a
small path filled with tall grass, and Isaac looked a bit uncertain, but I
followed him. He kept a fast pace, which was good, but I doubted it would take
5 hours. The further we got, the more stops he did to have a look around, there
were several paths, but it looked obvious where to go, just following the
yellow and blue ribbons in the trees. At one point he cut off and took a 90
degree left turn, which looked very strange, and shortly after we lost our
path. Now I asked him if he was lost, but he denied. 30 minutes later, walking
in the bushes I got a bit angry, and told him I was not paying £25 for this. We
walked and walked, and kept going downhill, and when we finally found a path,
he guided me back to the lodge. It took us 1 hour 50 minutes and less than 450
kcal. We argued for a while about the price, and I ended up paying $8, which
was $3 more than I offered him. I won’t be using him as a guide, and I don’t
recommend him to anyone going to Cape Maclear. After breakfast I went back to
the mountain, this time to the top.
ATM
There is no ATM in Cape Maclear, which is a pain when you
don’t bring enough money, and the only way to pay is cash. So after a very
quick shower I jumped in the back of Piet’s truck and drove with 4 cashless
people to Monkey Bay. There we found out that neither of their two ATMs works,
so we had to drive another 20-25 minutes, to the next town. That one was broken
as well, another couple of miles we tried yet another ATM, this time the Finish
couple managed to withdraw some money. We kept going for another half hour to a
bigger town, and on the last ATM we tried, me and the British got our cash! (Only minutes later I got a call from my
bank, and they also sent me text I had to call them ASAP. I guess they got
worried when they saw how many times someone had tried to withdraw money at
different bank chains). When we returned to Cape Maclear it was late
afternoon, it had taken us 5 hours to get cash from the ATM, but the ride in
the back of the pickup felt like it went fast, and it was sunny and not hot,
since we were driving at 90 km/h. Got a bit sunburned on my legs (didn’t put
sunscreen on them) but all in all, it was a good trip.
Tuesday
I was told Doctor Bob was going to the mountain to set a
trail at 7 AM, so I got up at 6 and had breakfast with the Canadian doctor I
had met on Sunday evening. He is a funny guy who loves hiking, and he and 4-5
locals were improving a trail they had made. I joined them, and it was great to
use a saw and an axe again. After a few hours I decided to leave them and run
to the top, I did so and came down to Cape Maclear ready for lunch. After lunch
I had agreed to hang out with the barman, Richard. He had his day off and
wanted to show me Cape Maclear, so he came just after 1 o’clock and we walked
to his hours where he lived with his grandmother. They don’t speak English so
we communicated at some extend in Nyanja, but had Richard as translator. After
a bit of chatting we went in their back garden to have lunch, shima with
pumpkin leaves and ground nuts, which is one of my favourites. We walked around
Cape Maclear, and we got in the deep compounds, it felt a lot safer and more
comfortable having a local with me. At half past four I headed back to the
lodge, thanking Richard and his relatives for their hostility and lunch. A
really cool experience in a small village, Cape Maclear.
In the evening I had been invited for dinner by K/Kay so I
walked the 2-3km to her house, and had a meal that suited the “Caveman diet”
with her and her housemate Rob. Great food and good company.
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