Day 18 - 31 May 2016 Fat Monkeys Lodge, Cape Maclear

Day's trip schedule

Fat Monkeys

Distance & time taken

0 km
0 hrs


Accommodation

The Fat Monkeys, Cape Maclear, (www.fatmonkeysmw.com)
in the village of Chembe in Cape Maclear on the southern banks of Lake Malawi

Trip Notes

Sleeping in in this part of the world is difficult as it starts getting light early. I was up at just after 05h30 - it is almost impossible for me to get up this early in Cape Town, even in summer. There was still the all-night party in the village but we were getting used to it by now & probably would have found the silence a bit unsettling.

Chilling, appreciating the view

While watching the men take there early morning wash whilst drinking our coffee, we commented that the women must wash at the homes as we only see them come down to the waters edge to wash clothes or dishes. Ang had a good chuckle at the washing antics as at the end of washing, the guys then "dance" around a stone as they rub there feet on strategically placed rocks on the beach to remove dead / dried skin on the heels or balls of their feet. This all follows the ritual of diving in, whooping from the chill of the water, back out again to soap themselves then back in again to rinse.

We made a good solid bacon & egg breakfast & then decided the morning was for reading, writing, etc & we would then hire a kayak for a paddle east along the beach to Domwe Island & then through the gap between the island & mainland to the open water on the other side.  we sat under the thatch umbrella on the beach & read our books until lunch.

Around lunchtime, another group of South African overlanders arrived at the campsite.  They are all family from KZN & are returning back to Pietermaritzburg after a trip through to the Serengeti.  I admire their courage as all 4 had been in the same bakkie for around 50 days thus far with the husband & wife (Reg & Anne) sleeping in a RTT whilst Reg's older brother & sister shared a tent with all their kit stored in the canopy - no trailer.  We had quite a long chat with them during the course of the afternoon regarding their trip & the route home.  They weren't certain whether to continue through Tete in Mozambique to Gonarazhou in Zimbabwe or go back via Lusaka.

After checking with a few sources, they decided to take the safer route through Lusaka & intended to spend a few days in Mana Pools on the way down.  We recommended the boat trip to them & they headed off in that direction whilst we got our kayak & headed east along the beach towards Chembe Eagles Rest & beyond to the gap.

We were amazed how many fishing boats as well as drying racks there were along this stretch of beach. We went through the gap between Domwe Island & the mainland but beat a hasty retreat once through as the wind on the other side was quite intense.  We then headed up the Domwe island coast & when we found a stretch of coast we could beach the kayak. We hopped into the water to do some more snorkelling but there weren't as many little tropical fish here. As the sun started to drop towards the horizon, we decided to paddle straight back to the lodge across the open water rather than hug the coast. It seemed like a good idea but I forgot I was not a fit youngster anymore & the paddle took everything out of me - Ang, on the other hand, still looked like she could head back out again.

Menu at the lodge - exchange rate of R1,00 = MWK48,50

We were again witness to a fantastic sunset over the lake - the last one until we head back to these waters again. As this was our last night here, we ate at the restaurant again so that we could have another fish meal.  The menu was a bit restricted due to availability so we basically ended up with the same meals as our first night but it was still very satisfying.

We caught up again with Reg & family over drinks after dinner before we all turned in for the night.  They were targeting to be on the road early & planned to overnight at the Bridge Camp.

Pub on the beach

Costs for the day

Accommodation	Fat Monkeys Lodge	US$12,00
Dinner	Fat Monkeys Lodge	MWK8000,00