Zebrafish

August 10

Malawi

illala lake malawi

Likoma is a kind of paradise, remote with golden beaches, a couple of small villages, clear blue freshwater and a desert-like hilly landscape scattered with baobab trees. I slept on the beach here at the excellent Mango Drift run by Lola from Rio for $1.50 per night. A short walk away from Kaya Mawa or "maybe tomorrow" a luxurious but traditionally styled hotel set around rock islands and a stunning bay where prices are $150 per night. Both places are owned by Andrew from London whos been living here about 10 years.

mango drift

http://www.kayamawa.com

My first day on the island I walked out over the hill to renew my visa. There are only 6000 people on the island but there is an Anglican cathedral the size of Winchester´s. Who should be visiting that day but the Bishop of Birmingham, my home city. The two cathedrals are linked and the Bishop who I believe is the first black bishop in Britain is Ugandan born, exiled to Britain during Idi Amin´s era.

likoma kids

After introducing myself I was invited to sit down with him, the Canon from Birmingham and a member of the clerger for Sutton Coldfield, very close to home. We watched the talented local choir perform a special song for their visitors from Birmingham. The Bishop accepted the traditional present of boiled eggs and a carved rhino with much appreciation and the people of Likoma were very pleased.

likoma kids with fishing nets

A few days later some fellow travellers and I went to visit the local witchdoctor, also a really nice guy in his sixties and full of energy and emotion with his congregation. We had to walk barefoot carrying a cassava stick in our left hands before passing it through the branches of a tree to a small child then we were allowed through a particular door into the mud hospital/church. The congregation sang songs while we sat straight legged on the floor. Lola had a cold for which he made some special tea but I think he was more interested in sleeping with her, much to her revulsion.

Went on a 30m dive here where the dives sites are less disturbed by fisherman, saw some more fish and did some tunnel crawling as there is no coral here to cut you. Then borrowed the laser sailing dinghy from Andrew and spent most of the next four days learning to sail around the west coast of the island. I took it in turns to go out with Andrea from Michighan, Noam and Hatti both doctors from Israel and Bob or Marcus a crazy kid from Austria who sounds like he´s comes from somewhere between Scotland and New York. Bob and I sailed out to the far North of the island for really clear snorkelling but them mistimed the sail back into the wind arriving about 2 hours after the sunset under the peacefull light of the moon.

marco & i sailing

Also met Margrit from Belgium in Kaya Mawa doing a photography shoot for the hotel, she´s been living in Angola for the past 2 years and produced two books combined with her photographs taken there and graphic design. An exhibition of some of her work here will shortly be opening in Amsterdam.

http://www.thepowerhouse.be

After a week of sailing, relaxing and soaking sun I caught the weekly Illala onwards to Matangula in Mocambique. The fisherman had been extremely lucky that day and as a result the ship was running 10 hours late. I had to climb up on the outside of the ship to the top deck to get my passport exit stamp while Andrea and Bob waited in 3rd class with my beef and rice.

the dude on the illala

Mocambique

lake niassa bar

We arrived at midnight and were taken by the lifeboat to the beach where we had to jump out in the water to get to shore. The next day we jumped onto the back of a lorry for 4 or so hours, 40 people sitting on bags of smoked fish along a rough track through cold misty prehistoric looking mountains, with only a few traditional villages about.

child & baobab, niassa

lake niassa shore

We arrived at Lichinga the regional capital of Niassa the most remote province in Mocambique. There is a crashed aeroplace in the city park just left there since the war of independence that nobody has moved or even put a plaque against. Mocambique is the only country I know that has a machine gun on it´s national flag, this area is still littered with mines and in one shop I found old books on Lenin written in Portuguese.

lichinga market

I´ve been travelling the last week with Katja and Gulia, two sisters and students from Berlin. The next day at 5.30am we shared again an open top lorry with 40 people for 10 hours to Cuamba along dusty red roads, the red dust covers everything and leaves marks on our faces. Then there is only cold water in a bucket for a shower.

train to nampula

From Cuamba at 4am we boarded the 1st class sleeping compartment to Nampula (11 hours) in a antique but luxurious restored train carriage. 3rd class wasn´t worth contemplating and 2nd class had been taken off. We eventually arrived at the incredibly beautifully delapidated Ilha de Mocambique (world heritage site) with it´s unique architectural blend of Portuguese, Arabic, African and Indian(Goan) styles.

child in churchyard, ilha de mocambique

children playing, ilha de mocambique

fishing catch

The buildings are pastel colours made from crumbling coral limestone set along narrow white sandy streets with varicose trees growing inwards. The place has a Sunday feel, children are playing marbles and skipping games in the square, women sit selling peanut brittle with white face masks made from crushed leaves, men walk along carrying parrot fish and lobster. Arabic dhows sail past over cyan coloured sea and coconut palms. But many of the beaches are spattered in human shit.

peanut brittle seller with face mask

hospital de mocambique

This is one of the best travel destinations I´ve ever been too, the place has a truelly magical feel to it. It desperately needs development but at the same time I hope it is never spoilt. We met up again with Margrit and her husband Fergus here in the only really good restuarant Reliquias, or Relics in English serving Portuguese influenced Swahili food such as grilled fish served with white sweet potatoes in coconut milk and roasted goat with batatas fritas.

I´m walking back tonight, there is a full moon and it´s almost as light as day.

oldest european building in southern hemispere, portuguese church

arabic sailing dhow

child carrying

ruined pool

mosque

quiet streets

street shadows

street square