Mother’s Day in Malawi is a national holiday and is celebrated on October 15. Having a long weekend, I decided to see one of the highlights of Malawi – the Zomba Plateau. The city of Zomba was for many years the Capital of Malawi. It was moved following independence to Lilongwe but Zomba still remains a major university town and is at the base of the majestic Zomba Plateau. After a 25 minute climb by winding road, you arrive some 5,000+ feet up at a very nice resort called Ku Chawe. Ku Chawe sits on the cliff face and rooms (mine included) have panoramic views of the spectacular surrounding including Mt. Mulanje which is the 3rd highest mountain in Africa – behind Kilimanjaro and Kenya. Sister Mercy said she would take me out to Mulanje next weekend. It is also the centre of the tea growing region.
I went on a 3 hour bumpy Landrover ride across the Plateau and at times felt that I was in a Swiss mountain meadow with Heidi about to appear. Five minutes later and a different panorama makes you think you are in Arizona looking down on Sedona and the red sand obelisks. Another bend takes you to a view of Lake Chilwa beaconing from the distance. A final bend takes you to an imposing view of the Shire River which drains Lake Malawi and joins the Zambezi River at the Mozambique border in its rush to the Indian Ocean. Amidst this wonderful national preserve you meet men who walk their bicycles up the mountain every day in their bare feet and then walk an additional 3 miles walking across very rough terrain to a designated place where they are allowed to cut down trees. Wood is the means by which heat is generated for villages and the source of charcoal which is the sole means of cooking food. After completing this trek the men then walk back to the descent and then down the winding road to town where they sell the wood. There is a picture below which does not do justice to this ordeal. In contrast is the lovely lodge where I stayed, complete with monkey guardian and all.
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