By admin I visited Malawi in April 2021, after I had been fortunate enough to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. It was my first international trip in over a year, save a sneaky visit to Mexico for Thanksgiving 2020. A lot had changed in the world and in the U.S over the past year. Most international borders were still closed due to the pandemic. Many, many people had died, and more were still dying. Protests had erupted in the U.S. after George Floyd’s death, ushering in a new awareness of racial and social issues across the country and beyond. We elected a new president, despite the baseless claims from our previous leader that the election had been stolen. That just begins to scratch the surface of the turmoil the world had experienced over the previous year or so.
Personally, I had hunkered down, reading a ton of books, learning new recipes, catching up on all the TV shows I had missed over the previous decade, training for a nonexistent half marathon, and of course joining countless Zoom meetings while doing my best to maintain my mental health and not despair over the state of the world. Having lived a fast-paced working lifestyle followed by a fast-placed traveling lifestyle, I embraced the forced time to slow down and focus inward — at first. As summer approached, I was delighted to get out and enjoy New York City with a small group of close friends, maximizing the new normal of takeout drinks, park picnics and outdoor dining. And somehow I even met a guy. That I really liked. In NYC. During a pandemic. What were the chances?!
That last part is important for this post because it was Reuben who inspired the trip to Malawi. I won’t go into everything in detail because it’s really his story to tell, but at a high level, he was interested in buying a lodge in Africa. This intrigued me from the first time I met him, and we somehow found ourselves traveling to Malawi together to look at a property just over six months after we had met.
Getting to Malawi
One of the least-developed countries in the world, Malawi wasn’t the easiest place to get to from the U.S. in “normal” times. It also wasn’t the easiest place to track or anticipate in terms of COVID-19 travel restrictions. Fortunately, Reuben and I both had fairly flexible schedules and were able to schedule our trip after our vaccines and when both the U.S. and Malawi were experiencing low levels of the virus. The country was open to international flights in April/May 2021 when we visited, albeit at a much-reduced schedule compared to previous times.
The best flight itinerary we could find required a red-eye to Paris, followed by a 15 hour layover at CDG, another red-eye to Addis Ababa, a three hour layover at ADD, and finally a four hour flight to Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital. Thankfully, we were able to get a great deal on business class tickets with United points (one leg operated by United, the rest by Ethiopian Airlines).
Also, in case you can’t tell from the picture, United Polaris was pretty empty from EWR to CDG during this stage of the pandemic as France was still closed to U.S. citizens
As expected, travel had become more complicated due to the pandemic. We weren’t technically allowed to enter France, but were still required to present negative COVID-19 test results and a France health declaration form to board our flight from Newark (the United agents at the ticketing guest were quite rude, I might add). However, we jumped through all the hoops and made it to CDG without a problem.
We knew in advance that we wouldn’t be able to clear immigration and spend our 15 hour layover at a nearby hotel (or better yet, in Paris), so we planned to hang out in a lounge and make a day out of it. Our lounge agenda looked something like this: nap, shower, French airport breakfast, nap, French airport lunch (maybe with some wine), read/Netflix, French airport dinner (definitely with some wine). Then I realized that all of the lounges at CDG were closed due to the pandemic. After a moment of panic (15 hours at the gate?!) I I found a solution…
To be frank, YOTELAIR wasn’t exactly the hotel of my dreams, and it was pricey given what was on offer, but it was located airside, which meant that we could access it despite our current pariah status as American citizens in France. I was willing to pay a couple hundred euros for a shower and a bed while all the airport lounges were closed. FYI, YOTELAIR charges on an hourly basis, so if you have a long layover at CDG and need a private place to nap/shower, it’s not the worst option. They also have flexible check in and check out policies, so it wasn’t a problem for us to check in at 9am and check out at 6pm. We did book in advance since YOTELAIR was in high demand when most of CDG was shut down, although I’m not sure that would be necessary in “normal” times.
After a snooze and a shower, it was time for happy hour. We had managed to acquire a bottle of wine at Newark Duty Free, but didn’t have a travel corkscrew and nobody (Duty Free, YOTEL, the few restaurants at CDG that were open) could help us out due to safety restrictions.
Are you ready for the main event already? We had made the most of our long layover, and it had turned into quite an adventure all on its own, but we were ready to get to Malawi! Or at least Ethiopia to start.
I’m happy to report that our layover in Addis was quite chill, despite Reuben’s hopes to see evidence of the conflict in Tigray (if you haven’t noticed already, he has a, well, unique sense of adventure). We arrived at the brand new international terminal and enjoyed the spacious lounge that featured a great view and a variety of food and drink options. I’ll admit that I had quite low expectations for Ethiopian Airlines, but was pleasantly surprised with almost everything about the experience, even with COVID limitations.
Finally we landed in Lilongwe. Given the small number of flights coming into and out of the airport, it wasn’t a complicated process, although it wasn’t the most efficient or high tech experience either (shocker). We walked off the plane and first entered a tent where we had to show our negative COVID-19 test results. At the time, the requirement was a negative test within ten days, but the Malawian government shortened that to 72 hours during our stay with no warning. Then we moved to immigration, where Reuben and I both had to pay for visas on arrival (cash only). Because we also planned to go to Zambia on our trip we had to pay $150 for a multi-entry six month visa — but I’m not complaining because it is generally much more difficult/expensive for so many foreigners to enter the U.S.
Next we had to pick up our rental car and drive to our accommodations on Lake Malawi/Reuben’s potential new lodge. I didn’t take as many pictures or videos as I usually do since a) this was primarily Reuben’s trip, and, b) I was still easing back into my travel life. We were still in the throes of the pandemic and I wasn’t yet comfortable documenting my travels and sharing them with the world.
I’ll admit that I really didn’t know much about Malawi, aka “the warm heart of Africa” going into the trip. I knew it was in southern Africa, I knew it had a large lake, I knew that Madonna had adopted a child from the country. I also knew a bit of its history as a former British colony and a now independent democracy. I looked forward to learning more, but understood my experience would be somewhat limited as a foreign visitor.
Driving to Lake Malawi
We met Wim, the Dutch proprietor of Safari Beach Lodge, at Kamuzu Airport in Lilongwe and followed him on the 90 minute drive to the lodge. The ninth largest lake in the world, Lake Malawi is long and skinny, oriented between Tanzania (where it is known as Lake Nyasa), Mozambique (where it is Lake Niassa), and Malawi (where it is simply called Lake Malawi). It also contains more fish species than any other lake in the world! That being said, Reuben had grossed me out with stories about how the local villagers sometimes used the lake as a toilet (not just for #1…) and I was feeling a bit queasy about swimming in the lake, let alone eating anything that had once lived in the human feces-infested waters.
While I was jet-lagged and sleep-deprived, the ride to the lake was riveting. We had arrived at the tail end of Malawi’s wet season and the land was marked by verdant hills and cassia trees budding with bright yellow blossoms. Not unexpectedly, the roads weren’t particularly well-maintained but as long as we stayed on the main highways, potholes were minimal. However, it was clear that the Malawian road builders (the Chinese?) didn’t care for shoulders.
The most interesting part of the drive was watching the countless villagers walking in packs along the side of the road as Reuben swerved to avoid them, given the aforementioned lack of shoulders. We saw women sporting T-shirts and sarongs while deftly balancing baskets of food or water on their heads, sometimes with a swaddled baby crossing their chests. Once in a while we’d see a few young men ambling down the road, idly riding bicycles or (most likely) keeping cool sitting underneath a tree. And there were So. Many. Children. They were adorable, usually walking in groups and rarely with an adult chaperone. Once in a while I’d catch them staring at me, an obvious foreigner with my pale white skin and blond hair.
As Reuben was fond of saying, this was “real” Africa. Although I had previously visited South Africa and Mozambique, I had mostly stuck to privileged enclaves of wealthy neighborhoods and high-end resorts. Now I was seeing for myself how a significant percentage of the world population actually lived. It clearly wasn’t anywhere as comfortable as my high-rise apartment in Manhattan. Although the people didn’t seem to be famine-stricken, the vast inequality was still difficult to face.
Arriving at Safari Beach Lodge
Next we pulled into Safari Beach Lodge (“Safari” for short), our home for the next four or so days. While I typically prefer to travel with a set itinerary, particularly when in a developing country and especially during a pandemic, this was Reuben’s trip. We had a rough plan, but no reservations yet for accommodations after our stay at Safari. I had to take off my Type A planner hat and be ready to go with the flow.
The grounds at Safari far exceeded my expectations. Set on a hill overlooking the lake, the highlights of the property were a lush garden with a relaxing pool, a bar built into a boulder-laden cliff, and the views from the handful of villas on the hill.
The lake view truly was world-class. I’ve stayed on numerous lakes around the world (Lake Como, Lake Tahoe, Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, Lake Taupo in New Zealand…) and Lake Malawi felt unique. It was impressively vast, but its remote, undeveloped location was what really stood out to me. The lake was generally peaceful, aside from a local fishing boat motoring in or out every once in a while. Otherwise, the facilities and the rooms at Safari left a bit to be desired, if I’m being honest. It certainly wasn’t #andreastyle, as my friend Johnny would say.
We spent our first afternoon settling in and napping, then headed down to the Platform Bar for a beer before moving up the hill for dinner while starting to discuss the details of the potential lodge sale that I’m not going to cover here. I was mostly just disappointed to discover that the only wine on offer was an oaky South African white that came out of a box and was quite warm.
Kayaking on Lake Malawi
We spent our first full day on the lake getting a more detailed tour of the property from Wim. Then Reuben and I decided to set out on a kayaking “expedition” to see more of the lake and check out the Sunbird Livingstonia Beach Hotel just south of Safari. We certainly didn’t make an expert kayaking team and it took me a while to not cringe every time I splashed lake water on myself (was that shit in there?!) but we eventually made it around the bend to the large beach at the Sunbird — and we had a lot of fun.
The Sunbird Livingstonia was a monstrosity compared to Safari and part of the property was still under construction. However, it had tables full of guests. While I felt that the hotel was cheesy and lacked personality, it seemed like the local elites were drawn to the ambiance. Reuben and I preferred to stick to the secluded beach, looking out to the lake.
After finishing our beers we returned to the kayak with new determination to find our paddling groove. At this point the lower half of my body was soaked with lake water and I was still alive, so I figured a bit more splashing couldn’t hurt.
Snorkeling Day
Despite the ongoing pandemic, we weren’t the only guests at Safari, although we had by far traveled the greatest distance to be there. We chatted with a couple other overnight guests from Lilongwe at the Platform Bar and saw numerous day guests throughout our visit as the lodge let people enjoy the property for the day as long as they bought food and drinks. We even saw the staff decorating the garden for a local couple celebrating their honeymoon one night. During our second day Reuben befriended a young couple and made plans to go on a snorkeling tour with them the following morning. I was still a bit afraid of the excrement-filled waters, but the kayaking trip had gone fine and Wim assured me that the lake was clean in the area where we’d be swimming. And how could I say no to snorkeling in the lake with the world’s largest number of fish species?!
Village Visit and Dinner at Kabumba
Post-snorkeling trip and a nap, we met Wim to walk over to the neighboring village. This is where the fishing boats originated from, and where the selfie-loving boys from the previous day lived. Reuben wanted to meet the villagers to get a better idea of what their challenges were and how he could help them if he did decide to buy the lodge. Personally I had never visited a Malawian fishing village and I was just curious to see the place.
My impressions: First of all, it didn’t smell great. In fact, it stunk. The day’s catch of fish was laid out to dry in the center of the village, and the stench wafted throughout the settlement of makeshift buildings and tents. After we passed by the main fish-drying station, I was able to adjust. We met with the village leader (a man, of course) and chatted a bit with him through a translator. While English is Malawi’s official language, there are a number of indigenous languages spoken in the country, the most popular being Chewa. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t even think of respectful questions to ask this man, so I just sat, listened and absorbed. I wish I had more pictures to share, but I felt uncomfortable documenting the villagers’ home as if it was a tourist attraction.
Maybe most interesting was the village’s lack of interest in COVID-19. While the pandemic had negatively impacted them as they had seen a lack of demand for the fish they caught and sold, they weren’t too concerned about the potential health issues related to the virus. They weren’t verbalizing these things, but my takeaway was that they lived a relatively isolated lifestyle, their population skewed very young, and they had other, more serious concerns to worry about (i.e. malaria).
Everyone was very welcoming, friendly and curious toward us foreign visitors, which was quite touching. Reuben had brought some notebooks and pencils to donate to the schoolchildren; Wim and our translator advised that we give them directly to the village teacher so she could hand them out as she saw fit. Otherwise, it would create arguments amongst the kids since we didn’t have enough to ensure that everyone received their equitable share. We walked into the extremely humble classroom and the teacher bowed to the ground as I handed her the simple gift. It was heartbreaking that a modest contribution (from our perspective — it was a $10 purchase from Amazon) would invoke such a spirited reaction from the villagers.
From the village we walked along the lake to the hotel neighboring Safari in the north: Kabumba. Similar to the Sunbird, the property felt large, impersonal and unoriginal. Dinner was uninspired and they didn’t even have wine. I was beginning to miss my grilled cheese sandwiches and warm boxed white wine at Safari. Meanwhile, Reuben was loving the local chambo (fish) and nsima (starchy staple made of maize; although Reuben had tried his best to talk it up to me, I still found it bland).
Wim explained to us that Kabumba’s original plan was to have a lot more rooms, but the owner (a former politician) had run out of money, so the property was essentially just sitting, partially unfinished. One of the most interesting things that we learned about the Malawian hospitality scene during our visit: government employees working in Lilongwe were given a per diem when attending a conference out of town. As such, government workers were incentivized to plan as many out of town conferences as possible in locations that were still easily accessible from Lilongwe. That way they could drive to the conference, earn their per diem, and drive home (or stay at a very inexpensive motel) to spend the night while having to spend minimal extra money. This was one way that the government workers supplemented their incomes and the local resorts brought in some revenue during the pandemic. I’m not saying it was right (it was certainly a waste of taxpayer dollars), but it was creative at least.
After four days Reuben had seen what he needed to see and had the conversations he needed to have, so we were ready to move on from Lake Malawi for the time being. Next we would be spending a couple days in Lilongwe before embarking on a much more “vacation” experience: a safari in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park.
