On my way to Rwanda i wanted have at least a glimpse of Mwanza, the second largest city of Tanzania, and the huge Lake Victoria. The city itself hasn’t lot to offer but the surroundings with round hills and big boulders are nice. Also along the shore of Lake Victoria are beautiful spots to discover. I feel lucky to find a camping at the yacht club of Mwanza with the view of the city opposite that little bay.
I talked about the desert elephants and how rare they’re to see, as i noticed a car parking next to the gravel road. And yes, the couple in that car spotted two elephant bulls roaming in nearby bush. Along the road we’ve been lucky with more attractions as a black cobra, once alive since there are many dead snakes on the road, more of the unique welwitschia plants or huge termite hills.
A guide explained the origin of the wood and how it came many thousands years ago down to Nambia, covered by mud and clay and turned slowly to minerals and stone. The colors, the structure of the bark and even the year rings look still like the wood, but if you touch it you feel cold, hard stone.
Lake Malawi. There’s hardly a better place for a first stop in Africa, I was thinking, and brought my travelmate from international airport direct to the shore of this huge lake. For the next days we enjoyed the sound of waves on the beaches, the mild winter sun of Africa and the hospitality of local people. We travelled slowly along the coast, passed small towns, visited different beaches. Fishermen showed how they repair their nets, food sellers offered strange meals, monkeys watching out for food. Along the road are rubber plantations, truck accidents and boys leading cattle to grassy places. Found a spot to stay overnight, we looked out to the lake, seen the phenomena of thousands of insects gathering over the lake what looks like big smoke, before sunset painted wonderful colours on the sky. It’s Africa at its fullest.
Der Malawi See. Es gibt wohl kaum einen besseren Ort, um gemütlich in Afrika anzukommen. Ich holte meine Reisefreundin vom Flughafen ab und brachte sie direkt zum Strand. In den nächsten Tagen horchten wir dem Flüstern der Wellen, sonnten in der milden Wintersonne Afrikas und genossen die Gastfreundschaft der Bevölkerung. Dann reisten wir langsam dem See entlang, kamen an kleinen, quirligen Orten vorbei und besuchten verschiedene Strände. Fischer zeigten uns wie sie ihre Netze reparieren, Marktleute offerierten uns seltsame Snacks und Affen hielten für Fressen Ausschau. Entlang der Strassen waren Kautschuk-Plantagen, Lastwagenunfälle und Junge, die Kühe auf grünere Wiesen brachten. Zum Übernachten fanden wir Plätze mit Sicht auf den See, beobachteten Insektenschwärme, die sich wie riesige Rauchschwaden über der Wasseroberfläche sammelten, bevor der Sonnenuntergang seine herrlichen Farbe an den Himmel malte. Afrika zeigt uns all seine Seiten.
rene bauer photography 