15.Lilongwe, Malawi - 22 September to 25 September 2009

We left Mama-Rula's Campsite just outside Chipata in Zambia on Tuesday 22 September, and headed for the border into Malawi. A snappy border crossing, followed quickly by three police checks along the road, and then on to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi.

We had a busy time in Lilongwe and had quite a few things to do, including a visit to the Mozambique Embassy to get our visas into Mozambique. We had decided to drive across Malawi, with a stop at the southern end of Lake Malawi at Cape Maclear, and then visit Mozambique before returning to Malawi and driving north up the lake and then into Tanzania. We had heard that the crossing into Tanzania from Mozambique is tricky because the ferry across the river sank a while ago, and the long awaited bridge is not finished.

We managed to get our visas that day, and also stock up on fuel and groceries. It is a cash society in Malawi, with wads of kwacha notes, so we were continually visiting ATMs for cash. When it came to paying for our groceries, it was like paying a $300 grocery bill at home with $5 notes!!

We camped at Mabuya Camp in Lilongwe, and next day after some more running around, we set off for Dedza where we had heard there is a great local pottery enterprise, and we hoped we could camp there. After enjoying the famous cheesecake at the Dedza Pottery Coffee Shop, we had a very pleasant night in their camping area behind the pottery complex, even with the noises of the nearby village which ranged from children laughing and squealing, to adults talking, laughing and singing, to dogs barking and fighting through the night, and lastly roosters crowing before dawn.

We bought two coffee mugs before setting off the next day to Monkey Bay, and then on to Cape Maclear, travelling down through the hills which were covered with small scale cultivation on steep slopes ready for the coming rainy season. We passed so many men and women working with hoes, or walking along the road carrying them behind their necks. It seemed every available patch of land was ready for planting both on the hills and the flat country. We drove around Monkey Bay before the 20km drive to Cape Maclear.

We camped at Fat Monkeys Lodge under a magnificent mango tree (mangoes not ripe yet unfortunately) and overlooking Lake Malawi. Enjoyed a walk along the beach where the locals from the surrounding villages were swimming, washing and fishing in the lake, and later had our sundowner while watching a beautiful sunset over the lake.

Next morning we left Fat Monkeys and drove south along the tail end of Lake Malawi, where the countryside is dotted with an incredible number of baobab trees. More bicycles overloaded with bamboo, or galvanised iron, or grain. Drove through busy and bustling Mangochi and over a huge bridge which crosses the southern point of Lake Malawi, before we climbed up to a steep mountain pass, more bicycles being pushed with massive loads, and on to the border crossing into Mozambique at Chiponde. Another new country, another new currency, and always exciting.