The next stop after the busy, noisy and dusty Lilongwe was the picturesque, serene and beautiful Nakata Bay. Nakata bay is a small village on the shores of the colossal Lake Malawi. Although people had mentioned to us that the lake was massive, nothing can quite prepare you for when you see it. It is like the sea off the coast of a tropical island – perfect calm blue water stretching as far as the eye can see in all directions, small boats floating along fishing and a range of birds flying over the water.
We got a taxi to our accommodation, a place called Mayoka Village, that had been recommended to us – and for good reason. The “village” is situated on a hillside overlooking the bay, with a number of little one room chalet type things right on the water’s edge. They also had a bar/restaurant, canoes/rowing boats that residents could take on the lake for free and snorkels that you could use to try and spot fish. After carrying our bags down the hill, we were enthusiastically greeted by Gary, the hostel owner, who was incredibly friendly. We had spoken to him on the phone and originally told him that we just wanted the cheapest accommodation (a dorm room) as we were on a budget. He waved us aside however and offered to give us one of the lakeside chalets for the same price as the dorm as he liked the look of us! It was only after we had dropped our bags and returned to the bar that we realized he was in fact pretty drunk. Come to think of it, I don’t think we saw him sober the whole time we were there… he must live a very chilled out life!
We got a taxi to our accommodation, a place called Mayoka Village, that had been recommended to us – and for good reason. The “village” is situated on a hillside overlooking the bay, with a number of little one room chalet type things right on the water’s edge. They also had a bar/restaurant, canoes/rowing boats that residents could take on the lake for free and snorkels that you could use to try and spot fish. After carrying our bags down the hill, we were enthusiastically greeted by Gary, the hostel owner, who was incredibly friendly. We had spoken to him on the phone and originally told him that we just wanted the cheapest accommodation (a dorm room) as we were on a budget. He waved us aside however and offered to give us one of the lakeside chalets for the same price as the dorm as he liked the look of us! It was only after we had dropped our bags and returned to the bar that we realized he was in fact pretty drunk. Come to think of it, I don’t think we saw him sober the whole time we were there… he must live a very chilled out life!
The chalet was the best place we had stayed yet. Literally opening its doors onto the lake, it had a comfy bed and plenty space to dump your bags and make yourself at home. At the front there was a porch/veranda area with deck chairs where you could sit and enjoy the sun. All this was around 1,000 Malawian Kwatcha each (this is currency, not a type of rare fruit…) which is around eight pounds. Bargain!
During our stay in Nakata Bay we pretty much did nothing… it was so good to relax after a hectic few weeks of dusty bus travel and hostels of various cleanliness. The highlights included swimming in the lake out to a small diving platform near our chalet and washing our clothes for the first time (don’t judge) by hand beside the lake as a washing machine is a rare occurrence around here!
After a few days however, it was time to move on and say goodbye to Malawi and its beautiful lake. The next stop was Mbeya, a town just inside Tanzania and the place at which the Tazara (Tanzanian – Zambian Railway) Train to Dar Es Salaam stops. Our plan was to board the train at Mbeya and go straight to Dar, from which you can easily get to Zanzibar where we would stay for about a week. The journey had a number of different components, first we had to get a taxi from the Bay to Mzuzu, a city in central Malawi. A minibus then took us to Karonga in the north of the country, where we got a shared taxi to the actual border. Once we had negotiated the border crossing and successfully got into Tanzania we jumped on a bus to Mbeya and finally a taxi to our accommodation.
The journey was largely uneventful however it is worth mentioning the minibus that took us to Karonga. These minibuses are designed for 3 people in the front seats, then 12 in the back, sitting in four rows of three. Anyone who has travelled in Africa however, will know how little this means… When we jumped on the minibus in Mzuzu, we were lucky enough to get seats at the back as it wasn’t quite “full”. As we left the town and started on our way north it soon became clear that there is actually no such thing as a “full” minibus in Malawi. At regular intervals we would stop and more people would hope on. Sometimes one person, sometimes two, sometimes they carried big bags that had to be crammed in and sometimes the women had children on their backs or sitting on their lap. At one point I counted 8 people sitting on seats designed for three. There was a large lady, somehow with five children of varying ages perched on her lap/back/any space available. Next to her was another large man who in turn had another grown man sitting on his lap. It really was crazy.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the journey was when we went through a “traffic police roadblock”. Unsurprisingly, we were pulled over for being over capacity. We were apprehensive, assuming that some people would have to get out and find alternative transport due to the bus being too full. This was not the case, our driver simply pulled out a wad of cash, handed it to the guard who nodded us on our way. 200 yards down the road we promptly stopped and opened the door in order to somehow cram a further passenger into the melee!
The journey was largely uneventful however it is worth mentioning the minibus that took us to Karonga. These minibuses are designed for 3 people in the front seats, then 12 in the back, sitting in four rows of three. Anyone who has travelled in Africa however, will know how little this means… When we jumped on the minibus in Mzuzu, we were lucky enough to get seats at the back as it wasn’t quite “full”. As we left the town and started on our way north it soon became clear that there is actually no such thing as a “full” minibus in Malawi. At regular intervals we would stop and more people would hope on. Sometimes one person, sometimes two, sometimes they carried big bags that had to be crammed in and sometimes the women had children on their backs or sitting on their lap. At one point I counted 8 people sitting on seats designed for three. There was a large lady, somehow with five children of varying ages perched on her lap/back/any space available. Next to her was another large man who in turn had another grown man sitting on his lap. It really was crazy.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the journey was when we went through a “traffic police roadblock”. Unsurprisingly, we were pulled over for being over capacity. We were apprehensive, assuming that some people would have to get out and find alternative transport due to the bus being too full. This was not the case, our driver simply pulled out a wad of cash, handed it to the guard who nodded us on our way. 200 yards down the road we promptly stopped and opened the door in order to somehow cram a further passenger into the melee!
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