Chizumulu and Likoma islands

Last week I went on a proper holiday :) 

The school finished for the year and I was off for one week. I had planned to go to Chizumulu and Likoma islands during this week for some time but then the bad news came. The ferry (the only transport) to these islands broke down about three weeks ago and nobody knew when the ferry would be back. Here in Malawi, fixing something can take two months or two days, you just never know. So I started to make other plans to go south to Cape McClear but I was still hoping the ferry to come to Nkhata-Bay on Monday as usual. And guess, who got happy when the ferry 'sailed' in to town on Sunday night. I rushed to the ticket office to ask when it is leaving to the islands and got told it would leave Monday at noon, so I had a full day to prepare and pack my bags. 

It was a bunch of us muzungus (this is what the black people call us here, muzungu = white person) that entered the boat but only me, Sebastian from South Africa and Rea from Italy was heading for the islands and the rest down south to the end of the lake. 

The ferry or the ilala as they call it here, is an old, old boat that was taken in to use back in the 1940's by the British missionaries and it is still running (well barley) today some 70 years later! The ilala is a old style ferry with a wooden bar and a sun deck for the first class passengers (which means us muzungus that can afford it) and the lower decks where the local people sit on top of the endless amount of rice bags, firewood, fuel barrels and what ever else they need on the island. Remember this is the only transport to the island so whatever a person might need or sell on the island is taken on this boat (coca-cola craters, bed frames, book shelves, chickens, oil, maize flour, etc. etc.). 

 It is literally crazy to get on and off this boat. It is just insane. There are no rules, no organization, no manners. Every man for himself. But we did not know this until we came to Chizumulu island and had to get off the boat in the evening (which meant in the dark) and people shoved us here and there and were in such a hurry that it was surreal. We did not moore at the island instead smaller boats came to pick up the passengers. We did not know that there was no hurry at all to get off this ferry (the boat stayed there for 5h!) so we followed the locals advice to get on the first boat out. And it was just crazy, everybody pushing and this old lady shoving a big rice bag on me like she was a bulldozer. Where did the friendly Malawians go?? 

We made it on the first boat and had to stand until we got to shore, which was not far at all. But then it was another huge mission to get off this smaller boat. Again people acted like maniacs and no one helped us and we had no clue where to go and who to trust. I was like "hell no I am giving my bag to some local stranger in the dark that will run off with it" so I hold on to my bags, took off my shoes and jumped in the shallow water holding my bags tights. Sebastian was right behind and we ended up just laughing at this insanity trying not get frustrated. This is Africa at the end.

Anyways, all this happened in the dark and it felt like a sciene from Titanic. Like getting of the ferry into the lifeboats that the use as transport to score. Even the ilala looked like a small Titanic with its old style and lights reflecting the water and people screaming and shouting like it was the end of the world. But we made it off the boat and only a minute away was our lodge Wakawenda. This was a beautiful place but right as we got there the power got cut so did not really get to see the place until the next day. It would have been nice if it was daylight when we arrived as the first thing we encountered on the island was aliens! Just look at it! It is the most freaky looking cockroach/spider that I have ever seen so I named it "the alien" as it sure looks like one.

Besides the aliens, the island is beautiful and we went hiking up the small and only hill on the island and got a full frontal view of one side of the island. Wakawenda lodge was also beautiful and a place where I ended up reading and relaxing for the following days. We also got to know the local kids. Which as always shouts and cheers as they see muzungus walk though the village. "Give me money, give me money"!

After two nights on the island and among the aliens we took a local motor boat (the machine as they called it) to Likoma island. Here we stayed at lovely Mango Drift enjoying the beach, the water and the hammocks. They had superb dinner meals and really friendly staff. Here are some pics below and you can see Chizumulu island in the background.

We also went in town to the market and had some local rice and beans at the Hunger Clinic restaurant. There was even an immigration office in town (Mozambique is only 40 km away by boat) and I accidently remembered I had to renew my Malawian visa so luckily I had enough money with me to do that there before it expired.In town we also passed this Hang Over Bottle Store bar. Nice name, isn't it?

We managed to stop this car, well I called it "The Beast" just like Obama's, when walking back to the hostel. This belonged to the luxury lodge Kaya Mawa and was not suppose to pick up any hitch hikers but we managed to get a ride anyways. I guess to the benefit of being "muzungus". It is an old safari truck and it might not look like it but it felt like being very high up and being a queen waiving to all the kids that came running down to the road as we passed. So surreal! But we had a great ride and did not have to walk the 45h minutes back in the boiling heat.

 After 3 days chilling on Likoma island we took the ferry back to Nkhata-Bay. It arrived at 01.00 in the morning and wasn't in Nkhata Bay until 13.00 the next day. Luckily, I had my hammock with me and was able to put it up on the sun deck. This is how I was sleeping that night. Actually, it was very comfortable !