Monday, December 29, 2008

Ahhhh... the beach! (Dec. 12/08 - Kande Beach, Malawi)

Lake Malawi is one of Africa's largest lakes, stretching roughly 300km north-south and about 60km wide. It acts as the eastern Malawi border with Mozambique, and is so large that you can rarely see the other side. It even develops its own currents and sometimes large enough waves to surf! And it would be our haven for the next three days. We drove north from Lilongwe and then east until the lake stretched out before us. Mozambique's mountains were visible on the far side. Kande Beach is about two thirds of the way up the lake, and when we got there, we thought it easily could have been a beach in Hawaii or the Caribbean! White sand beach, clear calm water, beachside bar, hammocks, and lots of watersports equipment for rent. They even have their own PADI dive shop! A little rocky island lies about a kilometer offshore, which is apparently home to tons of fish that are unique to this lake. We'll be checking that out tomorrow for sure!



After lunch was done and camp was set up under the mango trees, the next order of business was a swim. The water was perfect - clean, clear, safe, calm, and about 85°F! This might be the best campsite ever! The bar has half litre bottles of the local Malawi beer, called Kuche Kuche, for 150 Kwacha - or just barely a dollar!



Raymond cooked steaks and roasted garlic potatoes over the campfire; the perfect end to another amazing day in Africa. They just keep on getting better and better... even when you're woken up repeatedly throughout the night by mangoes falling like cannon balls on your tent!

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