Maandag 24 Maart - Malawi

My roete in swart / My route in black

Vertrek van Senga Bay / Leaving Senga Bay

Baie brûe is met plank gebou / Many bridges are built like this one.

Waar ek ook al iets koop, is daar baie toeskouers / Where ever I buy something there are spectators.

Malawi

Maandag 24 Maart

Begin: Senga Bay

Eindpunt: Nkatha Bay

Afstand: 335 km

Maandag was ‘n sonskyndag gevul met ‘n paar uur se heerlike ry! Malawi was vir my tot dusver die verrassing van die toer!

Ek het vroeg begin om my tent af te slaan en fiets te begin pak. Daarna het ek en die twee Kanadese, Eke en Audrey, nog eers koffie gedrink. Hulle is twee wonderlike mense wat my pad gekruis het.

Die pad het van die een na die ander dorpie geslinger, en dikwels kon ek die meer aan my regterkant sien.

Ek het nie gisteraand geëet nie en ook nie vanoggend ontbyt nie. Teen tienuur was ek redelik honger. So tien km voor Nkhotakota het ‘n paadjie afgedraai na ‘n lodge toe en is ek op die slingerende grondpad tot teen die meer. Wat ‘n goeie besluit! Teen die water het ek ‘n reuse Engelse ontbyt vir die helfte van die koste by Senga Bay gekry!

Die KLR het met sy swaar vrag gelukkig voortgedreun: Die spoedbeperking was 80 km/h en in die dorpies net 30 km/h.

Die pad het dikwels vernou tot een voertuig breedte bruggies.

Malawi was tot dusver die land met die meeste padblokkades. Nog geen enkele polisieman het eers geskimp oor ‘n ietsie in die hand nie. Wat my die meeste in Malawi beïndruk het, was die borde by die blokkades wat die mense aanmoedig om nie onwettige houtskool, wat die woude vernietig, te koop nie, ook nie rubberballe wat van onwettige rubber gemaak is. Ek kon dit nie verstaan tot ek so 20 km voor Nkatha Bay was nie. Daar is ‘n woud rubberbome. Kinders het langs die pad met rubberballe gestaan wat hulle te koop aangebied het. Hulle tap die bome onwetting vir rubber en maak dan die balle!

Die pad het afgedaal na Nkatha Bay met ‘n pragtige uitsig oor ‘n blou-blou meer wat in die verte oor die horison verdwyn. Die dorpie self was ‘n reuse teleurstelling. My droom van ‘n laaste aand op die oewer van die meer was net ‘n droom. In die dorpie is ek verpes deur daggaverkopers en prostitute. Het ek dit vooraf geweet, sou ek eerder by een van die vorige kampe gestop het.

Voornemende reisigers: Julle kan maar Nkatha Bay van jul oornagprogram skrap!

My rekenaar en kamera se batterye was feitlik leeg. Ek het teen kampering besluit en eerder ‘n kamer geneem sodat ek alles gelaai kon kry. Net toe ek alles aangesluit het, gaan die krag toe af! Dis nou laatnag, die krag is weer aan en ek tik gou die berig.

My verblyf is ‘n baie twyfelagtige plek in ‘n twyfelagtige buurt. Ek het my tentjie bo-op die bed opgeslaan en ek gebruik eerder my slaapsak …

Dinsdag behoort ek in Tanzanië te wees, en hopenlik weer internet.

Groete!

Monday was a sunshine day filled with hours of most enjoyable riding! Malawi turned out to be the surprise of the tour until now!

I started early breaking camp and packing my bike. Before I left I Eke and Audrey, the two Canadians, invited me for coffee at their tent. They are two wonderful people who crossed my way.

I rode from one little village to the next. Often I could see the lake on my right hand side.

I didn’t have supper on Sunday night and also not breakfast on Monday. At ten I was quite hungry. About ten km before getting to Nkhotakota I saw a sign pointing to a lodge and I decided to try my luck. The gravel road took me about 4 km down to the lake, and then the surprise: A beautiful lodge on the lake with a huge English breakfast half the cost of at Senga Bay!

The KLR was happy with its heavy load and the engine idled at 80 km/h, which is the speed limit on the open road. In the little villages the limit was only 30 km/h.

I had to cross many bridges, which were only one vehicle width.

Malawi was the country with the most police controls up until now. Not a single policeman on my whole trip even suggested a small gift or bribe! To the contrary, at the roadblocks in Malawi they warned against the buying of illegal charcoal or the buying of rubber balls made of illegal rubber. I didn’t understand what they meant with that until I got close to Nkatha Bay. Boys were standing next to the road offering rubber balls to buy. There were huge forests of rubber trees. They illegally milked the trees from their rubber to make and sell the balls!

The road went down a hill to Nkatha Bay with a wonderful view on the blue lake. The town itself was a disappointment. No chance of camping next to the lake like in Senga Bay. In the town I was pestered by dagga dealers and prostitutes. Had I known that before I would have stopped at one of the earlier camps.

So, if you plan to visit Malawi don’t bother to spend a night in this town.

As the batteries of my laptop and camera were nearly flat I had to scrap the idea of camping at Nkatha Bay Lodge. I took a room, and as I started charging all my appliances the light went out! It is now late at night at the power is back.

My accommodation is a dubious looking place in a dubious section of town. I pitched my little tent on the bed, and I am going to use my sleeping bag!

On Tuesday I should cross the border into Tanzania, and hopefully back to internet access!

Take care!