M44 Malawi 1 - Swimming with Fish, Mokoros, Jumbe and the Slave Trade
Sunday, 2 April 2017 9:57 pm
A long day yesterday with a start at 7.30am, then the border crossing into Malawi and onto Monkey Bay arriving in the dark at 7pm and some 435Kms later.
Malawi reminded me a little of Cambodia, very poor but the people are proud and smiling.
Bicycles are used to carry everything. In this case 3 1/2 big bags of charcoal.
Tobacco is the main cash crop, with maize forming the staple food.
Our first look at the Great Rift Valley as we descend from the central plateau at 1500m down to Lake Malawi ( far left ) at 450 metres.
Today a relaxed day on the beach at Eagles Nest at Cape Maclear.
Our truck is parked under the tree at the far left.
One has to resist going swimming here because of Bilharzia. ( A parasite spread by water snails)
Z175/6/7: Eagles Nest - Right on a Lake Malawi Beach.
Cost: US$ 10/person - very nice camp!
Today: 434 Km
Africa Total: 33,598 Kms
Monday 3rd April 2017
The day was cruising Lake Malawi.
Over to a small island opposite camp to swim with the what they call ‘Nemo’ fish.
Not quite, but crystal clear water and lots of coloured fish that we hand fed.
Followed by a very nice lunch on the island beach.
Fried fish, rice, sweet potato, tomato etc.
Feeding Fish Eagles.
Most of the local fishermen still hand line or net fish from their dug out canoes or Mokoros.
The fish are sun dried or smoked and then sold in the local markets.
Tuesday 4th April 2017
Moved north up the lake edge near Salima.
...and watched the baboons play on the beach!
M178: The Steps - Right on a Lake Malawi at Senga bay
Cost: MKW4,000/person (US$ 5)
Today: 188 Km
Africa Total: 33,787 Kms
Wednesday 5th April 2017
An interesting day !
First we see this Mokoro ( canoe) being carved out of a tree that had fallen beside the road.
These children are not at school but work rubbing the kernels from the dried maize.
As in most African cultures it’s the women who seem to do the manual work !
The town of Nkhotakota was one of the centres of the African Slave trade.
From here ‘Jumbe’ ‘exported’ 20,000 slaves a year. 1,000 at a time were shipped across Lake Malawi and then walked for 3 months to the slave markets in Zanzibar.
It was under this tree that Dr Livingstone made a treaty with Jumbe to stop trading in slaves but this only lasted a few months and it was a number of years later that the British Colonial Government ceased the trade.
Sunset on Lake Malawi
M179: Kande Beach Camp
Cost: MKW4,200/person (US$ 7)
Today: 277 Km
Africa Total: 34,064 Kms