Oasis of serenity in Lake Malawi
LIKOMA, Malawi: The sky is blue, the water crystal clear and the pristine, white sandy beach is deserted. Palm and deciduous trees line the coastline of Lake Malawi's Likoma Island.
It's not yet midday, but it's already so hot you can burn the soles of your feet on the sand. A breeze brushes across the surface of the water as weaver birds build their nests in the trees. Who would have guessed that a small paradise like this exists in south-eastern Africa?
"Anyone feel like a round of Bawe?" asks Ben holding a game board. The 25-year-old South African has decided to drop out of the rat race for a while.
He gave up his job so he could travel overland with his friend Pete from Cape Town to Cairo. It's been a difficult trip so far. So they have come to Likoma to relax a little where they can go snorkeling and drink beer and gin and tonics in the evening with the other guests.
Life on Likoma is not expensive; simple but clean beach huts with a bed and mosquito net cost between 2.10 and 3.50 euros ($2.70 and $4.72) a night. Toilets are outdoors and there's electricity for only a few hours a day.
Malawi has long been an insider's tip with backpack travelers and is known as the Warm Heart of Africa.
With a depth of 700 meters, Lake Malawi is the southernmost lake in the Great African Rift Valley system. In some places it's so wide it appears to be an ocean.
A mixed bag of individuals has come together on Likoma including Shay who has joined Ben in the beach bar and is listening to the rules of Bawe being explained again.
The 32-year-old from Tel Aviv is here with his wife Lihi on the journey of a lifetime around southern Africa. Their journey will take them six months and cost them their savings.
Meanwhile, it's midday and small clouds skirt across the sky and little waves splash against the shoreline.
Two Swedes and a German medical student decide to go snorkeling. Lake Malawi is famous for its diverse fish population; there are more than 1,500 species of colorful fish including many cichlids.
As all the snorkels are in use, Trevor decides to wash his laundry. The 32-year-old Canadian has already "retired". After completing his studies, he took up a job in information technology. Thanks to his savings he has enough money to never have to work again.
After evening meal, there's two hours for some drinks and music from the iPod. At 10 pm the electricity is turned off and the island's only generator is shut down.
It's the end of a perfect day for Ben, Trevor, Shay and the other guests. The rest of their lives can begin tomorrow.
DPA
(China Daily 09/13/2007 page19)
