The-Accountant-Jul-Aug-2017

TRAVEL
lake’s waters. Although the waters of the
lake are clear, there is an unusual mist
that hangs over the waters for most of the
day, giving the sky an opaque grey aspect,
and the sunlight reflected off the lake
water onto this low cloud produces a fiery
glowing effect that gave rise to the name
Malawi in the Chechewa language. It is
the same fiery reflection that features on
the national flag and which is a recurrent
theme in Malawian art and carvings.
No holiday on Lake Malawi would be
complete without at least one trip on the
ancient ferry that plys the lake, the mv Ilala,
which is based at Monkey Bay and operated
by Malawi Lake Services. The venerable
motor ship can carry 360 passengers and
100 tons of freight. Launched in 1949,
the ship was built on the River Clyde in
faraway Scotland, carried to Central Africa
in sections and assembled on the shores
of the lake. Since then it has become the
beloved icon of the lake and some regular
overseas visitors to Malawi spend much of
their time on the ship, exploring all of the
different routes which include Senga Bay
to Likoma Island which takes 18 hours,
Chilumba to Nkhotakota (36 hours) and
Nkhotakota to Monkey Bay (19 hours).
Despite its ancient appearance, the ship is
well maintained, and seaworthy, and firsttime
passengers are surprised to find that it
features a congenial bar and a real cafe that
serves freshly-cooked food.
One of the few authentic adventures
still available in Malawi, the Ilala offers
four different classes of travel, all at
different costs. On the lower deck, there
are rigid Second Class benches, which
tend to fill up quite quickly, and can
consequently be a bit squeezed. The two
decks above comprise First Class, and cost
a little more, but on overnight voyages you
can lay out a sleeping mat and doze under
the stars. Then there are First Class cabins,
which offer a bed and a chance to shower,
but which are not too well ventilated. For
real luxury, there is the “Owner’s Cabin”,
with an en suite toilet, bath and shower,
although these do not always work. So the
Ilala is not the Queen Elizabeth, but you
can take heart from the fact that it is not
the Titanic either, and on the balmy waters
of Lake Malawi the risk of icebergs is a
world away.
64 JULY - AUGUST 2017