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A
Picturesque Plateau
- On
leaving Blantyre we decided to stay at the Limbe Country Club (it's only
about 8kms from Blantyre so it wasn't much of a drive!). Limbe is a
bustling village of total confusion and mayhem! Drivers don't
worry to use lanes, they just drive into any available space on the
road, weaving in and out between the parked mini-taxi's, bicycles and
pedestrians. The pedestrians have the hardest time as there is no
space on the pavements to walk as they covered with vendors stalls, and
walking on the road is a risky operation!
Unlike
in South Africa, the mini-taxi's in Malawi have a tout who screams the
destination to all and sundry. The taxi doesn't leave until it is
full, so getting anywhere on time is not a guarantee unless you leave
way ahead of schedule! Talking of taxis, it's bizarre but many of
the mini-taxis have fresh fish hanging from their windscreen
wipers. We presume that this is keep it cool and keep the smell
out the passenger area!
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Fresh fish hang off the
windscreen wipers
of many mini-taxis
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A relic from the past...
A sign at the Limbe Country Club
(Alan was most grateful that the rule
no longer applies!)
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We enjoyed the Limbe Country Club; the old colonial atmosphere
hangs over the clubhouse which has seen better days. The
current administration is obviously doing their best; fresh
whitewash adorns the walls and the floors are polished with red
wax everyday. The fences however are in a poor state and the
grassy football pitch is about as bumpy as a cobbled street. The
food was an absolute treat and inexpensive; I indulged in Chambo
Mornay and Alan worked his way through a giant Gammon Steak.
We left Blantyre and made our way
to Zomba Plateau; the road is considered to be the worst tar road
in the country. A narrow road, no verge or markings but with
lots of bumps and patched potholes. We noticed policemen
every 500m or so along the road, and it wasn't that long before we
were being told to move off the road - not such an easy feat for
our Mog on such a narrow road, but we complied just in time to see
the Presidential motorcade of Police Landrovers, military vehicles
and luxury 4 x 4's speed past with lights flashing and sirens
blaring. Not quite as much fanfare as Zimbabwe's Mugabe has,
but much more fuss than South African President Mbeki makes.
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We bumped our way along the road,
passing the inevitable vendors, stalls, busy villages, deforestation
and charcoal kilns. New was the vast coffee tree groves and
the macadamia nut farms.
Many locals travel by bicycle; they
strap a large basket to the carrier for the purpose of carrying a
wide variety of items from live chickens to maize meal. Others
carry passengers for a fare.
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There is a much stronger influence of Islam here in Malawi have we
have seen elsewhere. Even small villages have a mosque such as
the newly constructed one seen on the left. Many of the
Christian churches are also represented, notably the Catholic Church
and the Baptists, but there is a huge contingency of missionaries
who work under different banners. Outside of the main towns,
any white person will probably be a missionary or a Peace Corp
volunteer.
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Zomba is just 68kms from Limbe, so it wasn't long before we were
trudging up the side of the plateau. The ground fell further
and further away the higher to crept, the sunlight pouring through
the tall pine trees creating an image from one of Tolkien's novels;
I could just image Froddo and his merry band of Hobbits in this
strange place where tropical ferns and palms mingle with ancient
trees.
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Incredibly, people gather wood, some huge planks, and balanced on
their heads, make their way down the steep hill. The angle of
the descent is such that they often break into a run with a heavy
load carried, seemingly securely, on their heads.
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At the top of the plateau we were surrounded by vendors selling
freshly picked strawberries, raspberries, mulberries and
gooseberries. The thought of such wonderful tastes with ice
cream (of which we usually have a good supply) had us finding a
campsite as quickly as possible. The photo on the left is
our supply being washed in cold stream water.
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After driving past the new Mulunguzi
Dam, we discovered a small paradise in Kuchawe Trout Farm.
Here the campsite is set amongst large old trees, alongside a
mountain stream, the source of which is the dew from the
trees. The water is cold and clear and trout lazily swim
between the many pools. Alan tested the water and it
registered just 005 on his PPM meter. As a comparison, tap
water in Gauteng, South Africa, is 135.
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And so we settled in to enjoy the
succulent fruits of the forest, the sound of the rushing stream as
it poured over and through rocks, watched trout fishermen (who had
varying degrees of success) and took time to walk along the cool
trail into the forest. Every bend of the trail offers a
different view... tall ferns, cycads, waterfalls and fluttering
butterflys. Each morning everything would be covered in a
heavy dew which slowly dried off during the day.
If you are a fan of fresh fruit,
walking, hiking, trout fishing, bird watching and tree hugging,
Zomba Plateau is the place for you!
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The Mog on the banks of the
Mulunguzi Dam
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Sandy in the Fern Forest
along one of the walking trails
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Highlights of the week:
Best Campsite: Kuchawe Trout Farm, Zomba Plateau.
Best meal: Fresh strawberries, raspberries, mulberries and
ice cream!
Best moment: Strolling along the trail on the plateau.
Worst moment: I can't say we have had any bad moments this
week; it has just been a wonderful experience in a place where one is
enveloped in nature.
For more on the campsites we have visited, see the Tips on Malawi page.
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