sunday

Hired a guide and headed up to the first hut (chambe hut) for a day hike. We were offered 2 ways to go…a shorter steep path and a longer, more scenic path. And then back down the other way. Our guide asked us which way we wanted to go and then he said no we should do it the other way…ok, he’s the guide. So up the steep (skyline track) and down the scenic. And it was up but at a good pace. Beautiful. Found a fresh water stream to refill our bottles and then we were at the top. We passed many Malawians headed down with cedar logs on their shoulders or heads…barefoot and running down the mountain. I don’t know how they do it. Mulanje cedar is beautiful and they make all kinds of carved things that you can buy at the bottom (boxes, candle holders, wine racks, frames and so much more). Amazing to be passed by at a run someone with a 7ft log on their head. The hut is in a basin surrounded by high peaks…and once we’d made it here I figured rhona and I could have definitely done the whole thing…and I really wished we could have. Down the more scenic path which turned out to be no less steep (at least we didn’t think so) and personally not as scenic. But it was a great day. while getting ready for bed that night we found a snake in our room. The watchman came to kill it and remove it from the room. We were informed that it had been a black mamba but I don’t really know…it was quite small but it shook us up pretty well.