Wednesday 7 July

Lunch at the Mushroom Farm

Father Chunda in the 4x4 on route up to Livingstonia


Monire

We started off the day very well with a good breakfast of fried bananas, toast, and of course hot Mzuzu coffee. We were all looking forward to our adventure trip to Livingstonia. Our time of departure was Malawian time around 8a.m. Before setting off we filled the car with petrol at the local garage downtown. This seemed a simple enough operation, however Celia decided to dash quickly out to the shop, ran back, jumped into the car only to be met by a surprised Malawian, (aah Mzungu!) indicating she was in the wrong car. We had moved to a different petrol pump. Celia made her apologies and hastily retreated to us. At this moment we all knew that the day was going to be an adventure.


The 2 hour car journey was comfortable and the scenery along the way in parts, is very much like Scotland; very green with tall fir like trees. When we arrived at Chitimba we met Paul, from Yorkshire, who was going to be our driver up the steep hill. Our first challenge of the day was finding a safe place for Father Chunda to leave the car overnight. Fortunately, Paul recommended the campsite he had stayed at on the beach; the owner was okay with this. At the campsite we had to pinch ourselves to check we were in Malawi as we gazed out over a beautiful sandy beach, with a volley ball pitch marked out in the sand.


Once our baggage was transferred into the 4x4 we scooted off along the track ready for the climb up the very steep hill towards Livingstonia. As soon as we left the main road we were on a very stony track. Inside the car we were being knocked from side to side. There were 21 hairpin bends to tackle on the way; something we were not looking forward to. Anyway about 10 mins. into our climb the car seemed to lurch over a bump on the track then it cut out - dead. Everybody got out of the car to look and find out what had happened. Burst tyre? No. Tyre was fine but the whole bonnet was pressing on it . The car could not be moved. By now the sun was getting very hot. Decision time - what will we do? The driver and Paul decided to go back down to the campsite to collect his vehicle. Meanwhile everyone else waited at the car, relaxing, reading a book, looking at the stunning scenery and speaking to the locals who passed by. At one point there was more drama when a matola bulging with many passengers on the back tried to overtake our broken down vehicle which was stuck in the middle of the track. It got stuck in the mud. Some women and children descended from the matola while a few of the men had to push it to get it out of the mud. Eventually they managed and were on their way down to Chitimba.


Three hours later, our land cruiser arrived to take us up the treacherous path to the Mushroom Farm. Alton Tower rides are tame compared to this journey. Celia was in the front seat hanging on for her life, claiming she would rather walk than continue in the vehicle. It took around one hour to get to our destination.


At the Mushroom Farm we were delighted with our accommodation. We were given a little house - Anne & Paul upstairs with a beautiful balcony overlooking the land, while downstairs Celia and Bernadette who could hear every footstep from above. Bedtime was like the Waltons, as we called "goodnight" from our beds. The views from the rooms were stunning, overlooking Lake Malawi. The Mushroom Farm was very eco friendly - a compost toilet with a view, open air showers, solar panels, food grown in the grounds and several animals (hens, pigs & ducks). Vegetarian food only (made from local produce) was on offer since there was no refrigeration. The menu was excellent; pancakes and bananas, vegetable stir fry and of course nsima and beans and much more. Dinner was by candlelight, no electricity left from the solar power panels. We chatted with Manu, a German chap, who was travelling about Africa. There was much speculation about the result of the German versus Spain football match. At the end of a very long day were in bed early, looking forward seeing the sunrise in the morning and the 5km walk uphill to Livingstonia.


Paweme

Anne, Celia, Paul & Bernadette