Lakeside Paradise

Tuesday, June 18

The third day of the trip started off well, but in the afternoon the lake became very rough. Because we had no gear to weigh the kayaks down, we were getting bounced all over the place. All of a sudden, we looked at the shore and saw two people waving at us. I looked more closely and could see some bungalows and a bar. After some maneuvering, we managed to get the kayaks and the speedboat on shore. Because the lake was so high, many of the bungalows that had sat on the water had been taken down, so we set up camp on the beach where the bungalows had been.

We had found paradise. The bar, built around a large tree, is fully stocked and is surrounded by a ring of hammocks. In front of the bar, near the shore, are several swings complete with big cushions. Even the toilet here is beautiful, built high on a hill with a view of the lake. And at night, with no electricity, the paths are lined with kerosene lamps and candles in paper bags.

Toby, a very friendly British guy, owns the place and plays bartender as well. We make ourselves comfortable at the bar and in the hammocks and spend a very relaxing afternoon and evening.

Steig had set up a scuba course to start on Thursday, so he left us here, and went back to Nkhata Bay. Kumba and Giros had arranged for him to go back on one of the very dodgy-looking taxi boats that run up and down the lake. The boat came by around 7:30 or 8:00 in the evening (it runs south at night only) and was supposed to get him back to Njaya around 10 or 11. When we got back on Thursday, we found out that not only did the boat arrive in Nkhata Bay around 3:00 a.m., also the driver refused to take Steig all the way back to Njaya, and was going to leave him at the dock in town, a good 20 minute walk from Njaya. Steig had one of the kayaks with him (it had been towed behind the ferry), and, as he was standing at the dock in the middle of the night contemplating what to do, he luckily ran into some relative of either Kumba or Giros, who kayaked with him back to Njaya, where he finally arrived at about 4:00 a.m. Needless to say, he was one very unhappy Norwegian.

Wednesday, June 19

Ruarwe, Malawi: “Where Are We” Lodge

Our last day on the kayak trip, we stayed at Ruarwe (prounounced Roo-are-ee) at a little lodge called "Where are we?" An appropriate name because the only way to get here is by boat or on foot. While Usisya was a beach paradise, Ruarwe, also very beautiful, is more jungle-like. Behind the lodge is a large waterfall, and the bar is built into the side of a cave, complete with cave paintings and intricately carved poles holding up the ceiling. While Randy and I chose to stay in a bungalow, Paul and Nicole chose the campsite high up on a bluff overlooking the waterfall. While the setting of the campsite was spectacular, it turns out we made a good choice because Randy ended up with a case of sunstroke and went to bed, under many blankets, at about 5:00. I, on the other hand, stayed up playing cards with the rest of our crew plus an Israeli couple and Charlie, the owner, a South African guy.




Click to see bigger versions of these photos