Same Same, Zanzibar, and the Cat
Trip Start
Sep 17, 2007
1
243
272
Trip End
Oct 08, 2008
Nkhata Bay,
Malawi
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Whereas we were quite chilly much of the time in the north of Malawi, the beach was positively balmy, and we set in for a few days of utter relaxation
our little cabin on the lake
. Anyway, it's cheaper to stay put than to move constantly. A lengthy afternoon nap caused our first day to be considerably curtailed, and there was nothing for us to do but eat dinner and climb into bed again. But it was not to be only the two of us. We'd spotted a couple cats here and there as we wandered around the grounds, but we were still quite surprised when a new one managed to get himself onto an impossible ledge (extraneous floorboards), and started meowing soulfully. I was even more surprised when said cat got himself under my feet on our completely enclosed balcony (the walls were 4 ft high). Cat then made straight for the bed and made himself at home. He didn't have fleas or any other questionable behaviors, and we like cats, so when we crawled into bed and he stayed curled between us we didn't bother him. This was how we adopted Cat, who lived with us for our entire sojourn on the lake. Travis wouldn't let me keep him, though. In the morning, while Cat attempted to eat my granola and I capitulated and gave him some of our extra milk, we discussed what we should do. I was given a few hours to read, but then Travis prodded me enough that we went into town. Nkhata Bay as a town isn't really special or even terribly likeable. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not the type of place you want to diddle about in. People come for the lake. We walked down the main street to the grocery store, and onwards
Cat on our colorful stoop
. I thought we were going to find the dive center, but Travis had other plans, so we ended up walking to the distant beach. Chikale beach pretends to be the only beach in the area, and while it does have a load of coarse sand, most of the hotels and backpackers and even the town itself has enough sand to please anybody without forcing a lengthy walk along which muggings are known to occur occasionally (mostly in the evening). Travis wandered around taking photos of the dugouts with our new camera and I got my feet wet. The supposed purpose for this journey was to find the kayaking people at Monkey Business. When we arrived at the office we found that it was closed for lunch. Shortly thereafter the two guys Travis had blown off on the beach appeared and offered to answer any questions we might have about the trips, since they worked at the office and had only just left to eat lunch. One was carrying a Rubbermaid box of small fish. It was a slightly awkward experience. We opted not to go kayaking. The next afternoon Travis got me into a dugout canoe. He'd decided that the one photo he really wanted was me in a dugout canoe. The guys at the office asked if I knew how to use a dugout canoe, and I said I knew how to use a normal canoe and I'd either figure out the dugout or get wet. I got wet. The guy down at the water helped me negotiate the first moments in the canoe, but I wanted to do it by myself and was therefore completely ungrateful
our little cabin
. Then I fell in the water and got more cranky. We put the canoe away. Watching the men sailing by in their canoes, you would imagine that it's not really much different from a normal canoe. This is not the case. It's nearly impossible to balance while you're not paddling. Add the paddle and it's all over. The closest I could come to describe the feeling was that it was like riding an elephant, except one doesn't usually fall off the elephant. Ergo, elephant = more stable than canoe. Cat informed his cat friends (whom I named Captain and Bat Cat, the former looking like a cat I once knew as Capitan Midnight and the latter being a white cat with a black cape and helmet) of his good fortune. We gave them all a little food. Cat continued to behave impeccably, but Captain and Bat Cat decided they needed to take advantage of our hospitality and proceeded to climb in the window at ridiculously early hours to help themselves to breakfast since we were so lazy. They were forcibly expelled, which Bat Cat took very badly, but which did not deter the Captain. Travis told me that I was mean to them and shouldn't play favorites. Humph.
Daily forays into town became a slightly annoying form of entertainment. I had purchased a shirt on Zanzibar that said "Zanzibar" on it, and Travis was wearing his most beloved "Same Same" shirt
dugouts
. Possibly we have mentioned that locals everywhere on the planet love the Same Same shirt. Whenever we walk down the street at least one, but more often 3 or 4 people shout "Same Same!" sometimes adding their own endings, such as "Same, same, but different color!" I was always glad this did not happen to me. Little was I to know the effect of my Zanzibar shirt on the local populace. First the older men wanted to trade for it, but since I was wearing it I couldn't do that. Then hoards of school children walking about town would hiss "Zanzibar!" in a lovely meter as we walked by. At the end of the day we had made for ourselves a delightful chorus of "Zanzibar! SAME same..." As I said, it was entertaining, but being constantly addressed in the manner does get a little old. After our dive I'd gotten an itch to swim, so we pulled out the canoe again and I went in prepared with my swimming suit this time around. I still fell off, but since I was inclined to get wet this didn't bother me, and we played around in the water. My favorite trick was swimming after Travis as he was canoeing (he has a beautiful sense of balance that is so annoying) and then clinging to the boat to make life a little more interesting for him. He always jumped out of the boat before I turned it over, though. In the end we conquered the canoe. With a little more practice we'll be gliding about like the Malawians. Yeah, right.
The routine of our days, waking up with Cat, Cat and Captian attempting to get as much food as possible, a few hours of reading, a foray into town, and a movie in the evening, was an excellent way to spend a short week on the shores of a lovely and inviting lake in the middle of unassuming Malawi.
Erin
