As I sat in Doogles in Blantyre trying to decide whether to head onwards or stay for a couple of days, I got chatting to a Scottish guy called Ken. After explaining my plans to him, he excitedly exclaimed that he knew an Israeli girl who really wanted to go to Mozambique, but she didn't want to go alone so was desperately trying to find a travel buddy. He introduced us, and we both seemed to have the same idea of hiking up Mount Mulanje before crossing the border nearby. Lili had yet to sort out her Moz visa, so my decision to stay a few more days was made for me. Ken was also keen to climb Mulanje, and we agreed to meet again at Doogles in a couple of days.

After hanging out at Russell and Wendy's (see previous post) I headed to Doogles, and Ken, Lili, and I made our way to Mulanje. As soon as we arrived we headed to the information center, with the plan to head off that afternoon. The guides there explained that this wouldn't be possible, and after haggling and contacting a guide Ken knew of through a friend he'd met in Blantyre, we arranged to get food supplies at the market and start on our hike the following morning. The guide came with us shopping to help make sure we got enough of the right food, and as he asked us what we would want to eat, Ken (half-jokingly I think) said, "chicken and rice" - this is a pretty common meal in Malawi. The sarcasm wasn't picked up on, and before we knew it we were haggling for live chickens - the only way to make sure the meat would stay fresh during the hike was if it was alive… None of us objected, and soon we had our food supplies sorted - including two chickens - and headed back to leave the things at the guide's house - a simple two-room shack sparsely furnished with a stove and a mattress on the floor.

That evening we made sure to carbo-load, also accidentally eating all the peanuts that Lili had intended to bring on the hike as all-important snacking food. We headed to bed at a sensible hour, mindful of the early start the next day, and after a morning carbo-load (can you tell why I enjoy exercise?) of yummy fried things and sweet tea, unsuccessfully hunting for replacement peanuts, we met our guide. Fully loaded with our sleeping bags, pots and pans, and the food - a chicken in each hand - he was ready to go and we headed off. The beginning of the hike was a delightful walk through rolling fields of tea plantations, and I was beginning to think the carbs had been a bit much as this was looking set to be a long but pleasant walk. Before long though, we were scrambling up rather steep rocky surfaces, and as Ken, Lili, and I alternated carrying one of the chickens we discovered that it wasn't easy climbing with a live animal. When we eventually got to the first cabin where we were to spend our first night, we were exhausted and although it was only early afternoon, nobody suggested missioning onwards to the next cabin. I found a place in the sun and had a lovely afternoon nap while Lili and Ken explored the surrounding area briefly. As darkness fell, the temperature dropped drastically and we realised that altitude really does make a big difference - soon we were huddled around the fire wearing all the layers we had packed. After a massive dinner - good ol' chicken #1 and mounds of rice - and a chat with a US Peacecorps volunteer who had been staying in a nearby village for months, we settled in for the night. And what a night: I got a limited amount of sleep thanks to the absolutely freezing temperatures that not even the extra blankets that the volunteer kindly provided us with could protect us from. Combined with Ken's snoring and my earplugs being too far away to get up into the cold and get, sleep was not going to happen.

The next morning, still freezing, we packed up our stuff and headed off as quickly as possible. The only relief from the cold was to get moving and as soon as our circulation got going we began to shed layers and feel warm again - a feeling I was starting to think I would never know again. This was to be our longest day of walking and with our legs already starting off tired from the previous day, thankfully the path was gentle and the incline was much less steep. By lunchtime, Ken's knees were starting to give him some trouble and everyone was rather tired. The setting of the cabin provided good distraction though, nestled in a valley surrounded by hills and peaks, and the view was amazing. After a brief break, we began the climb to the summit, driven on by the excitement to get to the top (and not much else). The climb here became steep again and we had to spend most of our time scrambling up on our hands and knees. -Luckily this time we had no chickens as #1 had provided our dinner and #2 was back at the cabin awaiting his fate. (Having thought that the experience of bonding with the chickens before eating them would make me consider becoming vegetarian it had the opposite effect: I actually felt my mouth watering as I identified the drumsticks and wings beneath the chicken's feathers as I carried it!) This part of the climb was devastating and by the end, we were like a bunch of irritating children, asking our guide "Is that the peak? Is that it? Is this it? Is it that one?" When we finally reached the summit, the view was impressive and we spent a couple of minutes admiring it - before collapsing and napping for half an hour! It felt SO good, although when we eventually had to head back in order to return before dark, all our muscles had seized up and the beginning of the descent was painful. By this point, Ken's knees were in such bad shape that he was walking with the help of the stick and falling behind rather drastically, and when we got to a point in the path that was well sign-posted, Lili and I climbed ahead eager to get back to the cabin for the evening. We were absolutely starving and completely demolished the chicken and rice that evening. This night we were determined not to suffer as before, and although Lili insisted that she would make sure the fire didn't go out, I thought it unlikely. I did make sure I had my earplugs close at hand this time though, and got much more sleep. At one point, I felt a nudge and removed one ear's earplugs to hear Ken say "the fire's gone out" - expectantly hoping that I would hop into action and immediately re-kindle a fire, he was disappointed when I said "told you it would" and turned around to go back to sleep. When he later woke me to say I was snoring, the only thing that protected him from getting a punch was my own sleepiness, and the next morning I lacked any sympathy for his sore knees.

From here, day 3 was our last day of hiking and we had all had enough of hiking and looked forward to returning. We were taking a different route from our initial climb, and thankfully this was again less steep - although long and winding, the path was pleasant and Lili and I made our way back without too much trouble while the guide stayed with Ken to make sure he made it. At this point his face was frozen in concentration and although I was administering the painkillers I had with me (if rugby has taught me anything, it is to always carry painkillers), it was clearly taking all his willpower to take each step. We got down to a village a short distance from Mulanje and got bicycle taxis back - my cyclist may have had to stop and get us to walk uphill (ahem, muscle weighs more than fat...right??) - before having a celebratory meal and a few celebratory beers. The hike was beautiful, but the experience definitely put me off attempting anything bigger in the foreseeable future, and I cannot imagine waking up the next morning and having to start walking. Instead, Lili and I were getting up to head to the Mozambique border as Ken returned to Blantyre, and even that seemed like more of an effort than I wanted to make!