Days 22-28: Malawi Recap

Malawi...it's going to be hard to explain my thoughts cohesively about this trip, but I'll do my best.

First, let me start by saying I'm absolutely glad that I went. The trip was fantastic for two reasons: first, the chance to see Drew and get a better understanding of his experience in the Peace Corp, and second, to get a small glimpse into life in Africa. I was grateful to have Drew's one year of experience with Malawian culture and his ability to speak a good deal of the local language, Chichewa, because it made me feel far more comfortable during the trip. While most Malawians in the cities speak relatively good English, to figure out what's really going on around you, understanding Chichewa is a huge advantage.

Most Malawians are very friendly and helpful- the county has the nickname as the "Warm Heart of Africa" for a reason. They love Americans: little kids are so happy to wave and say hello as you pass by. Unfortunately, much of this attention is because the children know there is a chance for a handout. In general, there's a lot of staring at foreigners, which struck me as a tad odd because I saw more white visitors than I expected. I was also probably getting a bit more of my share of staring by traveling around in jeans: women are expected to wear long skirts and trousers are still considered unusual, while skirts above the knee are basically offensive in rural areas. One of the not so great aspects about Malawi is that its culture is still very sexist. Women have a far lower status than men; on my first day Drew warned me that when walking down the street most men will walk right towards me and expect that as a woman, I will step aside to signal deference. Another downside is terrible anti-homosexuality. While I did not encounter this prejudice directly, I found Drew's antidotal stories somewhat odd given that it's not considered strange for men to dance together or to hold hands while talking or walking down the street.

We spent the first two days in the capital, Lilongwe. The city is not exactly a place you would want to go sight-seeing, and I actually felt very uncomfortable walking around without Drew. I was less concerned about a physical confrontation than I just felt uneasy with the complete chaos of the city on my own. Getting hit by a car, motorcycle, or bus is a big risk: drivers assume completely illogical speeds on roads that are lined with pedestrians, bicyclists, women carrying large loads on their heads, people just hanging out, herds of goats, stray children, and large ditches. Crosswalks and stoplights are almost non-existent, and crossing a street can be a scary experience. The city itself isn't attractive; it's dusty, littered, crowded, and certain parts can be dangerous for unprepared tourists. After about half a day, I realized that enjoying the niceties of our hotel was a far better experience than seeing much more of Lilongwe.

Images from Lilongwe:

The morning of the third day, Drew and I headed out to Cape Maclear on Lake Malawi, the enormous lake that runs along most of Malawi's longest border. The taxi ride took about three hours, although taxi rides in general are worth more detail. Nothing in Malawi is done in a hurry. Not taking the time to properly greet someone and ask how they're doing is considered very rude. Times are very flexible; if you ask someone about how much time something is going to take, a good rule of thumb is to double or triple his answer. As Drew taught me, patience is key. On one hand, the Malawian concept of time is definitely a more relaxed way to approach life. Getting worked up about how long something is taking will get you nowhere in Malawi. It's perfectly normal or acceptable for your cab driver to pick up another customer, his sister, and goods for transport, or to stop driving to talk to someone on the side of the road. Getting from point A to B by the fastest means possible just does not happen in Malawi.

So, back to our taxi ride. The first two hours out to Cape Maclear were along a well-paved road that went through scenes that could have been straight out of National Geographic: beautiful mountain ranges, gorgeous terrains, clusters of brick and grass shacks, and clearly terrible poverty. One thing that greatly surprised me about Malawi was the number of people that seemed to be everywhere, especially along the roads. Even outside the major cites, people are strolling down the side of Malawi's equivalent of a highway. We passed by so many women carrying huge bundles, locals waiting for customers at farm stands, men riding bicycles, donkeys pulling carts, people simply standing or sitting, and children herding goats, even when we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. The last hour was down a very bumpy dirt road, but we arrived mid-day to the Gecko Lounge, which was absolutely beautiful and right on Lake Malawi.

On the way to Cape Maclear:

We spent our afternoon lounging in hammocks by the beach and indulging in pizza at the lounge restaurant and bar. In the evening, we wandered down the road to a restaurant where we were the only customers, but were treated quite well by a local Malawian chef who served us a tasty dinner.

The morning of 4th of July, we needed to run some errands, particularly getting to an ATM - almost everything in Malawi is done in cash. Cape Maclear has no local ATMs, and simply taking out money is an exercise in Malawi - ATMs go down, many don't take foreign cards, and banks limit the amount you can take out per day. So Drew and I headed to the nearest major town, which was about 1.5 hours away. We arrived with no problems, and walked around for a bit, both to look for a major bank ATM and see the city. We were finally able to withdraw money, and about to make our way back to the resort, when something ugly happened.

In Malawi, the common way to travel is by "matola", which are essentially large pickup taxi-trucks that carry everything from people to bicycles to oil cans to produce, piled and squeezed into the open beds until it seems like nothing more could possibly fit, and then 2 more people manage to climb in. Some people are sitting in the bed, others along the sides, with even more standing towards the front. I'd seen up to 50 people on the back of these taxis. Right now there is a worsening fuel shortage in Malawi, with diesel and petrol often not available in villages for days, and long lines at any place that does have fuel. This lack of fuel means transportation is even more difficult, and these taxis are cramming in more people. Only tourists can afford to take private cars, which can also be very difficult to find.

As Drew and I were looking to leave the city, I watched as one of these taxi-trucks swerved, hit an oncoming car, and dumped the entire back-bed of people onto the road and into oncoming traffic. Drew did not see the accident as it happened, but I was pretty shaken up. Fortunately, there was a hospital nearby, but I have no idea how bad the damage was; we got out of there quickly. Drew called the resort and asked that they send a car at any price, which they fortunately were able to arrange, but we had to wait about three hours before the car arrived. We did not make it back to Cape Maclear until 6pm, and by then, it was already dark. We spent the evening of 4th of July at the lounge bar, mostly chemically clearing away the events of the day and hoping for a better start the following morning.

The event was pretty gruesome, but dwelling on it would only ruin the trip of a lifetime. It was an unfortunate first hand glimpse into the reality of life in Malawi: death is a just a lot more common. Sickness, accidents, hunger, AIDS -- these are the hard realities of life. I saw so many children playing along the side of the road and wondered, "how could parents be ok with this?" But when you realize playing along the side of the road is low risk compared to the other dangers these children face, you can understand why their parents are focused on more pressing concerns, like starvation and clean water. Depressing, yes.

The accident turned out to be the only part of the trip that wasn't phenomenal. The next morning, we took a boat to an island not far from the shore for a morning of snorkeling and a lunch of fish and chips. Snorkeling was amazing; it was like swimming through a massive tropical aquarium. We also spotted an otter off the island, along with eagles and other impressive birds. We spent the afternoon and evening further relaxing and enjoying the beautiful scenery, with a return trip to the restaurant down the street.

Pictures of Cape Maclear:

Early on the 6th, we returned to Lilongwe and checked into a great hotel. Drew gave me a longer of a tour of Lilongwe, including the market areas. We had a wonderful patio dinner at the hotel and a great last night. The following day it was time for me to go, and we had to leave for the airport around 11am for me to catch my flight. My flights to both Johannesburg and London were uneventful, and I'm currently sitting Heathrow, waiting for my flight to Zurich.

Malawi was a fantastic adventure and very different from any other trip I've taken. I'll get more photos loaded soon.