After a sleepless night chasing mice we were up at 4.30am to make the long drive into Malawi. Stopping at the border to exchange our monies for the local Kwatcha, our guide told us the most favourable exchange rates would be on the black market and invited a vendor he'd used before onto the bus. Prepared for some dodgy dealings, we were busted the moment an exchange was made! Kevin was at the front of the bus and the first to change money, but as soon as he hand...

On the road by 5, we stopped after a few hours to knock up a roadside breakfast before ploughing on to Dar Es Saleem. On the outskirts of the city we stopped at a supermarket to pick up supplies for the next few days in Zanzibar and as we left the car park we ran into a spot of bother. As we drove through the exit gate, the high roof of the truck snagged on a rope attached to the barrier, bringing the gate crashing down onto the truck and wrenching it out of the...

Flying into Nairobi promised to be an interesting prospect after fire had destroyed much of the Arrivals terminal several weeks earlier, but after touching down the transition from plane to carpark was surprisingly smooth. The temporary marquees erected to process visas, baggage and currency exchange were all remarkably efficient and we were through customs quicker than we would have been had the terminal still been standing! Outside we were picked up by our dri...

The flight from Johannesburg to Kigali (Rwanda) was only a few hours and I was kept mildly entertained throughout by the antics of the guy sitting next to me. Dressed in a cheap suit and clearly a stranger to flying, he was all elbows and flailing limbs, constantly fidgeting and jiggling around in his seat. When the in-flight meal arrived he bizarrely started tucking into a tiny packet of jam with a plastic knife, ignoring the three courses of proper food in fron...

Rising early, we had a quick breakfast before taking the free hostel shuttle a short way to the airport. Just before we left, a couple who were flying home later that day offered us the pick of their leftover kitchen supplies and we greedily came away with pasta, rice, tuna, spices, cutlery and a even cool bag with ice-blocks. Very handy! Picking up our hire car from Johannesburg airport we had another row about 'no excess' payments before starting the long drive...