A tale from the road! Part 6

Our trainee tour leader, Colin Walsh, who set off on the 11^th of May 2013 on our Cape Town to Kenya (KTC41) tour, shares his sixth part of his adventure as he leaves Zambia and crosses the border into Malawi and makes his way to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Find out what happens when he as they reach the beaches of Lake Malawi and heads for Dar-es Salaam in Tanzania. Read more…

Day 25 – 27 Kande Beach, Malawi

Leaving Chipata, Zambia early in the morning we had only 20km to the border of Malawi. We can already notice the change in terrain and landscape happening, with many large mountains and lush vegetation spread all over. We could also feel that we were getting closer to the tropics, with the heat and humidity increasing as we moved north.

Arriving at Kande Beach, we got that feeling of relaxation, a cool easy going vibe and just all round friendliness. Everyone there, worker and guest alike were in such a happy mood. There were already a number of other trucks there, so we had to squeeze into a spot for the night to sort out supper, and find a better base camp the following morning. This wasn’t a bother though, as we had the best place for our tents: right in front near the beach, with the lake-view to wake us up in the morning. With a high spirit, we enjoyed a good time at the very vibrant bar on the first night.

Kande Beach is a place where relaxation and exploration meet, giving you time to both sit on the beach with nothing to worry you and take on one of the many activities ranging from scuba diving, sailing and paddle boarding, to horse-riding, village tours and swimming to the nearby island.

The next morning our objective was to get to the island, 800m off shore. Our first attempt didn’t end up succeeding, as the one guest had hurt his foot, and even swimming caused him pain. We therefore decided to get there on the paddle boat first, and try the swim back. Just being on the island was great, away from any civilization with no distractions other than the beauty of the lake. There are 3 great rocks on the edge of the island, which can be jumped off, ranging from around 3m – 6.5m, all into the warm, see-through waters of Lake Malawi. We spent a good amount of time on the island snapping away at our cameras and challenging each other to jump off the rocks. The waters lapping around the Islands edge was so crystal clear that you could see perfectly the bottom about 10mtrs. After many hours relaxing and enjoying the island, it was time to leave. Whilst one of the group paddled the boat back, the rest of us decided to swim back. The time taken to swim was deceptive, finding out it was only 15 minutes until we achieved our goal.

Tonight was the traditional dress up party, respected by most trucks making a great time out of it. That day another Acacia truck had arrived, giving us a great opportunity to merge the two for even more fun. The tradition normally allows you to buy $5 worth of clothing for someone else to wear that night. This was decided by names in a hat, making the suspense and craziness of it even more compelling. Although, we were unable to get to a shop where these cheap items of clothing can be found, but were helped once in Kande: by one of the locals who keeps a bag of these crazy items of clothing, from which we all could pick and choose for that unlucky other. It just so happened that we all got cross dressed, with the girls bringing out there more masculine sides, and the guys wearing anything from ball gown dresses to the skimpy miniskirts. We all had a great laugh, providing for a great mood to start the evening. This was carried on throughout the night, with other trucks feeding off the energy created.

 Our third day in Kande was one used to soak up the sun, and enjoy the warm water for one last time. The night had taken a lot out of us, and we relished the opportunity for sleep in and a day with nothing to plan or worry about. Kande Beach, and Lake Malawi is such a wonderful place to be, and truly one of the highlights of my trip so far. Luckily enough, even though we were leaving the following day, we knew we still had another night on the shores of this magnificent lake in Chitimba. The third night was another festive one, with one of the other trucks having their dress up party, giving us a good reason to feed off the energy created and have another good evening with dance and music.

Day 28 Chitimba Beach Camp, Lake Malawi

The drive was not too far up the shore of the lake, and it provided us with some breathtaking views, as we curved our way up the mountain range, and back down the other side. Once the Lake was again in sight, we were in awe with views we got from such a height. Something that had not yet happened, but was bound to meet us on our trip, was the breakdown and therefore traffic jam that occurs quite regularly on the roads of Africa. Whilst coming down the steep mountain, we came upon 4-5 trucks backed up and standing still. We duly pulled up behind them, only to see that the road was blocked by a truck that had broken down, and another which was battling to get up the steep slope. The broken down truck was in the middle of the road, and not going to budge for a long while to come. By this time buses with scores of people were stuck on the other side of the mess. At least a hundred people were standing around, giving their two cents as how best to resolve this situation. We were of course all bystanders to this, but enjoyed the frenetic entertainment on show. Luckily enough it did not last long this time, with the truck battling to get up the hill, backing down slightly to allow the rest of us to pass through a narrow gap created. We were only delayed by 30 minutes, and again on our way to Chitimba.

This was another wonderful place. It has a totally different vibe to Kande Beach, still being friendly, but also more of a place to relax and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings. It was not the big party place, but something that was also appreciated by all. Soccer can be played on the beach with the local children, and a sociable evening enjoyed around a large bonfire made by the hosts. This is a loving environment, with Eddie and Carmen the hosts striving to create that homely feel, loved by all.

 

 

Day 29 – 30 Chitimba, Lake Malawi – Iringa – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

 We again had a couple days of driving, something that is prevalent on the East Africa leg, as the distances between places are that much further apart. We were heading to Dar es Salaam, and our trip to Zanzibar, but this led us to stop over in a camp site just outside Iringa: River Valley. We crossed the border from Malawi into Tanzania, and our sixth country. The roads in Tanzania are anything but perfect, and progress was slow. This coupled with speed bumps and police check points every 20km or so meant that we only arrived at our camp site after dark. We did however enjoy a group meal, prepared for us by the lovely River Camp staff, allowing us to enjoy the short time we had there. Due to the long drive and the fact that it was already dark, we all hit the sack pretty early, knowing we had another long day on the road and in anticipation of the Indian Ocean at Dar es Salaam.

 

The distance the following day was not that far, but where we spent a lot of our time was fighting our way through the chaotic traffic in Dar es Salaam. This was an experience for us all, seeing the manic peak traffic, cars cutting in tiny gaps, and the infamous ‘Tuk Tuks’ (three wheeled motorbike taxi’s) making their own rules while still picking up clients wherever possible. When we arrived at our camp: Mikadi Beach, we felt relieved, to finally get out of the truck, but also to have made it across Africa, from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Indian. Dar es Salaam welcomed us with a refreshing swim, in the waters, warm temperatures and humid conditions. A relaxing evening was enjoyed around the pool table, getting all our cameras charged for our 4 day excursion to the lovely island of Zanzibar.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks to discover what he gets up to with the group as they hit the beaches of Zanzibar, Tanzania to Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.

Written by Colin Walsh