Second time's a charm

Still feeling the burning heat of the African sun from the back of a Matola, a crowded pick-up truck considered the most reliable public transportation in rural Malawi, I could finally see the first glimpse of water. I was exhausted and dusty. But it didn’t matter anymore. I was near.
I had embarked the Matola in Monkey Bay and over the next few hours it had taken us on a narrow, winding road full of sharp-edged potholes. Occasionally the hills had been so steep that the passengers had to walk as the worn-out car ran out of power. Against all odds however, we were here, finally approaching Chembe village. Here in the heart of tropical Africa lies one of my personal paradises – Cape Maclear.
As I rushed through the dusty village, my mind wondered back to the mid-90’s when I used to live in Malawi. This was where our family would come to spend weekends, though at that time the village, tiny even nowadays, used to be next to non-existent. There was no accommodation and a few local fishermen prepared the only meals available, boiling rice and cooking their local catch of Chambo or catfish.
Luckily these options are still available – pay a local fisherman to take you to one of the near-by islands and have them prepare you lunch. The fish will definitely be the freshest you have ever had!
Don’t expect crowds, but nowadays one can find an array of guesthouses ranging from US0.50 per night for a tent to about US20 for a comfortable room equipped with mosquito nets. Fat monkeys, right on the beach, serves the best food and occasionally turns even into a night club – given that there are enough people to get a party going. The village itself is also more accessible with the possibility of taking a Matola or a motorcycle taxi. That is, when the road happens to be accessible.
Miraculously, even though my mind doesn’t remember the road, my feet know exactly where they are going. At the end of the road I pass the ruins of a colonial style building, now inhabited only by monkeys, and I remember where I am.
Just a small climb over the hill and there it was: the view I had been waiting for. Exactly like I remembered it from my childhood. Cristal clear, turquoise, water in between magnificent cliffs with an occasional sight of a friendly monitor-lizard. Hopping into the water among the hundreds of colorful fish I felt that I had just jumped into a warm water aquarium.
As I opened a cold Savanna cider I could not help but to smile. The sun was setting and I felt I was home.