My first hike in Malawi was through the Dedza-Salima Forest Reserve from the town of Bembeke to Mua. VSO held a meeting in Mua, a small town southwest of Lilongwe. So instead of just driving there, a few of us opted to hike part of the way. I was lucky enough to be invited along with some other hiking enthusiasts for a hike from Bembeke, up and over mountains, and then drop down into Mua to meet up for the VSO meeting. Up to this point, I had only been out of Lilongwe for a weekend trip to the lake, so this was my first true taste of Malawi. I was happy to be able to experience the side of Malawi that I have always tried to see when visiting any country – by hiking through the rural villages and meeting the folks in these communities.
We started out again on another rainy day – this is the rainy season so it was to be expected. Luckily the rain did not last long. Once we passed by the large church, as every proper village has one, we started out on a well used and fairly wide path lined with these huge beautiful trees that led into the forest reserve. We passed many locals and I had the opportunity to practice my Chichewa greetings. At first I started with the “Mwadzuka Bwanji” greeting - meaning “how did you wake this morning?” and the conversation goes like this…
“Mwadzuka bwanji?” me – How have you woken up?
“Ndadzuka bwino, kaya inu?” them – I have woken up well, and you?
“Ndadzuka bwino. Zikomo.” Me – I have woken well, Thank you.
“Zikomo.” them – Thank you
SO after saying this about 50 times, I think I have this bit of Chichewa down. Thankfully the afternoon came and I was able to practice the other greeting I have learned- “How have you spent your day?” and it goes something like this…
“Mwaswera bwanji?” me – How have you spent the day?
“Ndaswera bwino, kaya inu?” them - I have spent the day well, and you?
“Ndaswera bwino. Zikomo.” Me – I have spent the day well. Thank you.
“Zikomo.” them – Thank you.
And when we passed by the older folks, and the greeting would become a bit more formal as we would have to shake each of their hands as we went through these greetings. The children we meet along the way were either very happy to see us or scared at the sight of us. Many wanted their pictures taken and got a kick out of seeing the photos on the digital camera. I must say, the kids enjoy hamming it up for a photo here as they do in the states!
As the path started to climb, it became narrower and the grass came over our heads. With this being close to the end of the rainy season, the vegetation is at its peak; at times it was as if I was parting the African grass sea. After we climbed a bit farther up the after effects from a good rainy season were an amazing brilliance of various shades of green from the surrounding hills and there were butterflies everywhere –NICE!
When we reached the top of the ridge, we were rewarded from the other side with views of Lake Malawi, the mountainous peninsula of Cape MacClear and the islands just off its coast. Well worth the few hours climb up!! Now came the hard part, going back down the other side and into Mua a bit steeper than the side we had just come up. The next day we would be going back up this steep part and back to Bembeke. It was a well needed escape from the city and I enjoyed the chance for some much needed exercise. My mind and soul was happy…but my body hurt a bit.
Our Hiking Path:
Small Village:
Larger Village:
Bean Lady - As I was taking photos of the children, this woman asked for her photo to be taken too. She was a very enthusiastic subject!
Kids are the same wherever you go!
The girls start learning how to carry items on the top of their heads at a young age. I showed this photo to her after it was taken…it brought a huge grin to her face :)
Butterfly Photos:
