I took a ferry to Likoma

On Friday, 25 March 2022, I took a ferry from Monkey Bay to Likoma Island, via Salima. I was super excited about it as it was my first time on a long distance ferry.

The Ilala Ferry was meant to depart at 8am but it was late. We only left the Harbour at 8:45am.

I had booked an economy ticket for MK7300 despite being warned that it gets overcrowded. I didn’t want to pay MK10300 for the top deck or MK16000 for a cabin.

As soon as it started moving, I started to feel lightheaded. I sat down and hoped it wouldn’t be too serious. After few minutes, the feeling subsided.

The Ilala Ferry at Monkey Bay

Economy had more passengers but it wasn’t too hectic. What surprised me was the amount of luggage on board. It seemed most people use the ferry to transport their stock, from vegetables to building materials.

Some of the luggage on board.

Even the passage was blocked by boxes and baskets. You couldn’t move freely because of them.

More stuff.

After the second stop, more people came in and that meant more luggage. I soon realized that the ticket officer was right about overcrowding.

Luckily, we could move around the boat so I went to the second floor which was mostly unoccupied. I think only two people had booked cabins. I didn’t stay much on the deck because of the hot sun.

Enjoying my drink while taking in the view.

Evening came, and we were told to go back to our designated seats. That’s when I saw that there was livestock next to the bathroom in economy class!

The goat and pigs were quiet throughout.

The people transporting the animals had to sit next to them the whole journey so they to keep an eye on them.

It was soon bed time. People made themselves comfortable. Some had blankets and mattresses while others slept at any space they could find. I had no idea what to do so I went outside. Laid on the big drums and watched the stars while humming Yellow by Coldplay. It was a beautiful night. I was enjoying the experience and I didn’t feel like sleeping.

After an hour or two, it was quiet as most passengers were sleeping except for some at the bar on the deck. I got bored as the night dragged on. My phone didn’t have signal so I couldn’t chat with anyone. Eventually, it was morning. I took a shower around 5am after watching a stunning sunrise.

Red sky as we approached our destination.

We arrived in Likoma just before 11am. It was hot. I was so happy to be on solid ground after 27 hours on the ferry. As much as the overcrowding overwhelmed me a bit, I’m not sure I’m ready to pay MK16000 when going back…

Part 2: can I join minimalism?

Recently, I wrote about my growing interest in being a minimalist. It’s something that has been hugely influenced by my travels. I know now that I can live with half or even less of what I thought I needed.

However, there’s a challenge so I’m going to highlight what is now evidently the disadvantages of the minimalist lifestyle.

I am someone, who can wear the same clothes for years, and when I give them away they’re still in good condition. But now since I have access to few clothes, my t-shirts are losing colour. The black one is now greyish while the orange one is losing shape around the neck! This is something I’ve never experienced before.

The t-shirt that’s losing shape.

Due to having less clothes, I wear them frequently which means they wear quickly!

So how do you embrace minimalism if you have to buy clothes more frequently?

The same goes for my three pairs of shoes. If I had more, they would not be in the condition they are in now. And now you can’t even give them away because I believe in only giving another person stuff that’s in good condition. You can’t give what you can’t wear/eat.

I’m guessing the answer is buying expensive clothing, but remember I’m a cheapskate so that’s out of the question.

After the first blog about this topic, I had a poll on Instagram asking if being a minimalist was sustainable or not. Now, I get those who voted no. However, I’m not giving up on the idea of living with less possessions, I just need to find a way that works for me.

Lessons from Tanzania

During my ongoing adult gap year, I spent three amazing months in Tanzania. I arrived in Iringa in November 2021. During my time in the country I also stayed in Arusha, Gonja, Tanga and Mbeya. It was my second time in that beautiful country as I’d visited Zanzibar the year before. However, whenever I told people this, they would say it was my first time as Zanzibar doesn’t really count as being in Tanzania.

Anyway, my favourite place was Gonja because of the mountains, the fresh food from the farm and the amazing people I stayed with. That place really touched me. I hiked for hours and spent a lot of time getting lost before finding my way in the forest.

When I wasn’t being Dora the Explorer, I was observing their way of life. So here’s what I have learned from my time in that East African country.

Language
If you are planning to travel to Tanzania, you must learn Swahili before you go. Everyone speaks Swahili. There are other local languages but Swahili is number one. Most Tanzanians don’t speak English or any other foreign languages so communication becomes impossible if you don’t speak their language. In my case, it also didnt help being black because some people just assumed that I were a local and when I’d speak English I would be called “Mzungu” which really annoyed me. It’s not like they would have understood me if I spoke IsiXhosa which is what I ended up doing when someone would insist on speaking Swahili to me. It was mostly men. I’d politely say I don’t understand, but they would continue talking so I’d say andikuva uba uthini. It would shut them up and they would walk away from me!

Swahili
I can’t stress this enough, learn Swahili. It will make your life easier. Personally, as much as I enjoyed Tanzania, I believe if I spoke the language I would have enjoyed it even more. There are so many conversations I would have had with some of my hosts if there was no language barrier.

Clothing
If you are going to spend time in the rural areas, you may want to dress conservatively. For example, in Pawaga we went to work on a construction site at a nearby village. On day one I was wearing a simple knee-length black dress. The local women, who were all wearing kitenges, welcomed me and tried to include me despite the language barrier. On the second day, I showed up in a kitenge and that’s when I was really embraced!

New house in the border town of Mbeya, Tanzania.

Big houses
If there are two things that Tanzanians will do – it is to build big, beautiful homes and to farm! I remember how I’d just take long walks just to admire the houses. Whether they’re in the rural areas or towns, they don’t compromise when it comes to their homes. As someone who enjoys Grand Designs, I thoroughly enjoyed taking in the beautiful designs. I also admire their passion for farming. I remember being in Arusha which is an urban area and yet people would tend to their gardens and chickens before going to work. They really utilize their massive land.

Litter
Tanzania banned the use of plastic bags a while back. If you are found with one you will be fined. As we all know that plastic is bad for the environment and there’s the issue of litter which I’m sure they were also trying to solve. However, they have not succeeded as people continue to litter. The reusable bags that replaced plastic are littered everywhere. I’m not sure whether it’s ignorance or people just don’t care but it’s really bad. As someone, who hates litter, I used to be so annoyed at this. Here’s an irony. I’d use the same litter I hated to find my way. For example, I’d be jogging on the mountain and when it’s time to get back I’d look out for a water bottle or an empty packet of chips that I’d seen before just to confirm that I was on the right path!

Makande with avo.

Food
I can now say that before I went to Tanzania I was really under utilizing avocado. They soon introduced me to food combinations that I thought would not work but they did! I remember the first time they made me try rice with avocado and sweet bananas. I really thought I’d hate it but I didn’t. I enjoyed it so much that I make it here in Malawi! Another one is adding avocado to makande also known as umngqusho in SA! You can also add coconut milk to makande instead of oil! It’s really delicious! Go on and try it!