I think I have been in Malawi too long. I get up in the morning ands it 21C, and I think its cold. At sunset it gets down to 23C and I think its cold. Adelaide at the same time is having maximums of 14C.
I have been at Ngala for 6 days, I have ten days left on my TIP (temporary import permit), so I think I will stay here for at least a few more days. I have the mozzie net pretty well set up. The shadecloth extensions help, and as well I pile up boxes to block the holes.
The last two nights had an overland truck visiting. There were 18 Spanish people who were spending 25 days driving around Africa being paid for by a rich Google employee. They were nice enough, but it was all a bit of a shock, as the previous 4 days it has just been me. There is one other overlander couple staying now, so things are quiet again.
Dan who runs Ngala with Trish made a 150km (one way) shopping run into Mzuzu and got me some supplies as well. He most importantly got me some more Pearl Barley which I am starting to run out of. It was most appreciated.
I have been up the 400m to Ngala village a couple of times to buy bread. I went today and met Issac, a boy of maybe ten, who spoke really good English. He helped me find a couple of things. So on the way back to the camp he followed and asked if he could have money for books. I though this was a pretty good ask, so I gave him 2000Kw or about $A3. Now another overlander had told me that the daily average wage in Malawi was 1800Kw. So on a whim, I thought later, I had given this ten year old a days wages for an adult. Like giving a random kid in Australia $A200.
Spread out and relaxed, sunset at camp Ngala BeachThe monkeys that occasionally invadeAn angry crab, that got lost near my campThe beach chair put out every daySupplies brought by DanThe bread shop opens in Ngala every few daysIssac with his friendNgala working using a slingshot with rocks on the Monkeys
Finally after 7 nights at Fat Monkeys at Cape MacClear I got moving again. It was 259km to the next decent campsite, so I was on the road before 9am. I managed to get out of Fat Monkeys’, but the village tracks are confusing, and I have no idea if I went the right way. It was 20km down to Monkey Bay where I picked up some supplies I knew I could get at one of the shops. Then it was of along the semi potholed road to meet up with the M5 heading north.
I was aiming for Salima, which had supermarkets, from which I hoped to top up my supplies. I found the supermarket, from the vast array (not) I got some canned baked beans, canned tuna and very surprisingly canned blueberries, plus a 5l container of water. Outside I found a seller selling some very nice apples, and from someone else I got a big bunch of bananas from. I also found the ATM and got another enormous wad of money out of, being about $A150. I tried about 3 service stations to buy diesel with a credit card, with no luck, but at the 4th I managed to buy 30l with a credit card.
Then onwards north. At around 4pm I got to Nkhotakota pottery, highly rated on iOverlander, but their camping was full. Now its 4:15pm and dark is less than an hour away. I head back to the highway looking for Fish Bay, I come across a sign to Nkhotakota Safari lodge, that also might be Fish Bay, so I head down. My GPS sends me down a side track, but local kids tell me I am wrong. I decide to take their advice. I get about 200m from Nkhotakota Safari, and there are 100’s people milling about the road into the Lodge. This concerns me, because I think it is some sort of protest or demonstration, that I don’t want to be involved in. I speak to a couple of people standing around, and they sort of convey that they will let me in. The guy at some sort of temporary gate waves me over and lowers the gate. I gingerly squeeze amongst all these people, and I emerge into – a football game. The guy at the gate was probably charging people.
I arrive at Nkhotakota Safari lodge, and I get a campsite in their small camping area on the beach. They have no other guests. Next morning I leave at 7:30am, and go to pay the 6,600 Kw for camping (about $A10) . I give them 8,000Kw, but they have no change. I point out that they have this huge lodge but they cannot give me 1,400Kw change (about $A2). Eventually even though there are about 8 people working at this lodge they manage to scrape together 1,000Kw change.
I head into Nkhotakota town and stop at the local supermarket but they don’t have much to choose from. Then up the road I find a bakery and get some bread rolls for 900Kw ($A1.50)
More shops should combine bakery and fishing….
Then it was on the road heading north again. The road was narrow with broken edges. I often had to leave the bitumen to let trucks pass, carefully picking the spot to get off the road. It rained as well for a few minutes. I got to the turnoff to Ngala Beach and made myself at home, and one of the best campsites I have stayed at in Africa.
There are lots and lots of bicycles in MalawiRoadside food stallThere are mobile phone airtime sales booths in every villageLots of bicycles carry passengersDried Fish for saleCamped at Ngala Beach
I got Clancy carefully out of the campsite I had at Mufasa Eco Lodge. It took a 10 point turn to get out. One of the camp workers names Sunday asked me if I come back next year can I bring a bicycle like mine with me for him. This bicycle that I bought from Big W in Australia for $A80, being the cheapest bike I could buy. I have had so many people want this bike, from Policemen at roadside stops, to lots of Malawi and Mozambique people.
I went and paid for my campsite and got talking to two South Africans Mike and Rick who where driving their 1956 (!) Land Rover to London. While having a long chat, a couple of young female Irish backpackers came over and asked if anyone was going to Cape MacClear, and so I volunteered to take them. It was only a 20km drive to Cape MacClear. I had decided to stay at “Fat Monkey’s”, mostly because they had good reviews on iOverlander, and because they offered power. I had really struggled to get enough solar at Mufasa, the days were too cloudy. The two Irish girls decided that Fat Monkey’s was too expensive, so they headed down the beach for cheaper digs. I am camped under a tree, with Lake Malawi about 4m away.
Camped at Fat MonkeysStreet in Chembe, the village next doorFish drying racks ChembeNewly made mud bricks ChembeKids fishing in a dugout canoe, good 50,000 year old technology
I have been here (Mufasa Eco Lodge) for two days so far, and I probably will stay some more days. Its only costing me $A5 a day. I am eventually going to drive north to Cape Maclear, but so far its pretty nice here. I can ride my bike to town, which is only a kilometre away. After 3 attempts at the ATM machine in town, I managed to get some money out. When I was waiting at one of the ATM attempts a Malawi man Patrick offered money exchange with USD. That’s the reason to carry USD with you, its great emergency money. In the end I didn’t need it , but it was comforting because I was down to only about $A10.
I have shifted Clancy out from under the tree, because I need more sunlight for the solar panels. I am getting too used to the weather. It was cloudy and overcast this morning and 19C, and I thought it was freezing. Its warmed up now to 24C, with some patchy blue sky.
I have a flat tyre, but I have it jacked up so I might do that today or tomorrow.
Camped by Lake MalawiMy $A100 from the ATM. Each note is worth about $A3Hot Chips from a wood fire for lunchWashing day on Lake Malawi
I woke up in Malawi, in a hotel room. Very strange, I had been sleeping in Clancy for almost two months. So firstly I went to leave, but one of the staff said what about breakfast, its free with the room. This was a bonus – cooked breakfast! I should note that I was the only person staying in the hotel. I got Clancy organised, added reflectors, got my paperwork ready for the police stops.
These reflectors have been sitting in a box for 3 years waiting for the country that requires reflectors to be fitted – MalawiClancy in the hotel car park, notice all the other cars
I drove through the first town, thought about stopped at the servo, but didn’t thinking there would be more diesel available everywhere (big mistake). I arrived at a Police stop where I had to turn north, and asked the Police where I could buy a sim card. They pointed me up the road and I parked and found a sim seller who set up my sim and got me all organised with internet access.
My sim seller setting up my phone
Then onwards north with diminishing levels of diesel. I rolled in almost empty at a service station near the intersection of the M1 and M6. However they would only take cash, and so I used almost al of my cash for a mere 10l of diesel. I wondered what to do, when I found a Puma service station that would take a credit card about 150m away, so my fuel problems were solved. I still had one problem though – no cash.
Onwards towards Monkey Bay. The Malawi roads were pretty good, but the road to Monkey Bay had more pot-holes. Not Mozambique level of pot-holes, just some. I wanted to head to Cape Maclear, but I had to stop at the only bank I could find at Monkey Bay. I get to the ATM at Monkey Bay (the only one for 100km), and its out of order. I decide I will have to stay in Monkey Bay and go to the bank when its open tomorrow. I head for Mufasa Eco Lodge, which is right on Lake Malawi. With some pruning with the Aldi reciprocating saw I clear a path so Clancy can sit parked right next to the Lake.
Monkey Bay or bust!Camped on Lake Malawi Monkey BayView out of the door of Clancy Monkey Bay
I have two rules for Africa. 1. Don’t cross borders at the end of the day, cross a border early in the day, many less hassles. 2. Don’t drive at night in Africa.
So today I broke both rules.
I left my wild camp near Rio Nahamacambe and got going about 8am. The N7 the day before was mostly pot-hole free, but it got worse as it progressed. I had one obstacle ahead. iOverlander said there was a checkpoint 50km ahead that checked your road tax. So I got every bit of paperwork out in preparation for that. However when I got there, no-one was there. It was a Saturday morning. About 100m further on was another checkpoint, this time military, but they were not interested in me.
There are Charcoal sellers almost everywhere in MozambiqueCrossing the Zambesi river on the new bridge near Tete
I was going to stop in Tete, at the Shoprite supermarket. I drove past a Shoprite that was closed on the outskirts of Tete, and about 500m on I got stopped at another police checkpoint. This policeman told me I couldn’t go that way because the bridge had been cut across the Zambesi. So I turned around and took the highway out of town which crosses the Zambesi on a new bridge. I thought I would backtrack into Tete from the other side of the river. However that’s when I found the collapsed bridge. The northern part of Tete was not accessible from the N7.
Lots of Bicycle riders in this part of Mozambique
Mozambique village under a Baobab
A typical Mozambique VillageSome Mozambique shopsMozambique cartCrashed Bus and trailer near the Malawi border Mozambique
So Shoprite was out of the question. So I continued on about 70km from the Malawi border. At around 4pm I was seriously looking for places to camp. iOverlander showed nothing. It was just too populated, there was village after village. I looked at google maps. It showed a hotel at Zobue the border town on the Mozambique side. Sure I thought I could park in their car park and stay there. Not surprisingly I arrived in Zobue with a main street choked with trucks, and no hotel in sight. So I am at the border post getting overwhelmed with fixers, money changers and people selling reflectors required in Malawi. I had no choice I had to cross the border at dusk. I knew the border post was open until 9m. So I get through the Mozambique side pretty easy, and shake off the fixers. Its a 4km drive through no-mans land until the Malawi side.
I arrive at the Malawi post. Of course, as is true of most African land borders there are dozens of trucks packed everywhere. I park up the end and I am surrounded by maybe 8 people, fixers, sim sellers and money changers. The money changer I wanted so I got rid of all my Mozambique currency for Malawi Kwacha. I didn’t want a sim seller, because I am much better of getting a sim from a seller in a town who can activate the sim and load it up for me. Also I didn’t want a fixer, but they are much harder to shake. It turned out I had to present to a medical tent to show my vaccine passport (that no-one ever scanned, faking one would be easy). I filled in another form, showed my passport. Then I drove to the immigration building (fixers in tow), where despite having an e-visa, I filled in another form. Then with fixers in tow, I went to the area to get a TIP (Temporary Import Permit). I got the permit noted that my name was spelt wrong (doesn’t matter they said) paid for it in USD and most of my Malawi Kwacha, that I had got from the money exchanger. After all this its 7pm at night. I now have to find an insurance broker to give me road insurance. I visit the insurance office – closed. Someone says they will ring them, and a few minutes later a helpful english speaking man gets me to hand over $A50 for 30 days road insurance. This takes half an hour or so. I ask him if he knows of anywhere to stay, and he says he is going home, and I can follow him and he will show me a hotel down the road. So its nearly 8pm dark and in Africa and I am driving down the road, not sure I am following the right car. He leads me to a Hotel, and I am very grateful.
I ask the hotel if I can park in the carpark overnight. Sure they say $A30 to stay in the car park $A40 to sleep in a room. I am convinced and pay for a room. I am asleep fairly soon, after breaking all my African rules, its been a long tiring day.
After two days in Chimoio staying at the wonderful Fernandes place it was time to move on and get closer to Malawi. I got loaded up, and left firstly for Shoprite which had just opened at 9:00am. I was successful in getting supplies, and even paying with my credit card (two attempts two different machines). Then it was of to Engen to load up with Diesel and pay $A124 at $A2.21 per litre.
Of west via the N6, through a toll gate charging the most I had ever been charged 180Mt, or $A4. Then I turned right onto the N7. The N7 wsn’t as good as the N6 but for most of its length it was relatively pot-hole free. My first of two police stops for the day. This policeman asked me for my license, a first, and commented that it expired in 3 months, which is also true.
Fist of the days Police stops
There were lots of people in this part of Mozambique. There were never-ending villages, towns, and people walking along the road.
Eventually at about 4pm and 250km I found a wild camp on iOverlander. It is enough of the road. I can hear the traffic but it will probably stop at dark.
Even though I said there were not many potholes, there were still potholes
Through another Toll booth, third for the day
Lots of trucks and taxis on the N7, not many carsAnother iOverlander wild camp
It was back to the potholed N1. Slow progress up the road to Inchope, which is the intersection with the N6.
Never ending potholes, where sometimes vehicles swap sidesThere were 3 small patching teams. By 2095 they will have patched the whole road!There is a guy sitting on top holding the load steady…..Charcoal for saleWhen you enter a medium sized town the roads are swarming with people.More potholes
After Inchope I turned left onto the N6 which was pretty well a perfect road. It was an easy drive into Chimoio where after some confusion I found the Airbnb of Fernandes. I drove the camper and set up in their front yard.
Carting water by bicycleAnother police stop
parked in the front yardClancy poking over the fence of Fernandes place
Well it was a crazy 250km drive up the N1. I loaded up with some more supplies in Inhassaro, in case I never saw them again. I also found a bakery and bought some freshly baked rolls, very nice.
Then after a few km it was onto the N1. Initially not too bad. Then I passed a overturned trailer, that was originally attached to a B-double.
I got stopped at a police road block, but as soon as I got close I got waved on. However as I got further north I got stopped more and more. The Police (or sometimes the Army) were friendly enough, I am sure they pull me over out of boredom than any other reason.
After about 100km I got to the Rio Save. There was an existing bridge, and a new bridge being built, and a temporary bridge next to the new bridge. The new bridge is being built by the Chinese, but construction has been halted for 6 months because the Mozambique Government does not have the money.
The potholes are really bad for long sections of the N1. You dance around the road looking for a smooth patch, as do the trucks and buses.
One of the thousands of potholes
I was aiming for a wild camp just south of Chibamo, but the potholes slowed me down so much, I only just made it in daylight.
