To See Our Photos of Malawi, Click Here
 |
| The View from the Deck of our Chalet |
We were still pretty soggy when we arrived at the base of the hills at the junction to Livingstonia, and so we pondered our options. To Lukwe Eco-Camp, it was 12 km up a steep, dirt road, switchbacking up the mountain. Even though our stuff had been protected with waterproof bags, some of our stuff still got wet. Did we really want to tackle the walk up there carrying all of our stuff......not really. We could wait, and hope to get a ride up (which are few and far between). We could haggle with, then hire a porter to carry some of our baggage whilst we carried the rest. We could stay there in Chitimba, and tackle the problem in the morning when there may be a better chance of getting an easy way up. Or we could just bite the bullet, and start walking - heck, I'm sure we could use the exercise.
So, let's see if you guessed right.......... we decided to wait for a ride, and thought our chances might be good as there was a collection of locals starting to accumulate at the intersection. Sure enough, a pick-up truck came by after about 1 and a half hours, and we paid our 500 Kwacha ($2.50), to get up the steep road. And what a bouncy, steep ride it was - a little scary I might add, with steep drops beside. I kept hoping that the brakes didn't fail.
 |
| Restaurant and Bar on the Ledge at Lukwe EcoLodge |
All good though, as we walked down the drive to Lukwe Eco-Camp, and saw the amazing paradise that we would call home for a couple of days (or four). This ingenious camp/chalets/bar/restaurant complex was perched right on the edge of a steep drop, with stunning views back towards the lake, and over the lush, green hills in between. Wow, we could hardly take our eyes off of the view. We could see why Lukwe had been recommended to us.
After being soooooooo wet, we decided to take a chalet in order to dry ourselves out. The chalet balcony was also perched right on the edge - it was quite the spot to relax in. And our hut was really cool, all furniture and extras hand built by Auke, the Eco-Camp owner. Way back when Auke was traveling for a few years, he fell in love with this area, and so stopped right there. Then he started planting trees and a garden, and building his own camp. The attention to detail in his carpentry was fabulous, and his gardens were sublime. Ponds, paths, all types of veggies and crops. He's been here 11 years. And what a place! Of course, since he grows all his own veggies, the food was fresh and delicious.
 |
| Michelle Swinging on the Edge at Lukwe |
Auke also likes his steak, and had a special/expensive solar FREEZER to keep the meat. Needless to say, I couldn't resist a great t-bone the first night..... and then a sirloin the third night. MMMMmmmm, red meat fest!!! Michelle was excited to eat salads every meal - and loved having a huge bowl of flavourful crispy veg each night all to herself. Auke certainly had tried to think of everything and unlike most other places in Malawi that we'd been to recently, Lukwe had (solar) electricity and it took a bit of getting used to eating by LED lights and having cold drinks! Electricity was only in the bar though, and so we were able to spot bushbabies quite easily in the trees at night before dinner.
The story behind Livingstonia town is that it was first established after David Livingstone's death. After a few failed attempts by missionaries in other locations, they finally settled on this spot. From our lodge the town was a (hot) 5km walk up the winding road. A one Dr. Robert Laws was instrumental in establishing the mission and hospital and his now famous residence, the Stone House -
 |
| Fields around Livingstonia |
a bed and breakfast, and museum. We enjoyed the people and the little fruit market, and a tasty lunch of nsima (maize meal) and chicken at the Stone House itself. Our favourite bit was actually the walk back which, instead of the road, we took scenic shortcuts through steep hills and terraced fields, waving to the locals as the tended to their row upon row of maize and cassava.
Our time seemed to fly by at Lukwe especially as sometimes we would spend about 2 hours making lunch which involved making a fire in the self catering kitchen to cook pasta, so that we could splash out on the amazing mouthwatering dinners. Sometimes we would just sit and read looking at the views. Apart from town, we did only a little exploring: the Manchewe Falls were very pretty but we didn't venture far as there was a drop-off viewpoint at the end of Auke's organic garden. Another afternoon we walked over to the 'adjacent' Mushroom Farm Lodge - a very popular place with backpackers and campers. Like Lukwe, it also has a great perch with closer sweeping views of the lake. It seemed like a cool place with funky chill-out spots, but we were super happy with our Lukwe. Knowing that we were moving on to our next country, Lukwe was a great note to leave Malawi on! * Stub/Mush
No comments:
Post a Comment