Africa Road-trip, Malawi Combined Episodes 93-95

These are the combined Africa, Malawi episodes. We visit the Livingstonia mission town and chill out on Lake Malawi, figure out how natural rubber works and cut through the Nkhotakota Game Reserve so Ben can buy a cigar.

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Livingstonia Mission, Malawi Video Details

Livingstonia was founded in 1894 by missionaries from the Free Church of Scotland. The missionaries had first established a mission in 1875 at Cape Maclear, which they named Livingstonia after David Livingstone, whose death in 1873 had rekindled British support for missions in Eastern Africa. By 1881 Cape Maclear had proved extremely malarial and the mission moved north to Bandawe. This site also proved unhealthy and the Livingstonia Mission moved once again to the higher grounds. The new site proved highly successful. In 2003 the local school was expanded to a very successful university.

The university town is a place out of time. At the chapel I found the stained glass window memorializing Dr. Livingstone commendable.

We continue our road trip with a visit to the world famous Manchewe Falls and Ancestor Cave. The cave is a natural depression under the falls that was used to hide the locals during the slaving days. Malawi is a very poor country. So the local boys all want to be paid guides. The competition is tough.

There is an official viewpoint that charges a tiny fee. From the viewpoint there is no sign of a cave opening but the falls are quite spectacular.

But we were curious about the secret hiding place or cave. It was an easy hike that followed a path below the ridgeline. Even at the falls the cave is not obvious. The view from beneath the falls was quite impressive.

Mkhata Bay Village Video Details

After an impromptu lunch we started a long driving day towards Mayoka village. The rode was paved and lacked the normal flow of vehicle traffic. It seems most people in Malawi walk.

At the Mayoka Village lodge we opted for a comfortable bungalow and some easy living.
The food was good, the drinks were cold, the lake was beautiful plus Ben had Wi-Fi.

Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system. It is the ninth largest lake in the world and the third largest and second deepest lake in Africa. It is home to more species of fish than any other lake, including at least 700 species of
aquarium fish.

Nkhotakota Game Reserve Video Details

After a few days of R&R we give up our comfortable lodging Lake Malawi and start driving again. On the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, we met a rubber ball salesman. He showed how natural rubber balls (think lots and lots of rubber bands) are made. Naturally Ben traded used shoes and clothes for a few balls.

Further along Ben spotted a local at his tobacco drying shed and tried to buy a cigar. No luck, so we got out of 4WD and picked up some speed.

I couldn’t resist the roadside fast food stalls. Ben preferred Lilongwe for fast food and to stock up.

It was a long day and we didn’t quite make it out of Malawi. As the sun started to set we found another lodge that provided $10 camping. We pitched camp, made dinner and then tested the bar before retiring for the day.

Early the next morning we headed for the border crossing into Zambia where we follow the regular ritual of paper work and street money exchange.

Bye-bye Malawi.