6 December 2010 Another day at the mechanics and they are trying to put all the pieces together. It is raining since we got up and we had to go to the Immigration Office to extend the visas. In no mood to walk the few kilometres in the rain and hitch-hiked from the moment we left the camp and within a minute got a lift with a very friendly Sudanese who is trying to do business here in Malawi. Super friendly and I have been always told that the Sudanese are t...

4 December 2010 No need to get up early. Nothing to do but wait the weekend out. Early morning the rain started and lasted up until about 8am. It is amazing how green the continent is at the moment. It is lush lush green with trees like flamboyant and frangipani in full blossom. The fields are ploughed and farmers are planting their crops. Malawi is ultra poor and one of the poorest countries in the world. They make up for it with their friendliness and even ...

3 December 2011 One good thing about a vehicle not operational is that it is good for exercise as I had to walk the roughly 2.5km stretch to the workshop. Contemplated to use a bicycle taxi but looking at the way the normal car taxis are driving, I thought different. Taking a car taxi is also no point because you walk faster than the gridlock traffic. So, while walking having a look at all the local people walking to their various jobs. Many are dressed in the...

2 December 2011 It is worse case scenario. The whole gearbox has to come out as they could not find the fault elsewhere. Not with the hydraulics, nor the linkage, so now they have to take out the whole box and my heart sinks as I the further they go with the operation the more bolts and nuts and parts are lying around and wondering if they know what will need to go where once they have to put all back together. Problem is, there is no one we know and we don...

1 November 2010 First thing in the morning, went to a mechanic who we were told was good on Land Rover. Turns out John must be the combined age of all Land Rovers in the world put together. But still going strong. An old-Rhodesian (as he calls himself), he has been living here for the last 14 years. His wife past away only some 5 months ago, so think he must be really lonely. He is not sure but recons it might be the lever system in the gearbox but can't hel...