Tanya & I headed north to lakeside town of Usisya with Danni – one of Tanya & Francois’ wonderful buddies here in Malawi (she is actually the one who introduced them to one another). We drove out of Mzuzu and headed northeast, up into the mountains on a dirt road. The road became narrower and started to snake and wind as we climbed up to higher ground. We were surrounded by absolutely beautiful scenery – gorgeous mountains sprinkled with trees. We turned a corner and caught a glimpse of the lake – big and blue – nestling just beyond the mountains. As we neared the lakeshore we could see Usisya down on the lower ground. It was absolutely stunning – a very small, isolated town spread out across the lakeshore set against a dramatic backdrop of mountains.

We stayed on the grounds of a lakeshore lodge that Danni is about to take over. It is now deserted and run-down but holds so much potential. I’m sure Danni will create something absolutely awesome here. I can’t wait to come back to visit once she has it all up & running. The beaches were secluded and deserted & the three of us stripped off & jumped into the lake to freshen up after the drive. We brought our tents and set up camp on the beach, then set about making dinner. We woke up early the next morning – the sun was strong and hot by 7am, and we took full advantage of it, lazing around on the beach all day.

The following day we had planned to take the ferry up to Ruarwi, a close by town where a couple of Tanya & Francois’ friends run a lodge, but, things being the way they are in Malawi, the ferry was running about 7 hours late. We had just about accepted the fact that we were not going to make the trip, when one of Danni’s friends magically managed to find us a boat that was heading up there. This boat trip was a funny experience! It was a small wooden boat, powered by a petrol engine and sailed by two guys – one of whom was absolutely sloshed. We had agreed before getting on the boat that it would only make one quick stop before heading straight to Ruarwi, but of course it ended up making about 3 stops, the first of which took about half an hour as we waited for locals to load the boat with rolls of bamboo and various other pieces of cargo. Malawians don’t move fast. And the sloshed sailer was nowhere to be seen. Ah…he was in the bar. In fact, every time the boat stopped, he got out and headed to the nearest bar to get another ‘power sachet’ (little sachets of super strong booze). The sun was absolutely boiling – and the boat was slow…our patience was tested to say the least, but to be fair the drunk sailor did provide us with some entertainment when he tried to stand up & talk to us. We eventually arrived at Ruarwi, at a beautiful lodge that belongs to friends of Tanya & Francois. The wall of the bar area was formed by a gigantic rock & the wooden pillars holding up the roof were beautifully carved. The lodge was next to a waterfall that fed straight into the lake. After the long, hot boat trip we couldn’t wait to get into the refreshing water – and refreshing it was! The waterfall water was absolutely freezing, but oh so wonderfully reviving.

The next morning Tanya & I woke up just before dawn: we had decided to trek back to Usisya. The horizon was shining with a beautiful golden-pink hue and as we set off, the sun was just breaking above the mountains of Tanzania. A wonderful local woman was heading in the same direction as us & offered to guide us for part of the journey. We walked along the lakeshore and passed through little straw-roofed villages that were just waking up. We parted ways with our benevolent guide as we headed up into the mountains. We traversed another village where a lovely, warm-hearted teacher offered to guide us through the mountainous part of our journey. By this time the sun was getting hot & the rocky uphill walk meant I was a total sweaty, out of breath mess. We reached the summit of the mountains and the teacher showed us the path we were to follow to Usisya. Thank goodness the next part of the journey was downhill! As we descended through the mountains we passed a group of ladies, singing & laughing with one another as they made their journey to one of the villages. We walked with them for a while, their vibrant energy giving us a new lease of life. The scenery we passed through was simply astounding – so beautiful – raw nature at its best. We neared a primary school and as we walked past, hoards of little children came running out chanting ‘Mzungu! Mzungu!’ (literally, white person) They followed behind us, laughing and running and posing for photos. We eventually came to a stream where we happily splashed the cold water over our super hot & sweaty bodies. Passing through more straw-roofed villages the locals again shouted out to us: ‘mzungu! Mzungu!’ we smiled and waved, greeting them. We crossed over a few more rocky hills before once again reaching the lakeshore. By this time it was 11am and we were BOILING. We jumped into the lake as fast as we could – I could liken the sensation to when you pour cold water into a steaming hot frying pan. The feeling of the cold water on our heads was simply divine. Then onwards to Usisya, and through more little villages. We tried to entertain yet more local’s shouts of ‘mzungu!’ but by this point all we could muster was a feeble smile & wave. 6 1/2 hours after we set off, at midday we eventually arrived back in Usisya. Both Tan & I were overjoyed to see her car. The trek was worth every single step – we saw some breathtaking views, met some wonderful people and had a lot of fun egging each other on. Calf muscles? Yep, they’re sore.

I’m back at the plantation with Tanya & Francois now. It’s been great to spend some time with the two of them together. I’ve been trying to make myself useful – they just recently had their office built at the plantation site, so I’ve been trying to help with the landscaping of what will be the gardens surrounding the office. It’s been an interesting challenge, being a white person directing a team of African workers – it brought up within me some quite poignant post-colonial hang-ups, the feelings of which were a completely new experience for me. I’ll be here until Saturday, when I will once again temporarily part ways with Tanya & Francois to head to Zambia to experience the Victoria Falls. My excitement at the prospect of finally seeing the falls that I have been obsessed with ever since I was a little girl is getting rather silly now. I’ll be spending a few days at the falls by myself, then will once again reunite with Tan & Francois at South Luangwa National Park to go on a safari for the remaining few days of my time out here. Rest assured I’ll be documenting every step of the way on the final part of my little African adventure.