Likoma Island, home of the scotts! (or it used to be)

While in Malawi, Meg and I decided to take an adventure and visit Likoma Island. This little island is on the east side of Lake Malawi, closer to Mozambique, but the islands belong to Malawi. Here's a map that will help with the next couple of posts, Meg lived in Zomba (southern Malawi) we visited Nkhotakota (central lake region) and Nkhata Bay (north central lake area) and Likoma island (near Mozambique).

Malawi, a little country with lots of people, a big lake, and lots of mosquitoes!

Like most places along the shores of Lake Malawi, Likoma has oodles of little fishing villages. They are characteristic when viewed from the lake by the rows of fish drying racks and fishing nets drying in the sun.

Fish drying racks on the shore of Likoma island.

Fish nets drying in the sand, sort of look like art work on the shore!

The Lord is Good, Chicago Trans(it?) I like that you can find little pieces of home everywhere, even on the waves of lake Malawi! 

 Meg found a cute little place for us to stay on the island, right on the shore, so we had many views of the lake, the sunrise and sunset!

Meg at our little hut by the beach!

Sunset over Lake Malawi

Sunset over lake Malawi, with a Bao Bab tree! 

The first morning there we took a walk around the island. The first place that we went was to Katundu, a center where single mothers are employed making crafts to sell to the tourists (the only ones who can afford them!).  One the the really neat things they did is to recycle the wine bottles from the resorts, into chandelier/wall hanging things. So they have women who work breaking the bottles into smaller pieces, they have a long tube with sand that the use to make it into sea glass. They also make clothes, mosquito nets and beaded things, etc. 

Jacaranda trees were in bloom, adding a bright splash of red to the landscape.

The women making things from the sea glass. Note the women in the background working to break apart the wine bottles.

Meg outside of Katundu (note that maize is planted right up to the path).

Then we walked past some fishermen coming back in with their catch. They had some pretty big catfish, and offered them to us for lunch, but I prefer my lunch a little more dead...

This man was excited to sell me a catfish, I was not so excited to buy... see also the corner of a dug-out canoe they use for fishing!

Then we walked into town to see the Cathedral, built by the Scottish missionaries that had come to Malawi in the late 1800s. It was amazing! After seeing all of the Malawian homes along the road, it was startling, and strange to see a cathedral as big as Westminster tucked in with the red dirt of Malawi.

We met Forget and Louise on the way into town.

The cathedral is HUGE (especially by Malawi standards), and beautiful.

The kids followed us into the cathedral for a bit to show us around.

The Cathedral was still decorated for Christmas... with toilet paper garland! So festive!

The detail in the icons and decorations was amazing!

This cross was at the front of the room, it looked very much like the Ethiopian crosses.

This cross features the four apostles, can you find them all?

From the altar looking back at the church.

We walked home with our ex-pat friends, through the baobab groves. There were so many on the island! It was a beautiful day!

Henrik and Kaja with the bao bab trees.