Fun in the Sun at Cape Maclear

July 8^th, 2013

This weekend Kim and I went on a trip to Cape Maclear, which is a tourist town on the southern shore of Lake Malawi.  We went there with nine other volunteers here in Lifuwu.  It was a lot of fun! First, we chartered our own motola (truck), so that we were not packed like sardines for nine hours on the way to our destination.  The trip only took three hours, but it was VERY uncomfortable—there were eleven of us sitting in the bed of a pickup truck.  The trip normally takes nine hours by motola, but since we chartered one, it was a non-stop trip.

 

As it turns out, Saturday was Freedom Day in Malawi, the day when Malawians celebrate their independence from Great Britain, so all of the hotels and hostels on the beach were booked.  We eventually found something that could only be described as a motel, African style.  The conditions were quite spartan, but it was better than sleeping on the beach with all the mosquitoes. In short order we were relaxing at the beach enjoying beautiful Lake Malawi.   

I can’t say that it was very difficult to sit on the beach all day drinking beer, but we did make time for a nice dinner of pizza at one of the resorts.  Then the fun began: first, we walked along the beach until we found a group of locals playing bongos around a fire at the beach.  So we sat and tried to sing in Chichewa (with the help of a few beers) and enjoyed the breathtaking night sky.

 

Then, it started getting late, so we walked back to our accommodation.  On the way, we ran into a throng of drunk Malawians who were standing outside of a bar/club, which was definitely a local hangout.  

 

I tried this beverage (if you can call it that) called Chibuku, which is labeled “International Beer”.  I have had dozens, if nor hundreds of different beers in all of my travels, and I have never even heard of it.  It came in a milk carton, and the slogan said “Taste the Goodness”. Alas, there was no goodness.  In fact, as Keenan put it, it tasted like battery acid, grass, and sour milk.  Unfortunately, the aftertaste even more disgusting, and it lasted the rest of the night and into the morning.  After a mouthful, I gave the rest of my Chibuku to a man in front of the bar, and he seemed grateful to have it—though not as grateful as I was not to have to drink it!  That ended the festivities for the evening.

 

On Sunday we chartered a boat to take us to an island off the coast, which was part of an aquatic national park—one of the only freshwater parks in all of Africa.  We went snorkeling and saw hundreds of brightly coloured Cichlid fish.  Some were neon blue, others were bright yellow.  It was amazing.   

 

Then, after a few hours, the boat driver prepared a braai (barbeque), and roasted some local fish over an open flame.  It was very simple, but definitely delicious.  

 

When we got back to town, we watched the sun set.  It was quite picturesque.  Malawi truly is a beautiful country.

After the sun went down we went to another resort for dinner, but we got there just in time to watch Andy Murray win the Wimbledon final.  There seemed to be a lot of Brits in the bar, and they were excited to see him win.  Once the excitement died down, we dined at “Froggies”, a French restaurant.  The food was very good, even by Western standards, and the desserts were even better.  After all the excitement, we went back to our hostel exhausted.

On Monday we came back to Lifuwu with our chartered motola, and arrived home in the afternoon.  All in all, it was another great weekend in Malawi.  This trip keeps getting better and better!  Here's a sign that was on the island where we snorkeled.  I found it amusing, and I hope that you do too.