on another one of our day trips we drove through the Vizara Rubber Tree Plantations. at first we were wondering why so many locals were literally jumping out of the forest trying to sell us gigantic balls made of what looked like rubber bands. after a few minutes we saw the official signs for the plantation as well as the notices warning us against buying the balls. it's illegal to buy from the locals, most likely an attempt by the plantation owners to discourage them from stealing rubber off the plantation trees.
Mzuzu
Mzuzu is Malawi's Northern capital city. it lies just north of Nkhata Bay. the immigration officer we met at the Katumbi border post is originally from Mzuzu and urged us to visit this wonderful city, which he compared to New York ;)
bicycle taxis are a popular form of public transport in Malawi. nowhere was that more evident than in Mzuzu. the drivers pimp their rides with colourful seat covers for the passengers, silver studs, paint, reflectors and rainbow coloured shapes in their wheel spokes.
another attraction for us was Mzuzu Coffee. they have a shop in town and offer a variety of coffee's to taste and purchase - beans or ground. Rufus and i love coffee so we always try to sample the local produce in every place we visit. this is a good one.
Nkhotakota Pottery
the next stop on our Malawi road trip was Nkhotakota. the town itself isn't much to rave about but there is an interesting spot a few km's past the town. we headed, Nkhotakota Pottery Lodge, for one night before heading further south the next day.
as the name says, they offer accommodation as well as pottery classes & items for sale. if we had stayed a few extra days we would have taken advantage of the workshops - you can either create your own piece from scratch (which is what we wanted to do) or you can paint and existing piece - all done the traditional Malawian way.
the locals' workmanship is evident in the cups your drinks are served in, every table you sit at, even the tiles in the en suit bathrooms.
it's a beautiful secluded spot, right in the middle of a nature reserve, and reminds me a lot of the west cost of South Africa. also, their breakfast is the best we had in Malawi and we highly recommend their coffee too.
Nkhata Kids
we stayed on at Aqua Africa for a few days after the dive course finished. on one of those days we took a drive up into the hills of Nkhata Bay to explore a bit. some sections of the drive were a bit dodgy 4x4 styles but totally worth it.
we discovered a few secluded rural villages quite high up. we opened up the sun roof and i took most of the shots standing on the seats, over the top of the land cruiser. the local kids were quite amused to see a mzungu girl sticking out the roof of the vehicle and enjoyed playing up for the camera.
this was definitely the most fun i had taking photos during our Malawi trip.
Aqua Africa
the cafe at Aqua Africa
PADI certified scuba diving facility
the view from our private balcony
the "Dive Deck" - our breakfast and beer spot
Carlsberg - the only beer allowed to be produced locally in Malawi
the evening view, across the bay, to our favourite dinner spot Mayoka Village
local coffee from Mzuzu to start our first day diving
swarms of lake flies - millions of minute flies that emerge from the lake to mate and die during rainy season
the Edmund Rhodes - a gift to the local municipality, many years ago, to be used as a mobile clinic. unfortunately it is mainly used as a diving spot for the local kids.
Rufus and our dive instructor Rob, on the last day of the PADI Open Water 1 course
Rufus off to do his final qualifying dive
an old canon camera discovered at the bottom of the bay
an interestingly shaped weaver's nest outside our window
a pied kingfisher perched on the tip of the kayak, waiting for his next meal
birthday boy - he turned 30 the next day
we spent the first week of our Malawi roadtrip at Aqua Africa, in Nkhata Bay. they are a PADI certified facility and employ brilliant instructors from around the world. ours was Rob, a Canadian guy who has been diving for over 15yrs, since he was 12.
unfortunately i got an ear infection half way through our course so i had issues with equalising and reverse blocks. this meant i had to sit out the last two qualifying dives for the Open Water certification. i finished the theory and exam so i have a year to do the remaining dives to complete my OW. Rufus finished all his dives and went on do an additional night dive with the local dolphin fish, on his 30th birthday.
Aqua Africa and their employees are super chilled and it was a great place to relax and unwind after the insane year we had just been through. the accommodation is comfortable, with an en suite bathroom & balcony, and probably the most reasonably priced in the area. if you do a dive course they give you a discounted rate of $25 per room, per night, instead of $35.
as mentioned in the last post, the water is insanely warm & clear and it is hard to keep yourself on dry land. the diving and visibility is great and we also swam out to and explored the old abandoned boat, the Edmund Rhoades (see pic above).
we highly recommend this spot if you have never dived before and would like to learn. it's a lot easier (and cheaper than most places) to learn here as there is obviously no salt water & sea currents to tire you out and you can stay under for longer because of the warmer water. if you don't want to dive its still a great place to visit as their beach is private & peaceful but they're still walking distance from the local market, restaurants and bars.