Malawi (Rowley - 1991)
Malawi is known as the 'warm heart of Africa', and rightly so. It is a beautiful place with very friendly people. I found Malawi really easy to Travel in. Its such a tiny country and yet had me hooked for three to four months. It is also one of the safest countries for a backpacker in Africa. Also the Tea and local Erbs are second to none.
I came into Malawi from Zambia; from Chipata to Lilongwe. Luckily I got a lift from a Korean Acupuncturist who I'm sure was nothing of the sort. I didn't see any such equipment in his jeep. Totally nice bloke but there was something dodgy going on.
oh the fish...oh de erb
Half of my time in Malawi was spent at the famous 'Lake Maclear'. This is a great spot on lake Malawi where most Travelers in Africa always end up just to chill out, sample the local herbs, take midnight swims in the fresh water, get drunk, scuba-dive and share Travel stories with others and just generally party.
I ventured further north of the lake and camped at some really remote spots. I even had the pleasure of experiencing decent waves while I was swimming in a fresh water lake...and a naturally sandy beach. Quite unusual I think. I ended up getting my Diving Licence here. It was really cheap and on a clear day the diving was superb. Spotted some pretty rare freshwater fish during my dives.
What a Hermit!
My next stop was the Zomba Plateau. A big, sprawling range of forested high hills quite similar to the forested hills of Austria and Switzerland. Every day I would pack up my gear and just wander aimlessly across the forest ranges, sometime stopping at huge waterfalls. These were the sort of places I thrived in so I'd camp there for days. I didn't see that many people on the Zomba Plateau so it was very peaceful most of the time. Then suddenly I'd come across a small hotel in the middle of nowhere serving tea and scones?
conclusion
Malawi is a really special Country. The travel was easy the people friendly and for such a tiny country it was great to see it thriving with it's tourism and tea trade. (*2007: Sadly this is no longer the case)