Kaya Mawa Likoma Island

Greetings from Lake Malawi!


Luckily when I was getting ready to leave the guesthouse in Mzuzu I met someone that was driving back to Nkhata Bay and ofered me a ride if I could just wait a few hours while he ran a few errands. And it just so happened that he's one of the owners of the dive shop in Nkhata Bay so I got some great info about the diving there.


Nkhata Bay is about an hour east of Mzuzu on Lake Malawi. It's ...

Josh and I left Blantyre behind. We also parted company with the Austro-Swiss motorbike team of Ruth and Claudio. During my time in the wilderness, Ruth had managed to crash her bike and do some serious damage. The destruction was confined mostly to the bike. It meant though that Claudio would have to spend a few days repairing the machine. We made plans to catch up somewhere along Lake Malawi. We made for Cape Maclear, on the southern tip of the lake. Lake Malawi occupies a large ...

We've had occasion to make use of several interesting forms of transportation during the course of this trip, but I think that boat journeys have been one of my favorites. We've crossed Lake Titicaca, chugged down the Three Gorges, and sailed up the Nile. So when I heard about the Ilala Ferry, which had been making its way up and down Lake Malawi for more than 50 years, I thought it would be fun. It would certainly be a lot ...

I decided to stay in Nhkata Bay for the day just so I could catch up on my travel blog. I spent 6 hours typing. It was like being at work again. At night, I had dinner with the Italian couple. I met some of their friends. I was glad I met them as their stories about my next ...

I said good bye to Erica today. I am on my own again. I didn't do much at all except continue to make a dent in my Che Guevara book. I was to take the ferry back to Nhkata Bay later that night so I just took it easy. I did my exercises again. I haven't missed a day since I decided to start my daily routine.It's easy not to skip a day when you are in a place like this. I normally do them while I am in my room but I ...

Today I went to Likoma Islkand with Erica. We are staying there for one night only. She will be going to Mozambioque tomorrow while I will head back to the mainland. I took a small motor boat from Chizumulu to Likoma. It was about a 90 hour boat ride.To tell you the truth, I was pretty nervous for the wholeride as the water was very choppy.I looked at the others on the boat and they seemed fine with the conditions. I think I am a ...

I was able to get my hands on some really important drugs today. I learned that the local people on the island get free pills to fight Bilharzia so I asked a local man if he could get some for me. I ended up getting 6 pills (the number ofpills is determined by my weight) that I need to take 3 months after I leave the Lake. These drugs will kill any worms that may have entered and stayed in my body after I left Malawi. You see the things I need to worry ...

Today is a bad day for me. It is the last day I get paid from my employer. My vacation time is all used up and my Leave of Absence officially starts tomorrow. This means no more $ coming in. Instead, it will only be coming out for the next 10.5 months. When I woke up, I had breakfast with the girls by the side of the lake.Great breakfast spot. I enjoy our breakfasts together. I am glad they are on the island with me as we all get along. If I was alone, I ...

I really like Chizumulu. Beautiful island. A small paradise. I rented my own grass hut right by the lake for about $12 a night. Erica, Emma and myself are the only travellers here so it's nice to feel like we have a whole island to ourselves. It's very quiet and relaxing.It was a nice change of pace as Nhkata Bay had its fair share of backpackers by the end of my stay. The island is quite small ...

I took the 8 pm ferry from Nhkata Bay to Chizumulu Island with Erica (my new Belgian friend) tonight. It was quite the experience. The lower deck is the cheapest option but not recommended. It was absolutely full of cargo. Bags of fruits, vegetables, rice, fish, etc everywhere. Because it is the cheapest option (by far), it is where all the locals cram in as well.SO there is very little room to maneuver. All the muzingus stay in the upper deck which is 5 times the price ...