Luwawa Forest Lodge

On Thursday we jumped back in the truck and drove about 4 hours to the Viphya Mountains, where we stayed in the grounds of Luwawa Forest Lodge. This area is off the tourist trail and we had the lodge to ourselves, so it felt fabulously secluded. We had the afternoon and the following day free, and lots of activities available close-by (rock climbing, abseiling etc.). Some of the group went off for archery but Tim, Denmark and I spent the afternoon kayaking on the large dam in front of the lodge.

We were about 1600m above sea-level, so it was a little bit nippier at night than we’d been used to! We lit a fire and had a three course feast of a dinner – vegetable soup followed by roast beef (cooked by Denford in the donkey boiler fire, which heats hot water for the showers) and then roasted marshmallows for dessert.

On Friday Amanda and Stacey (Canadian students), Greg and Lisa (British make-up artists, on her way back to UK after couple of years in Australia) opted to stay around the lodge and write-in their journals / do some drawing. Emily and Jono were servicing the truck. The rest of us went mountain biking.

We had planned a three and a half hour route and we had paid extra to take a guide with us to show us the way. We were all enthusiastic but we had a few issues. The lodge was hosting a mountain bike competition the next day and was holding back its new and better bikes to be used for that. We were given some classic old bikes – so we’d barely left the gates when things started going wrong. I was struggling with my bike and when Tim took a look at it we realised the bearings were buggered. We were probably 2km from the lodge at this stage, so our guide rode the bike back and brought back a different bike for me while everyone waited.

As the ride continued the casualties clocked up: Janice’s de-railer didn’t work, so she spent the whole ride in one gear; Dave’s brakes kept jamming, so he kept on coming to sudden stops; and Denmark and Tim’s chains kept falling off. Our guide was armed with a toolkit and he was doing running repairs. But it was all a bit shambolic so while we were disappointed when he led us back into the front gates early, after 2 hours (of which we’d probably only ridden 60 minutes) – it was probably for the best. And despite our problems I would still recommend the mountain biking to any other visitors to the lodge. The scenery is great and the trail is good fun – just check out the gear thoroughly before you leave!

That afternoon Tim, George, Denmark and Dave filled the esky with beer and headed down to the dam for a spot of (fruitless) fishing while Carla, Janice, Greg and I headed out for a 2 hour walking trail.

After dinner we headed to the lodge’s bar for cheesecake and amarula hot chocolate. Very nice!

Kande Beach, Lake Malawi

Kande Beach was a real hit with all of us. It’s on the shores of Lake Malawi and the setting is really beautiful. It’s hard to believe you’re on a lake because it just looks like you’re at the seaside – there‘s even surf. Most of the overland trucks go there but that doesn’t spoil the atmosphere because the place is so large, everyone just spreads out. The campsite has lots of established trees, some striking bougainvilleas and lemons, and hammocks. It’s the perfect spot for a few days of relaxing!

Our “short drive” had taken a little longer than we expected so we postponed our pig and party until the next day and other than a Dragoman truck (Oscar el Toro) versus Dragoman truck (Caprice the Sexy Beast) foozball competition, it was a quiet night.

Next day we had a free day to do as we wished: village tours, orphanage visits, canoeing, scuba diving (on the lake) – there were loads of activities on offer. Dave, Janice, Emily and I went horse riding for the afternoon. It was $50 for a two-hour ride and it was money well spent – without a doubt the best riding school ride I have every had.

We were collected from the campground and driven to the stables. The horses were in great condition – fit, healthy, and really well-mannered. My horse was Fergus – he was a little sluggish in the yard but great on the go (happy to run, willing to stop when asked). We rode about ten kilometres through the bush from the stables back to the campground. It was a fairly relaxed pace but we had some great long canters along the way. And the absolute highlight was when we got back to Kande – we took off the saddles and went swimming bareback in the surf. Such a thrill.

We’d been debating whether or not it was sensible to swim in Lake Malawi because we’d heard mixed reports about bilharzia (a treatable but unpleasant condition caused by a parasite which lives in water snails and spreads to humans). We’d been told we shouldn’t swim in water in East Africa that wasn’t fast moving (rivers ok, most lakes not). Where we were staying had a definite current which decreases the risk, but Lake Malawi does carry bilharzia. I decided I wasn’t going in, just to be safe. But then the lure of swimming with the horses was too much – so I’ll have to take the test when I get back to London.

[For anyone reading that plans to visit a bilharzia area I’ve since read more about the condition and have some tips for prevention that I wish I‘d known before... It takes 10-15 minutes for the parasite to make their way through the skin. So if you keep the swim short, shower immediately afterwards (ideally in water that isn’t directly from the lake, or has been treated) and dry yourself vigorously - it should lower the risk of getting the condition. If you are exposed take the test 6 weeks afterwards…]

Our pig had been cooking above hot coals since just after breakfast that morning. The cooks from both the Dragoman trucks had worked together to create a feast of salads and vegetables and meat. So we sat down to an incredible banquet of food. Despite hearing that spits can often be dry, this meat was succulent, the crackling was crunchy and there was loads of it.

Next it was time for us to hand over our silly costumes and get dressed. I was dressed by Denford and got off mildly with a dress I wouldn’t choose to wear on the average night at the pub – but was not too outrageous and actually fitted me like a glove. Tim, on the other hand, was dressed by Emily. The photos will illustrate his look best but he looked like a male ballerina with a condom on his head.

The costumes led to general craziness and some fun drinking games. My favourite was the Vegetable Game. It would take too long to describe the intricacies but the essence is that everyone chooses a vegetable for themselves and the game involves saying the name of your vegetable and then passing the ‘lead’ to someone else in the circle by saying their vegetable, the whole time you’re unable to shut your mouth or show your teeth. So “Butternut squash” ends up sounding like “utt-er-uu awww”. Everyone’s struggles to enunciate without a fully functioning mouth become hilarious, the effect is much like dinner-time table conversation at the average nursing home when the oldies take their teeth out I imagine – with some booze fuelled laughs thrown in for good measure.

Malawi

Caro: Next day, it was another long drive across the border into Malawi.  We stayed at Chitimba, at a campground right on the lake. Once our tents were pitched we all wandered out to the market outside the gates and enjoyed a few hours of browsing wood carvings and negotiating with the guys who’ve all adopted outrageous names, including Mr Cheaper Price, Mr Smooth Talker, Mr Super Cheap and Mel Gibson. Tim ended up buying a Malawi chair and table from Fantastic Steve.

Denford cooked a great chicken curry with spices that Janice had bought in Zanzibar. Most of us were in bed early-ish but Tim and Dave stayed up late drinking far too many “elephants’’ and didn’t hit the hay until 4:30am.  Needless to say the next day and the day after were a struggle for Tim.

I was awake at 6am the next morning and struck up a conversation with a couple of the shopkeepers from the evening before (Vin Diesel, Mad Mike, Mr Smooth Talker and Mr Cheaper Price). They had a pig with them which they were about to kill for us to take with us to our next campsite to cook on the spit. They were happy for Denmark, George and I to watch. Within 90 minutes they had lit a fire (to boil water to help shave the pig), killed, shaved and butchered the pig and he was in the esky in the truck. I was really impressed by their attention to hygiene and the health of the pig – they checked the organs for parasites etc.

So at 9am we hit the road for a short drive day. We stopped at Mzuzu for groceries and ran into a Dragoman truck doing the reverse route of our own (from Cape Town to Nairobi). It was good to compare notes so there was lots of chatter. Everyone was getting on so we made plans to stay at the same campsite as them, at Kande Beach, for the next few nights.

One thing that Mzuzu is well known for (on the overland circuit) is “Crazy Clothes”! The market at Muzuzu seems to be the destination for some of the more outrageous clothes that are donated in Europe / Australia / the US and sent to Africa by charities and have no real role to play in everyday life. This stuff is seriously impractical for day-wear / work-wear for your average African (think sequins, skimpy tops, ball gowns etc.) So Johno proposed a silly clothes party. We each drew a name and bought clothes for that person to wear. We had a cash limit and a time limit to spend it – so we bought in a frenzy and put a smile on many a stallholders face as we tried on the most gruesome combinations of outrageous clothes. With costumes purchased it was back on the truck to make our way to Kande Beach.