The Mulanje Masterpiece

Opportunities present themselves in any and all moments and it is the desire and willingness to accept these moments turning them into realities that transforms one’s day and even one’s life. This was the story of my life this last weekend as I was asked if I wanted to climb the highest peak in southern Africa. Quickly and excitedly, I jumped on the offer hoping to make the climb a success story to retell starting on Monday morning.  

With the weekend now booked and the execution of the trek in place, all that seemed left to worry about was the psychological process of prepping myself for the long haul. In past experiences where I’ve accepted the challenge to backpack or hike up the face of a mountain, I’ve often become disinterested, exhausted, and emotionally distraught. Something about exerting excessive amounts of energy and muscle into climbing from point A to point B has never appealed to my senses. Even for whatever value the view possessed or the bragging rights declared. Would this climb end in abnormal fashion for me?

Friday afternoon arrived and I escorted the children out the school door and off for their weekend. In a hurry to pack, I began exchanging thoughts with my adventurous side contemplating what to bring and what not to bring. The real clincher was deciding how warm I wanted to pack. After all, it had been over 10 years since I stepped foot on an African mountain. I threw in a pair of sweats, a sweatshirt, and my handy dandy Camp MiVoden rain shell amongst the essential shirts and shorts just in case. Observing my nearly full pack, I surprised myself by how fast it filled up.

The Mulanje Mountains

The Mulanje Mountains located roughly 100km east of Blantyre rise majestically up into the sky. What makes them so eye catching are the massive granite faces that stretch outwards in all directions extending to great heights. Even more thrilling are the faces that shoot straight up without the support or existence of foothills. The peaks grow from normal ground level to gigantic mountains in the sky immediately. This would prove unfortunate for us, as we would have to hike up from a lower elevation than desired.

We arrived Friday evening just in time to set up camp at the base of the mountains and begin making supper before the sun laid to rest for the night. We feasted on a braai (Africaans for cooking meat over a fire similar to a barbeque) and passed around humorous stories for undemanding enjoyment. The night would not last long for we needed an early wake up to set us on track on making it to the hut located at the base of the peak that reaches the summit.

The plateau and the remains of the deforestation.

Sabbath morning we set out up the hill at 6:31. Two hired porters carried out packs while we barely managed to carry ourselves. The first couple of kilometers of the hike wrapped around one face of the mountain leading us across a stream several times that had multiple 20ft+ waterfalls and small pools to cool off in. The path eventually led us up onto a plateau where everything looked liked it had recently been burned to the ground. Indeed that was the case. In an effort to eradicate the Mexican Pine, an invasive species to the area, every grass, shrub, and bush had been exterminated. The plateau appeared as a valley in comparison with the many peaks that surrounded it. In one corner nestled away from high winds and heavy hiker traffic was a Chinese establishment housed with minors and mineral enthusiasts. A recent discovery of “rare earth” as it is called has beckoned the Chinese to reap, steal, and profit from every ounce of precious mineral they find and you can believe that not one penny is ever going to further the people and economy of Malawi. A likely story indicates one or two Malawian government officials are getting paid off to keep their mouths quiet while the china men are running away with Malawi’s wealth.

Tropical ferns and bushes.

The jungle in the ravine.

The leg of our two-day journey took us across the plateau and down a ravine filled with immense tree cover and jungle ferns. Swinging from branch to branch came irritated monkeys as they screamed amongst one another. Subsequently, the path led us up the opposing side of the ravine and up over a saddle between two higher peaks. The view from the saddle was incredible! What was even more astonishing was the hut that now came into sight way down in the distance and across the next plateau.

The mid-camp hut from atop the saddle.

We arrived at mid-camp around 12 noon. After an exhausting but visually rewarding hike we were done hiking-for the day. The cabin rested against the base of the highest peak. The view from the deck ironically resembled the view Hitler was given when the German military surprised him with a beautiful mountain top mansion in the secluded mountains of Austria for Christmas for which it was named the Eagle’s Nest. I pulled out a mattress and basked in the sun for what seemed like eternity. Oh how it felt soothing to soak in the rays and have my feet off the ground. Time passed in a hurry and soon the sun had set over one of the westward peaks. The small cabin began to howl as the wind picked up speed. Now, it was cold enough for a sweater and sweats.

Sunday morning arrived before I would have desired it to begin and we were up, once again at 6:30, starting the final leg of the hike-to the summit. The beginning stage of the hike was rather enjoyable and fairly straightforward. In no time had our clearly marked path turned into a jumbled game of follow the red painted arrows atop the many boulders that now covered the face. Past the tree line and ascending above the cloud line, we marched up over, under, and around small, large, and gargantuan granite boulders. The temperature dropped with every breath and the vegetation dwindled with every step.

The view in one direction from the summit.

We climbed up and around the last part of the peak and behold, finally, there before our very eyes, laid the summit in all its glory. Blowing furiously in the wind flew a small Malawian flag attached to the summit marker. All that existed atop the peak were a few small crevices in the rock filled with rainwater and primitive lichen deposits that covered the nooks and crannies. Way above the cloud line, this ‘island in the sky’ stood erect with a clear representation of God’s architectural ability. The wind blew uncontrollably creating a rather high wind chill factor but that didn’t impede my thoughts as a gazed down and around at the vast countryside hand crafted by ‘The Great Designer’. Atop the Sepitwa Peak sitting over 9,000 ft stood a boy who at times feels he has much of life figured out to the very core. Taken back by the sheer size, beauty, and impressive nature of the landscape I realized just how small and insignificant I am to a world full of people just like me. In a moment of deep devotion, I felt surrounded by His grace and cradled by the soft comforting arms of Christ.

The group on a successful summit of Mount Mulanje.

The moment was soon erased by the chattering of my teeth and the little dance I was now performing in an effort to remain warm. We snapped a few pictures, each chugged a coke, and made the trek back down the steep path to the hut and back down the rest of the mountain to the base camp. Left was a small blister on the inside of my right pinkie toe, a few pictures, and an absolutely exhausted body, I returned home safely in one piece. To answer the question posed at the beginning of this entry, yes, indeed the journey had concluded in abnormal fashion. It was a first for several accomplishments for me but remarkably a first for the amount of joy I experienced over a short weekend that cost $11.

Experiencing Lake Malawi

This past week I found myself putting my organizational skills to good use as I began planning a trip to the lake for our extended weekend getaway. Transportation was the limiting factor to our weekend fun and it would take the most time to align as well. I walked to a nearby bus station with Kondwani a Malawian friend of mine so that he could spare me the pain of having to interpret Chichewa. Despite being classified as an English speaking country, Malawi communicates nationally with Chichewa- a branch off of what the Bantu’s spoke way back. Kondwani and I made the trek across town to the bus station for what turned out to be a catastrophe. As we walked into the vendor filled, heavily littered, and jam-packed bus yard with every kind of minibus imaginable as well as true buses peaking through above the roofs of the minibus’ here and there, we came upon a group of ill-minded men. Dazed and bloodshot they were completely wasted. All of a sudden one of them hastily walked up to me and reached his hand into my pocket where my wallet was safely nestled-or so I thought. With my reflexes and what have you I swung my arm down and clenched his hand in my pocket with the strength of my own hand. Our eyes made contact for what seemed like eternity as I gave him the death glare while internally feeling shocked and mildly violated. He peacefully surrendered and let go reeling his arm back out of my pocket and into his own mumbling  “sorry boss…sorry boss…sorry sorry sorry”.

We eventually found the bus office that services the most reliable system in terms of on-time departures according to a printed schedule. There was mixed confusion between the employees about what time the bus was supposed to leave when we inquired though and they also told us that the bus left from a different station in a neighboring city. Knowing that I probably wouldn’t be able to find the depot on the departure day, I kindly asked Kondwani to take me to Limbe so I could see where to go. We hopped aboard an overcrowded minibus or as I like to call them ‘traveling time bombs’ and took the ride with frequent stops to the depot. Kondwani graciously showed me where we would meet the bus and how to pay etc. After I was confident I knew what to do and where to meet the bus we hopped back in another ‘traveling time bomb’ and began the slow but steady trip back to Blantyre.

We hadn’t quite made it halfway when our minibus was pulled over by a road block staffed with four police officers and asked to get out. Stopped and fined for over crowdedness, the driver and his conductor reimbursed us the petty 200 kwacha and we began trekking back towards Blantyre looking for another minibus to take us the rest of the way. I am glad to say we made it back safely after only a few minor hiccups.

The next step was to reserve lodging. I googled and found a really neat lodge nine feet from the water’s shore that had great rates and awesome activities, so I made a couple calls for a reservation. At last, our enjoyable weekend would seem to work out and all the question marks in the itinerary began to transform into exclamation points of excitement. However, the next day we told our American friends about our weekend plans and they showed great interest in the lake too. They decided to join us but only after recommending a different lodge and taking their own vehicle instead of the bus. I am glad to say that both worked out well in the end, but it was my hard work and trip planning that was stripped of its purpose and discarded without even an ounce of thought. It was discouraging and a shame for me.

Friday came and we pulled into the village/tourist center in Cape Maclear mid-afternoon discovering what was in store for us. All checked in to our hostel dorm room, I walked up and down the beach to the left and to the right in search of a dive shop. It felt great to hear the unusually large lake waves crashing into the shore and splashing up my leg. The shore was composed of rather large sand particles that were painful to walk barefoot on-at least until I was able to get comfortable. Beyond where the waves reached laid more and more sand. Built upon the sand for as far as the eye could see both ways along the bay were guest lodges of all different shapes and sizes interspersed among a rural fishing village. In the midst of all of the tourism lived a bustling village that thrived off of fishing and what little farming they can do. As a side note, I would say that the locals were the first inhabitants of the land before the money came in and built up a tourist's weekend getaway. At any rate, it was quite a scene to soak in! You could be lying in a hammock on the beach reading a book and happen to look up to see the great view only to see six or seven little boys jumping up and down in the waves naked.

I found Frogman’s Dive Shop but it was closed so I saved a contact number and called to make a dive appointment for Sabbath morning. The rest of the afternoon and evening I rested under the shade of a willow tree in a hanging woven basket chair suspending from a rope in a tree listening to the songs of Selah and watching the sun slowly turn orange, red, and finally disappearing beneath the horizon. What a way to welcome in the Sabbath! I felt blessed and spoiled.

The night brought forth little wind and enough heat to make it uncomfortable to sleep indoors. So I gathered a few blankets to serve as padding, a pillow, and my Ipod, and found a woven thatched bed on the shore on which to make my bed. Braving the night without a mosquito net I timidly decided to risk the chance of Malaria for a good night’s sleep. I awoke the next morning at 4:50 to the sunrise and the satisfaction of no bug bites. By 4:55 there were fifteen women on the shore with their clothes’ tubs doing laundry. It was a shocking and somewhat embarrassing discovery. By 7 I had been laying in bed long enough and the heat of the early morning had begun making things uncomfortably warm around me.

A school of Cichlids finding algae on the bottom of the dive boat.

A beautiful Cichlid.

I prepared myself for the day, ate breakfast, and headed out for my morning dive. The first of two dives was on one side of the island that faced the shore. At an average depth of 20 to 30 feet I swam with the African Cichlids up, under, and in between the large boulders that rested on the bottom. Native to Lake Malawi, Cichlids are usually found in the United States in dental office fish tanks or tanks in public viewing areas. At least that has been my observational experience with them. Some of the most colorful freshwater fish in the world, these 2-10 inch Cichlids when in a school really fill up the water with color and character. Every which way I turned there were hundreds of these things. Some were blue and black stripped, blue and orange stripped, blue yellow and orange stripped, pure black or white, and others pure orange or yellow. They were very interested in us, which was great for viewing and observational purposes. I took my camera with me and snapped photo after photo.

The glimpse of their world underwater.

The second dive was much the same as the first with the exception of a new location and more fish. It was just as fulfilling and rewarding as the first and the underwater visibility appeared to be slightly better for picture taking. Believe it or not, the dive master reached the low air pressure point in his tank before I did but we both had to ascend together so it made no difference except for an internal personal victory for me. In all, the diving was truly spectacular and being that it was freshwater I didn’t have to look out for all sorts of poisonous fish and invertebrates.

My buddy Mike!

Back on land that afternoon I began to notice a large number of children present. There were so many local children! From infants to toddlers to school-aged children there were kids everywhere. The median age for the village as a whole appeared to be in the upper 30’s sadly and the combination of a lot of happy people with a severe lack of birth control had produced a tremendously bottom heavy age structure pyramid. What looks like a promising graph for a booming economy in the near future that has the resources to care for such a rise in population has been a completely different story for this village and the rest of Malawi for that matter. Already listed as one of the poorest countries in the world and facing colossal amounts of starvation tribulations and malnutrition issues, these children are only going to get older and hungrier, worsening the already devastating situation present. The infant mortality and life expectancy rates are unfortunately off the charts negatively too due to malnutrition, Aids, and other problematic concerns plaguing the people. All three of these graphs present notable concerns that are only adding on to the already overwhelming issues Malawi is currently faced with.

Cape Maclear from the dive site.

I was determined not to let this observation ruin my weekend getaway and ruin it did not. Experiencing the scenery, both above and below the water’s surface was a treat and I highly recommend it for any traveler who chooses to brave a Malawian vacation. After all, the lake is 20% of the country so how could you not? God has provided us with a glimpse of what heaven will look like with the setting he designed and purposely placed on Lake Malawi!

Friday sunset to welcome in the Sabbath!

Rediscovering Joy

Football is more than a just a petty form of passing time amongst the Malawians. It is a backyard business dedicated to providing a steady stream of pocket change to the older teenagers who find themselves domineering amid the eager younger ones. A small semi-level piece of earth formed with even the slightest intent of being a place to kick a ball around, has transformed itself into a dynamic and competitive show down between the few who find themselves lucky enough to play in front of their entire community. It has become the venue for daily evening entertainment. A field that lacks seating, lights, and even grass is cherished and defended by the community to the very last drop of sweat. Without football, the meaning of poverty-stricken requires redefining. With football, the tables are turned as a different kind of wealth emerges; one mutually shared for the love of the game. Onlookers of all ages become one with the match as their eyes attach to the every movement of the ball. Even the businessman, who returns home after a long day at work, stops to watch the 5:00 heroics.

Football provides the avenue to which happiness can be harvested and utilized efficiently. Observing as an alien lost in the understanding of the importance of the game but in attendance with a heavy heart, brings forth mixed emotions. For one, they thrive off of kicking a ball created by wrapping and burning plastic bags together one after another around a small stone until something of weight and size has accumulated. Secondly, the passion and obsession for the chance to score the winning goal has gone unnoticed, forgotten and over looked by many. 

Recently recognized however, the game that provides unity and stability must be shared with other societies as a remedy for deprived pleasure. When was the last time we found simple joy out of something so little? Even when we throw the flimsiest of frisbees to one another we complain about the roughness of lawn or the tree that seems to have been placed right in the way. It’s time we join the sidelines and allow the boys and girls of Malawi to teach us their ways. To educate us on their system of increased happiness, purposeful in play but tolerant in teaching as I blissfully discovered today!