28. Malawi: Kande Beach - Village Walk

We had a grueling 14 hour day in the truck yesterday, encountering bone-jarring brain-rattling roads that occasionally tossed us out of our seats. The border crossing to Malawi took an hour, but was a welcome respite to stretch our legs. Having departed our previous campsite at 4:30A, we arrived at Kande Beach on Lake Malawi at 6:40P, in the dark. Tough travel day for sure.

The next day we opted into a guided village walk. We had passed by many such communities on the road, and had been wondering what village life was like.

We also got exposed to how economically important tourism is to the communities here, and how they have managed to maximize monetization of this. We visited a school (which solicited and received a donation), and a clinic (which solicited and received a donation). As we set off on our tour, our tour guide brought along 3 friends to walk with each of the 3 of us on the tour as we headed to the village. The guide got a tip. Each of the friends expected a tip. Upon arriving back, just outside of our camp, the 3 friends steered us towards their friends, each of whom had various trinkets to sell to us. Although initially a bit offended by the manipulation, every dollar spent means so much more to them than it does to us, and goes a long way towards improving the lives of the villagers.Read more