Mount Mulanje

As I said before the first place I’ve been staying is at Mount Mulanje. The name of the place I’ve been staying at is Lukhula House.  I had previously thought that I would be working here or helping out around the place but it’s turned out to be more of a experience the culture and holiday.

One of the great things about staying here is that there are two Scottish gap year kids in addition to me.  Rachel and Owen have been teaching here in Malawi for two months and will stay in Malawi for 4 months and 6 months respectively. We get along REALLY well. They have been able to show me around give me someone to hang out. We’ve been able to become good friends as a result of it.

With them I’ve experience some of the real Malawi. We’ve gotten public transport to a local market, which consisted of a bike taxi and oversized pick-up truck. It was definitely dangerous but if I constantly think like that I won’t be able to experience and learn like I have.  With Owen I played a pick-up game of soccer with some local Malawi kids on a dirt field with no shoes. We also went cliff jumping at a waterfall up the river and swam in the lukhubula pools. It’s been nice to make friends and experience how the people here live.  I also schooled them in Monopoly twice. We also set a car on fire by mistake. But that’s a longer story for another time.

I also climbed Mount Mulanje and slept on top one night. I’ve done some tough hikes but this might be one of the hardest in recent memory. At times I had to use my hands and feet to climb up the trail. It was more or less a constant uphill climb for 6-7 miles. Once I got to the plateau on top it was really worth it. I made some friends with some Norwegians at the hut I stayed at as well. One of the most fantastic things about staying at the top is the stars. It was a pitch black night with an infinite amount of stars. The only downfall was that I couldn’t walk straight for three days.

I also ran into someone who grew up in summit and graduated from SHS in 2006. SMALL WORLD.  

Tomorrow I’ll be off to Zomba where I’ll be for a few days before I start to teach! Owen and Rachel made me really excited and nervous to teach! At first I was a little unsure if Malawi was the right place for me but I’ve realized it definitely is.

L to R (mike, rachel, owen, me)

 bike taxi

hut porch

sunset plateau