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| Goats on the road |
My second Malawian adventure was a trip
to the Lake with some visitors from the US. Dr. Charles (my advisor from UNC)
was visiting, along with Jon Samuel, one of the residents who came to Malawi in
the past and is now a Critical Care fellow at UNC. We set out for the lake on Saturday morning,
stopping for lunch at the Dedza pottery store.
We drove
down through the mountains on a very picturesque highway with beautiful views
of the surrounding countryside and the lake in the distance. We arrived at Cape
Mclear in
the mid-afternoon. Once the rest of our party arrived we hired a boat to take
us out onto the lake to go snorkeling.
For those of you who are biologically
inclined (or those of you who have watched BBC Planet Earth), Lake Malawi is
home to around 500 species of fish, most of which are cichlids. Cichlids are a
popular subject in intro biology courses, because they all evolved from a
common ancestor within the confines of Lake Malawi. Unlike most fish you might
see in a freshwater lake, cichlids come in many bright colors. Each species has
a very specific eating pattern, allowing all of the species to coexist in the
same environment.
After marveling at the beautiful cichlids
and taking a short excursion to see the resident fish eagle, we finished of the
evening with a beach barbeque, dining on chambo (a type of cichlid) and duck. Delicious.
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