I thought I was being savvy by not paying for another night at the backpackers before catching the 3am bus to Maputo, a couple of us had attempted to do an all-nighter… and failed miserably. (Preparing for this by staying out until 4 the previous night probably hadn't been a genius plan.) When the bar we had sneakily and briefly slept in was closing, we headed to the backpackers at the pick-up point to sleep beneath the stars. How idyllic: curled up in a hammoc...

Relieved and excited to have finally arrived in Vilanculos after our epic journey from the Malawi border, Lili and I decided we would discover the place in our own ways: Lili headed straight for the village to explore what fun it had to offer, while I stretched my legs along the beach and responsibly rehydrated on the way back by stopping off at a couple of beachside bars. Returning to Baobab Beach backpackers, I struck up conversation with a few Port...

Waking up the morning after climbing Mount Mulanje and knowing we had a day of travelling ahead, Lili and I headed straight for breakfast and then hopped on a minibus to the Mozambique border. We had both done the whole border thing before so we were eager to get past this bit smoothly, and managed relatively well. Having asked the border guards how much a bicycle-taxi to the Mozambiquan border town should be (adapting to a new currency is a struggle which always...

As I sat in Doogles in Blantyre trying to decide whether to head onwards or stay for a couple of days, I got chatting to a Scottish guy called Ken. After explaining my plans to him, he excitedly exclaimed that he knew an Israeli girl who really wanted to go to Mozambique, but she didn't want to go alone so was desperately trying to find a travel buddy. He introduced us, and we both seemed to have the same idea of hiking up Mount Mulanje before crossing t...

Arriving at Doogles Backpackers in Blantyre, I was at once struck by it's similarities with Lilongwe: Nearby Limbe is where the main bus station is, and is connected to Blantyre by a main road a couple of kilometers long - similar to Lilongwe city center and old town. However, I soon found that that is where the similarities end. Blantyre was a much easier place for me to find my way around and explore as a pedestrian. The main shops, cafes, etc are all ...