Woke up today with the soft colors of dawn in front of me, and the sounds of waves lapping against the shore.
Room with a view
Still in Kande, we started the day with a frenetic village tour. Leaving our camp, you could see dozens of feet under the gate, shuffling and stamping in anticipation, some hoots and exclamations of excitement bursting through. When the gate opened to let us tourists out, nearly 20 some-odd men began hollering and clapping as though cheering rock-stars onto the stage. In a mere moment, we were engulfed by self-proclaimed tour guides and wood carvers, painters. Each one adopted one of our overlanding team and tenaciously held on, both figuratively and literally.
Canadian-donated water pumps (Canadians are popular in Kande Beach)
Lost it!
Fuzzy Kande
Village tours or slum tours, in general, get mixed reviews. How much of the concept stems from Westerners using the context of someone else's poverty to promote their own altruism? Fetishizing the real flesh and blood lives of other people. But, really, how else can we know things if we don't expose ourselves? From my end, my favorite thing to see around the countries I've been is always the commerce. A peripteros selling lottery tickets in a plaza at the base of the Acropolis in Athens. A hair salon in Kibera. And these in Kande Beach, Malawi:
Kande Butchery
Produce
Carpenters
Bike repairs
Tailors
After the village tour, I spent some afternoon time on the beach and even went for a full-body dip in the lake, where the schistomites weren't feeling as prickly as the day before. The waves were much larger, and the current much stronger than the Indian Ocean, confusing what I thought I knew of lakes and oceans. To get out, I had to use the high-knee-stepping technique, like a freshman practicing for marching band auditions. And I thought, "at least it's just a lake." As if no one ever drowned in a lake, and I'd never read Kate Chopin.
Lake Malawi
I went online at the cyber "cafe" in the campground's reception area to take a peak at the rest of the world and found that both DOMA and Prop 8 were overturned by the Supreme Court. History happens every day, no matter where we are.
And then I sat here, at this table by the lake with my American water bottle and my Malawian beer:
And wrote this.
A nice way to end a long adventurous day; a bottle of water and a beer. :) Malawi is beautiful. Never been to Kande Beach, though. But it sounds and seems like a cool place. Did you take the photos? They are very clear and nice. To sum up with a cliche, Nice post! Glad i found you. :)
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