I am not a hiker. Born in Singapore and growing up in Perth, Australia, I am quite firmly a sea level person. I’ve proven my mettle on a hiking trip up the West coast of the US a few years ago and, quite frankly, that’s enough. What on earth people gain out of slogging up steep slopes with heavy backpacks to cart around, taking layers on and off, straining your knees and muscles getting back down the mountain and feeling sore for days later, I really do not know. Give me a beach any day of the week – the views are just as pretty and the trip there a whole lot less taxing.
So when my entire group came to me in Chitimba, Malawi to see if they could stay a day longer to hike up a mountain to Livingstonia my first thought was that they were all mad. An 8 hour, 15 km hike? When the Lake is only 500m from your tent? Crazy. Second thought: oh, no, am I obliged to go?
Luckily my fellow crew member is keen on hiking, so with Duncan going and all five passengers as well I realised: I had (most of) a day off. After waking up to get breakfast ready and prepare food so everyone could make themselves a packed lunch to take up the mountain, I had the day to do whatever I wanted. And what a great place to relax! Chitimba camp has lots of lovely grassy areas to pitch a tent, with the beach a short walk from the campsite plus a really beautifully decorated bar/restaurant to hang out in. With friendly staff, good internet and great weather, I had a fantastic day of reading, relaxing and discovering the famed local hot sauce, Nali (which grew into a group addiction: by the end of our time in Malawi, we had around 20 different bottles of all the different flavours floating around the truck – with only five passengers, that’s a lot! ‘Gifts’ of course…).
Once it hit about 4 o’clock, the boredom started to hit. Wondering where everyone was, I decided to start getting dinner ready early. By five, they were all back: sweaty, tired, blistered and hungry but in a GREAT mood, and really excited about everything they’d seen and done that day. While a tough hike, everyone had made it to the village at the top, as well as to a waterfall on the way up, and had met lots of locals, done some shopping, seen the amazing view and had an insight into village life on top of the mountain. Stories of being overtaken on the road by ladies with suitcases on their heads with kids in tow, is an interesting insight into how people adapt to living in remote areas without the luxury of vehicles. Every single person highly recommended the hike – so much so, I briefly thought about investing in proper shoes and getting my cardio up (very fleeting thought, obviously much easier to get new sarong or beach towel) – so I think from now on we’ll be spending two nights in Chitimba so passengers can all experience Livingstonia, get some exercise and have as great a day as my passengers did!
Written by – Siobhan Tatly – Acacia Crew
