Up we went, after leaving Gav more dead than sick at Lilongwe, for a simple hike up to chambe peak (2775 metres) at the mount Mulanje massive. As for preparation, we took Gav's advice to buy some healthy food, so we ended up with biscuits and a couple of packets 'ready in 5 minutes' pasta … Oh if only the continentals had some idea about cooking, we might have survived a little bit more comfortably.
The first bit took us up to Chambe hut, where we were greeted by the senior hut manager executive, who for the coming two nights would spoil us with 'bonus' rations of maize, firewood, water and smokes, all at very affordable prizes. We needed it all badly, cause our lifestyle did not really prepared us for the serious hiking and climbing we got ourselves into. The original plan of doing the peak the first day, was very soon (to be honest, somewhere between the fifth and the seventh minute of the hike) abandoned and than replaced by some quality chill-out time …
To describe the various flora and fauna on the way would have been a lot easier with the help of all the nice pictures we took, but as there was a Belgian involved (it wasn't me) all dissolved mysteriously into space by a single touch of wally. Anyway, plant and birds were prolific, the vistas beautiful, and the path itself very steep indeed …
The second day we started out very early, as we would need at least half a day to climb the peak. With muscles aching like we just climbed Everest, we had little energy left to notice the route we were following. This soon turned out to be a fatal mistake. As a little incentive, we ordered some pizza's which would be provided by the nice ladies awaiting us at the top.
After a nice but strenuous hike we finally got there, it just took us a little longer than planned, so our pizzas were cold and the girls already gone. After taking in the breathtaking scenery, we started our way back. Soon clouds, fog and drizzly rain moved in and suddenly the path under our feet completely disappeared … We tried at least five times to rediscover it, using all our navigational skills we should have learned before setting out. Oh, if we had the company of Gav right here, right now, we shouldn't have worried that much, as he would guide us using all the things he learned hiking and climbing English highest peaks. Soon we had to make a lifesaving or fatal decision, so I promised wally a crate of fine Belgian Duvel if he only got us out there … It worked well, that one, so off we went downhill, to be awaited by landy 2, as beautiful as never before …
Sven, 2/4/02, Windhoek Namibia