Namakomo Bay - Malawi (see Nov for photo's)

Up again at 6am by 7am we had already bought bread and fish off local sellers and Wetson another of our guys was on the case filleting the fish. We were expecting five new guests from Lilongwe later today so thankfully it was a lovely sunny day.

One of the guests had phoned last night to confirm their arrival and we had asked him to bring some dried cat food which he kindly agreed to, only in Africa could you ask the General Manager of a company, someone you have never met , to go and buy cat food for you! Sure enough as we are having breakfast on the sun deck he rings, he is in the supermarket as we speak and wants to know which brand of cat food we want!

After breakfast we checked the kitchen and were surprised to discover we also needed more veggies, some basic veggies can be bought locally but the best choice without going all the way to Lilongwe was at a nursery next to Club Makola, the biggest lodge on the lake, about 20 miles to the South, so off we went.

The nursery is run by Pete & Bev, Zimbabwe citizens, like a lot from there they are now refugees moving around the more stable neighbouring African countries trying to make a living. The nursery primarily services Club Mak but Pete said they could let us have some carrots, lettuce, cabbage and tomatoes but no potatoes or fresh fruit, buying what we could he also let us set up a tab for Taffy

This was just as well because although Taffy had left us some cash, after buying the cement and other stuff we were down to just a few hundred Kwacha so until we got more Kwacha from the guests we were now using our own money. The problem was a lot of guests pay in US Dollars, Sterling or South African Rand and the nearest bureau de change is in Lilongwe! 

Taffy's internet connection was also down so before going back we stopped off at Club Mak to check emails, being five star they even have WiFi around the pool, a rarity in this part of Africa. The lodge is Italian owned and no expense has been spared, the lodge is well appointed and it has loads of staff but the service is appalling!

We had ordered coffee's when we sat down to our emails and just as we were finishing we asked for the bill but even though we were the only ones in the area we were still waiting 30 minutes later - so in frustration we got up and walked out! This finally provoked a reaction as if they didn't get our payment it would likely come out of their wages,  mind you were almost at the main exit when they caught up with us!

Back at NC around 1pm there was just enough time for a quick lunch then I had to go out again to Monkey Bay to get some more beer and mixers before the guests arrived, we had been told by Taffy that they liked a drink. They arrived around 5.30pm, a British couple Chris & Celia, an Irish Guy, Colin and a guy from Zimbabwe Mike with his local driver.

Chris and Colin worked for the EU on road building projects funded by the European Union. Mike was their consultant and Celia was a woman of leisure back in Lilongwe. Even though this was just road building because they were EU employees they arrived in cars with diplomatic number plates, and we soon realised that Celia revelled in this supposed diplomatic status by regularly mentioning it during almost any conversation!

Chris, Colin and Mike had been before but not Celia and on seeing her and Chris's room she was horrified that it did not have a door lock! We explained that none of the rooms have lock but they and their belonging were perfectly safe, the majority of the staff come from the local village and there had never been any problems with theft etc.

Instead we stressed it was something to cherish that Malawi at least in these rural areas still has an innocence and goodness about and where in this day and age can you leave doors unlocked 24/7! However, Celia not to be out done said the EU would not be happy as being diplomats they are targets for terrorists! I just couldn't resist the quip that I didn't think Al Qaida would be after road builders!

On top of this Taffy had included all drinks in his room price but this proved unsustainable as people filled their boots so he had to stop and now people had to pay for drinks other than coffee, tea and juice at breakfast, only problem was no one had told Chris & co of this change so it was left to us to break the news which obviously didn't go down too well.

As if this wasn't bad enough their local driver was booked on a special room only rate with food extra at $10 per day but it was only after eating his way through two helpings at dinner that he claimed he didn't realise this and couldn't afford to pay, this was certainly proving to be a baptism of fire on only our second night as lodge managers!

In the morning we woke up to yet another problem, during the night there had been a spectacular storm with strong winds, thunder and lightning so we lay in bed listening to the rain hammering on the tin roof and fearing what damage we would find in the morning.

The area we thought most at risk, because it was the most exposed was the sun desk where all the meals are served so we were relieved to find that apart from a wet floor and a few wet cushions it was ok. It was not yet 6.30am but Nelson one of the kitchen guys was already sweeping and cleaning the place out which was just as well as Chris, Colin and Mike had ordered breakfast for 7.30am as they needed to get out early to work.

We were just thinking we had got off lightly when Victor one of the gardeners and the local chiefs son shouted to me that Alfie Taffy's new boat had broken free of it's mooring and was now beached further down the beach, it was just pure luck that the wind must have been directly onshore otherwise he could have been blown out into the lake or even worse dashed on the rocks further down shore!

This was not good, Alfie unlike Kumbali the other boat is built out of heavy steel not wood so he's heavy and not easy to shift but we had to get him back on the mooring ASAP before the wind got up again.  However, first we needed to make sure the guests got their breakfasts ok so it was only once they had left around 8.30 that we were able to turn our attention to Alfie.

A crowd of locals gathered on the beach as we tried to pull Alfie out using Kumbali our smaller wooden boat, but Alfie was stuck fast in the sand so even with Kumbali's engine at full throttle he wouldn't budge. Now the locals are always looking to make some cash so we had no shortage of volunteers to wade out and push while we pulled.

At first Alfie refused to budge but eventually with 20 or more guys plus kids pushing he started to shift slightly, enough for us to get the engine on and with Kumbali pulling as well we got him back into deep water and back on his moorings. Thankfully the hull didn't seem to be damaged which was a big relief as we didn't want anything to go seriously wrong on our watch so after giving all the helpers some Kwacha everyone went home happy!

We just had time for a shower before lunch, the bathrooms being open air we noticed as we were showering that a Giant Eagle Owl who resides around the lodge from time to time was back and perched in a Eucalypt tree near the other cottages. The largest Owl in Africa it is claimed to be the third largest Owl in the world although some claim it is the largest, the guests should be pleased to see it.

The afternoon was hot, sunny and breezy but we could hear thunder off in the distance, Celia was the only guest for lunch as the guys having stayed out at work. After lunch we relaxed in the Jacuzzi, Celia kept banging on about how they were diplomats and how important they were, in the end we nicknamed her the diplomatic bag!

Last night in an expansive gesture the diplomatic bag had said they would pay for the drivers meals but tonight she changed her tune saying he would have to pay for himself, we think the others had rebelled, we just hoped the driver, who interestingly had gone into Monkey Bay to eat tonight, knows this.

Strong winds and another spectacular lightning storm tonight but thankfully no rain, we had gone to bed around 11pm with Tom the kitten staying with you but we were so worried that Alfie would break free again I was up and down for hours checking he was alright.

Up at 6.30am feeling a bit knackered after our disturbed night, once again the male guests left after breakfast leaving Celia on her own. We had to go into Monkey Bay to see the immigration officer there about extending our visa's so Celia decided to come along for the ride this being the first time she had seen this part of Malawi, we also took Thomas the Chief of the local village to try and smooth the way for us.

The immigration officer at Monkey Bay is there purely to service the Ilala the only ferry on Lake Malawi which plies up and down the lake dropping people off at villages in Malawi as well as in Mozambique, hence the need for an immigration officer.

On the way Celia aka the diplomatic bag assures us if we have any problems extending the visa's to tell the officer we have a diplomat with us, the sad thing was she was serious! As it was it was a wasted journey as he was nowhere to be found, we had no choice but to try again when the Ilala was due to leave Monkey Bay in two days time.

Next day the 'Diplomats' were leaving after breakfast, usually guests voluntarily leave a decent tip for the staff (not us) when they pay their bill, but it was clear they did not intend to. This was a bit annoying given the guys work hard looking after their every need and don't have much themselves. Normally we wouldn't say anything but with Celia's and her airs and graces about them being so important we dropped a gentle hint! 

We could see she was reluctant but eventually she came back with 2000 Kwacha, about £8, from the whole group! The driver wasn't best pleased either as they obviously took it out on him by making him pay for his own food, but as Colin said he could afford it as he was getting the same allowances as they were, a fortune for most Malawians and you wonder were all your taxes to the EU go!

The next guests, Andrew and his two daughters, were not due till mid afternoon so we could have a relaxed breakfast on the sundeck before checking everything was ready for their arrival. Then mid morning Andrew rang to say they would be arriving earlier than planned and could we do them some lunch? As we hadn't expected them till later the chef hadn't prepared any lunch so we had to raid our own supplies in Rupert for a tin of Ham and Chef did a salad!

The guests arrived around 1pm as  it was a hot sunny afternoon and the lake was like a millpond we organised a snorkelling cum sundowner cruise for around 4pm for us all. Andrew told us he often travelled to Malawi on business and this time had brought his teenage daughters along to see the country for the first time.

We were on Kumbali, Taffy's wooden boat, Alfie the steel hulled boat was under a refit and was not ready yet to take people. Everything was going well the guests had enjoyed a swim and we were all back on the boat having drinks when we were approached by a rubber dinghy with two guys in.

I hadn't noticed them until they pulled alongside and my first thought  assumed they were fishermen looking to sell fish although they could never afford to use a rubber duck with an outboard! It was only when I saw the look on Captain Crispin, our boat man's, face that I realised something was wrong.

The guys were very aggressive shouting they were marine police and demanding to see the licence papers for the boat, we didn't realise then but all boats used on the lake for tourist activities must be checked and licensed they were safe. The Captain said we didn't have any papers on board but he was sure Mr Taffy had them back at the lodge!

The police guys weren't at all happy with this and started ranting that they had been asking Taffy to produce documents for months, it was only afterwards that Crispin revealed Taffy didn't have any papers at all!

The police were clearly either drunk, drugged up or both so with the guests on board, especially the young girls, it was a very tricky situation. I tried calming them down by joking around which seemed to work with one but the other, the more aggressive was not letting it pass, he asked if we had life jackets on board and when we said of course he demanded to see them all.

What followed would have been funny under any other circumstances, Crispin began pulling lifejackets out from under every nook and cranny till the deck was full of them, all were old and most were missing the ties to fasten them round your waist and as if that wasn't bad enough they all had the name of some boat I had never heard of written on the side!

On seeing this the police instantly got excited accusing us of stealing the lifejackets but eventually we managed to convince them they were our property and at least it sidetracked them from the fact most were not fit for purpose!

By now the sun was going down so they needed to get back to Monkey Bay but not before telling Crispin he must present his captain's licence and the boats papers at the police station on Monday and failure to do so would mean he would be locked up and as a parting shot they said as his boss I would be locked up as well.

This was just great today was Thursday so that meant we had just three days to get everything sorted. We couldn't believe it, apart from the fact this was the first time we had even seen the police out on the lake, why did it have to happen on our watch!

Andrew and his daughters had been sitting quietly while all this had been going on, Andrew was shocked as he had never had a run in with Malawian police before and sadly though they thought it exciting it was not a good introduction to Africa for the girls.

Postscript - As the police pushed off struggling to get the outboard started, they were so drunk they nearly fell in the lake. We offered to help but they just grunted and eventually disappeared off into the darkness. A year later we heard that they had pushed their luck once too often and while out on the lake they had overloaded the boat they were on, overturned and drowned!