Posted by: Jonathan
From Tanzania we crossed over the border into land locked Malawi. Even though it doesn't have access to the ocean, fortunately it is home to Africa's third largest lake, Lake Malawi. It is one of the poorest countries in Africa and , well, the world for that matter. The poorer the country the friendlier the people and Malawi is no exception.
From Tanzania we crossed over the border into land locked Malawi. Even though it doesn't have access to the ocean, fortunately it is home to Africa's third largest lake, Lake Malawi. It is one of the poorest countries in Africa and , well, the world for that matter. The poorer the country the friendlier the people and Malawi is no exception.
As we drove through Malawi, I spent most of my time with my head out the window keeping an eye out for pedestrian wavers.
The first night at our lake side campsite I met a local wood carver and he invited me to spend the next day with him at the "shop." The next morning, immediately after breakfast (8 A.M.), I followed his directions to the shop which turned out to be four posts supporting a grass roof with millions of wood chips making up the floor. Steve (the woodcarver) was making masks that day, so I followed his lead. At first I was absolutely rubbish, I hit the chisel too soft or at the wrong angle, but after a while I starting getting the hang of it. It was really fun, especially once the mask started taking shape.
I worked for four hours after breakfast before taking a break for lunch. After lunch I sanded for three hours going through five grades of sandpaper to make it smooth.
Next I applied shoe polish with a toothbrush to give the face luster and color. Some might say that my mask is busted, I like to think of the asymetric face as having character. It took a total of seven hours for me to complete one, where Steve finished his first one in under an hour. At my pace I would be making just under $2 a day for a solid days work - yikes.
I have mentioned before how this country is poor but I didn't even get it until later that afternoon. I was doing some shopping and when I went to pay I was asked if I could barter things (batteries clothes, etc) instead of using the local currency Kwacha. Banks are few and far between, as well as shops selling everyday household goods. Instead of paying money and spending a day traveling to the nearest store to pick items up, everyone preferred to barter. So I bought sodas and snacks with a couple triple A batteries and several souvenirs with things in my bag I don't need.
We then moved further south along the lake to an even prettier bay for several more days of relaxing. We arrived in the afternoon and swam in the clear water until the sun set.
The next morning Tim (an Aussie on our truck) and I were put in charge of buying a pig from a local in town. I was a bit new to this but picking out the pig and negotiating a price went without a hitch. The only issue I had was watching a pig get slaughtered and gutted at 7:30 A.M., it's just a little early.
That afternoon myself and some others swam to a nearby island and jumped off the rocks that surrounded it.
While we were swimming and soaking up the sun, the pig was busy rotating on the spit and after 12 hours of roasting it was dinner time.
I won't lie I felt guilty picking which pig would be dinner and watching/listening to it take place but not bad enough that I abstained from partaking come dinner time.
Our last day along the lake I spent seeing how much time I could spend rocking in the breeze in a beach side hammock, turns out I can do it through sunset into the night.
Our last day along the lake I spent seeing how much time I could spend rocking in the breeze in a beach side hammock, turns out I can do it through sunset into the night.
The next morning we woke up early, packed the truck, and headed for Zambia. The only good part of our early morning departures are the sunrises.