Second Visit to Mzuzu

I have just returned from my journey north to witness the food distribution for our Emergency Flood Relief Program. It was an amazing (though LONG) journey.
We were unable to leave the office until 4:20pm – we had initially planned to leave the office at 1pm. Apparently the vehicle was having mechanical difficulties so we had to wait for it to be fixed. We arrived in Mzuzu at 9pm, much later than planned. I was able to stay with my friend Toni, and she (very sweetly) had pumpkin soup and a warm fire waiting (Mzuzu is COLD this time of year).
We had to get an early start the next morning to get to Karonga (3 hours north of Mzuzu) where the food distribution was scheduled to take place. My colleagues picked me up at 6am (only 15 min late – not bad considering the last time someone was supposed to pick me up at 5am they arrived at 6!) and we headed out. The road from Mzuzu to Karonga is windy and steep – Karonga is on the lake, whereas Mzuzu is at a bit of an altitude. We arrived mostly on time (well, at the same time as our Mzuzu colleagues) and headed on to the distribution – it was the furthest north I have been in Malawi and we were only 20km south of the Zambian border.
The program launch was entirely in Chichewa and Timbuka (the language spoken in the north), so I didn’t pick everything up, but the opening speeches – given by the Traditional Authority, Group Village Head, Government representative, Mzuzu CADECOM secretary and National CADECOM Secretary (my boss) were well received by the crowd of villagers. After the speeches we were treated to a number of dances . First the women danced, accompanied by their own hand clapping and singing – although the style is different than in the south, it reminded me of my first village visit in Dolo. Next, some drummers came out – one on a traditional drum, the other playing on corrugated aluminum. They began to play, and then four energetic male dancers came out – it was the first time I had seem male dancers in a village – they were amazing. I had my camera so took some shots but was unable to capture the dramatic movement. I wish I had thought to bring my smaller camera, which takes videos, along.
After the celebration, we headed to the food distribution site, where people collected their monthly allotment – a 50kg bag of maize, 2L cooking oil, 5kg of beans and a small amount of maize seed for planting. People receiving their rations seemed very grateful, though it was difficult to imagine how they would get those huge bags of maize home – some had strapped them on bikes (people manage to strap an amazing amount of things on bikes here), some would carry them, rest and start again.
After the distribution, the villagers had prepared food for us. I was internally rolling my eyes as last time I had food in a village, it was interested, but not very filling. To my surprise, we were treated to big plates of rice covered in steaming beef stew, with chicken and another type of beef as well – it was a veritable feast and we left feeling very full!
We arrived back in Mzuzu at 6 – a long but satisfying day. The next day, to my delight, my boss suggested we take the lakeshore road rather than the way we had come. It is a bit longer, but very scenic and I was happy to take the extra time. We stopped in Nkhata Bay – a legendary place amongst travelers blogs – we only saw the port and market but it was quite a neat little town. I also saw these huge fish in the market – apparently the lake is deeper in the north, so different fish are available. Next we stopped at a rubber plantation where I got to see how they tap the trees for rubber and many young men crowded around the car selling rubber balls (I bought one!). Then I mentioned our weekend plans – we are planning to leave Friday for Kande Beach – so we stopped there on the way home as well. I am SO excited for the weekend now – the beach there is beyond gorgeous and the lodge we are staying at is perfect for relaxing – chalets right on the beach with chairs on the porch – hammocks, pool and lounge chairs near the bar and sparkling blue water and soft sand on the beach (the sand ahas been our only disappointment at the lake – it’s a bit coarse).
We then drove through Salima (closest place on the lake from Lilongwe, so we have been there a few times) and home.