I had a wonderful weekend on the chilly Zomba Plateau. It was definitely the biggest adventure that I've had in Malawi so far.
The trip to Zomba - hitching a ride, Malawi style: 4 of us decided to risk the Malawi bus system and get a ride to Zomba for less than $2 rather than spend far too much money to rent a car/driver for the weekend. Surprisingly, the bus had seats for everyone on board and there were no chickens (a common finding on Malawi buses). When we got to the city of Zomba we had to meet up with Anthony Umi, our host for the weekend. We were under the impression that he would drive us to the plateau, so we were a bit surprised when he walked up to us; no car in sight. This meant we had to find an overpriced taxi to go the last 11 miles. Mr. Umi went to find us one and came back with a friend of his that offered to take us up to our house for free. You can't beat that, so we hopped in the back of his truck, happy that our journey only cost $2. The trip was off to a great start. The other 4 group members were less lucky. They had hired a driver who apparently was night blind. He was great until night rolled in and they hit a biker on the side of the road and feared for their lives. They arrived a bit shook up to say the least.
Saturday - the 5 hour hike: We awoke to a foggy day and set out to see the plateau. First, we stopped by Mulunguzi Dam where Mr. Umi had a friend. We hiked down a rocky slope to get to the door to an underground/underwater tunnel. Mr. Umi's friend described the history of the dam and proceeded to take us through the tunnel and pressure locked doors. It was actually pretty cool to be in a tunnel 47 meters under the water's surface.
The lake created by Mulunguzi Dam with a small waterfall in the background.After the dam, we headed straight up the mountain through the mist and fog. There were many pine trees and the air was chilly which made me feel at home in this foreign place. The air was thick and I was exhausted, but the surroundings were beautiful. As I was huffing and puffing, there were many Malawians walking barefoot down the slippery clay path with more wood on their head than I've ever carried. Mostly women and children, they carry large bundles of wood atop their heads to the villages. Amazing really. Apparently, they collect wood on the weekends that they can use for cooking and heating their house for the week.
Hiking through the fog
A frog that I found by the lake
The tranquil lake (prettier in real life)More hiking on level ground brought us to the Queen's view and the Emperor's view...obscured by the fog. We did get to see a bit of the fantastic view through the fog, but the pictures don't do it justice. We had a picnic while watching the rolling clouds and then headed down to Williams Falls. There, we took a refreshing shower under the falls...my favorite part of the weekend.
Williams falls
Shant, me, Niamh, and Mr. Umi in the chilly fallsAfter 5 hours of fabulous hiking we returned home to Mr. Umi's guest house and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Sunday - travelling refugee style: All low on money, we got the cheapest ride back to the bus station that we could find. This meant sitting in the bed of the of a truck on make-shift benches. Since it was raining hard, they had covered the truck bed in red and blue fabric. This meant that we could not see where we were going at all. We were huddled in the back with no idea how far we were from home, holding on for dear life. The rain kept coming down and the holes in the fabric became apparent. I was lucky enough to be under one of the larger holes and got my own personal shower. Laughing through it all, I arrived at the bus stop wet and cold. Our bus arrived an hour after we did and although there were many people standing in the aisle on the way home, the trip was uneventful. It was a fun adventure for sure.
I had a great weekend! I loved talking to Mr. Umi about the town and the people. It was much less planned out than our previous trips and that's the way I like it.
Alright. I'm happy to be home and now I must rest.
Sunday - travelling refugee style: All low on money, we got the cheapest ride back to the bus station that we could find. This meant sitting in the bed of the of a truck on make-shift benches. Since it was raining hard, they had covered the truck bed in red and blue fabric. This meant that we could not see where we were going at all. We were huddled in the back with no idea how far we were from home, holding on for dear life. The rain kept coming down and the holes in the fabric became apparent. I was lucky enough to be under one of the larger holes and got my own personal shower. Laughing through it all, I arrived at the bus stop wet and cold. Our bus arrived an hour after we did and although there were many people standing in the aisle on the way home, the trip was uneventful. It was a fun adventure for sure.
I had a great weekend! I loved talking to Mr. Umi about the town and the people. It was much less planned out than our previous trips and that's the way I like it.
Alright. I'm happy to be home and now I must rest.
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