New Year on Likoma

Likoma is one of two populated islands on Lake Malawi, some 50 kilometres south east of Nkhata Bay.   It is close to Mozambique - no more than a few kilometres - and lies in Mozambique waters; but it belongs to Malawi.  There are strong ties with Mozambique though with regular travel between the two and Portuguese not uncommon as the European language that locals know.

Sunrise over Mozambique 

The journey to Likoma is an overnight ferry ride from Nkhata Bay, but heading south on this occasion, not north as we had when going to Ruarwe.  The Ilala timetable remains unpredictable. You will recall that on our journey to Ruarwe, we almost missed the boat because it left half-an-hour before its scheduled time.  This time it was in port for hours before its due departure time and we were on board an hour before.  But for some reason it sat in port and left an hour and a half after its scheduled 8.00pm departure time.  We had a further delay of at least half an hour, mid-Lake, when there was a major commotion after some backpackers on the top deck refused to pay the first class fare or move to a lower deck; the captain was in the process of turning the boat back before they  agreed to move.  We remained in first class but the degree of comfort was questionable - it was an overnight journey but the best you could hope for was to find a piece of deck to lie down on and that became difficult when it started raining and everybody had to move into the bar area.  The various delays meant our arrival at Likoma was after dawn which helped when we disembarked; at least we could see where we were going as we climbed out of the boat that ferried us to the shore...although in Liz's case she had the added comfort of a piggy-back onto the shore.

First class sleeping quarters on the Ilala

Our destination at Likoma was Mango Drift, a Mecca in these parts for backpackers (according to the Bradt guide book, although actual numbers don't compare!).   It's on the west side of the island with a view across to Chisumulu (the other populated island on the Lake which lies a couple of kilometres away from Likoma) and beyond that, in the distance, to the Malawi side of the Lake.   It was busy compared to other lodges we had stayed at - barring Mushroom Farm - but that isn't saying much.   There would be three or four people in the bar area at any time, either playing bao (a board game common in East Africa that is not unlike backgammon) or just chilling out on the comfortable seating which, like the bar, is made out of old boats.  Just as at Usisya Lodge, the bar area is built around a tree trunk which adds to the generally exotic feeling. Each night a candlelit table would be set on the beach for dinner and we would have the water lapping up to the Lake shore a few metres away.  On two nights we had live music in the bar - Gaspar Nali from Nkhata Bay who played an extraordinary home-made instrument (half way between a guitar and a double bass with a beer bottle used to play notes) and a local Likoma group who sang a lovely mixture of gospel and African music.  And we saw in New Year beside a fire that had been lit on the beach.

Dinner table being set at Mango Drift

Gaspar Nali playing in the Mango Drift bar

I've written so much about the wonderful landscape of the Rift Valley Escarpment that there is little to add on Likoma which is an outcrop from the Escarpment.  It is more rocky than other places and there are large numbers of supersized baobab trees...but for the rest,  there are the same sandy beaches with rocky promontories, hills climbing steeply above the shore line, areas of dense vegetation, variety of trees, and abundance of bird life.  Village life also appears much the same with villages dotted along the shore, fishing boats everywhere, fish and cassava drying nets, well tended vegetable plots, tethered goats and roaming chicken.

Nya Kaunda measures up in front of a baobab tree

Back on Barra? - a cormorant dries it wings in front of Mango Drift

The main town in Likoma is Chipyela.   This is where the Ilala comes in and shops, bars, community facilities and government offices are located.  But it is hardly a town, more a big village.  There are two particular features which stand out.  One is the small airport with planes flying in on a regular (well, at least daily) basis.  These are most often ferrying in passengers and goods from Lilongwe destined for the up-market Kaya Mawa Lodge (they don't publish prices on-line but the Bradt guide book has them at $335 to $495 per person per night!).  The other is St Peter's Cathedral which was completed in 1906 and which was headquarters of the Anglican Church in Malawi until after the Second World War. It is an immense structure to be found in such a remote place.

St Peter's Cathedral, Chipyela

Chipyela main shopping street

We were four nights on Likoma and wanted a bit of variety so we spent our last night at Ulisa Bay Lodge, around 4 kilometres along the shore from Mango Drift.  We were expecting a car to pick us up but instead we heard a chugging boat engine coming round the promontory from the Ulisa Bay direction.  The comfortable and serene boat journey was a pleasant change from either getting exhausted walking in the blistering heat or being carried on the back of a truck along the bumpy Likoma roads.  Ulisa Bay Lodge  is less backpacker and more traditional lakeside chalets.  The rooms are beautifully decorated and the Lodge itself is very close to Ulisa Bay village which means the bar had locals in it, not just backpackers. We also had a wonderful view of the sunset which was hidden  by a promontory at Mango Drift. We loved Mango Drift but it was good to get a different experience.

Arriving at Ulisa Bay Lodge

Gin (Malawian, of course) and tonic in the Ulisa Bay Lodge bar - Chisumulu can be seen in the distance

Sunset seen from the Ulisa Bay Lodge bar

The Ilala did not disappoint on the way back.  It was meant to leave Likoma at 6pm (or that's what the timetable says) and arrive at Nkhata Bay at 1am.  Instead it left at 2pm and arrived at 7pm; definitely good to arrive much earlier in the evening but a problem for anyone who is naive enough to believe what timetables tell them.

Stopping off at Chisumulu on the way back

So now we are back at Mzuzu again.   I am stuck into Temwa work and Liz spent last week at the Crisis Nursery and is starting back at Wongari School today - though only for a week after which she disappears off on her trip to Zanzibar!  Our valley is becoming increasingly green and lush as a result of the rains and the Temwa compound garden is in a productive state - maize cobs, aubergines and we hope shortly to be getting avocados.  Gift, the Finance Administrator, brought in chickens he breeds at home and we had a freshly slaughtered chicken for dinner.  Mpatso (Gift) and Chiwemwe (Happy) had their kittens before Christmas; they kept them hidden in the innards of the sofa and armchair they had chosen as birthing places but  Mpatso disappeared a couple of days ago with two of the kittens and we don't know where they have got to.  We are hoping for their safe return.

How green is our valley?

Oversized aubergine in the Temwa compound garden

James and Nkhoma plucking chickens in the Temwa garden

We visited Wellington's house on Sunday morning.  It was an interesting  experience for us - I think people are probably as used to seeing mzungus (white people) in some of the remote villages as in the Chiputula area of Mzuzu that Wellington lives in so we attracted a fair amount of attention.  We received the usual warm welcome at Wellington's house and were given tea and food - interestingly, in what apparently is a Malawian tradition, when the food had been laid out everybody else went out and we were left to drink the tea and eat the food on our own (well we would have eaten it if we had not had breakfast just before we went there).  We were then joined again by Wellington, his wife, his children and an assortment of neighbours.  Wellington's wife and neighbours wanted to find out more about us (Malawians have a touching interest in backstories) but none spoke English so Wellington had to translate which he was brilliant at (Liz and I think Wellington should move into a new career, translator not watchman).

Taking a bicycle taxi to Wellington's house in the Chiputula area of Mzuzu

Wellington, Nya Kaunda and Grace, Wellington's first born, who wants to become a nurse

Outside Wellington's house - his wife is third left  at the back

I have in previous blogs given some of my impressions of Malawian life and hope to again in a future blog. One issue you can't miss is the impact that superstition has on society  (I have just been reading one of the No.1 Detective Agency stories in which understanding local superstitions plays a key role in solving one of the crimes).  There has been more than one story in the Nation newspaper about mob violence following deaths from lightning strikes where individuals have been accused of casting evil spells - in at least one case, this led to the death of the supposed perpetrator.  A possibly more bizarre story which fortunately did not have such terrible consequences was the one on the front page of last week's Nation on Sunday where rioting started following rumours being spread that a local pastor had turned into a snake.   The article is accompanied by a picture of said Pastor sitting on a sofa looking just like a normal human being - clearly the rumours had no basis in fact!

'Snake' pastor looking very much like a human being

The Burns Supper is going ahead at the Macondo Camp on Thursday and we had a practice on Sunday night after dinner - Liz singing Burns and other Scottish songs and others (not me) practising their Highland fling.    Attempts to get haggis have failed but Johnny, who is managing Macondo whilst the owners are back in Italy (having just had a new born child), has found a vegetarian haggis recipe.  The feedback Johnny has  had from others is that the vegetarian version will be preferable to the usual haggis constituents.  Bagpipe and other Scottish music has been downloaded in preparation. I suspect there will be a bit of whisky as well.

Practising for Burns supper on Thursday