10 June, Malawi

Monday: Utengule Coffee Lodge -> Floja Foundation

Luckily, Chris woke up feeling a bit better. Still weak from not having anything in his body, but he got rid of the virus and is ready to move on, not quite ready to cycle though, but at least hes up and about today. We managed to get on the road by 10 am and again, the road way too narrow and busy, full of trucks, tuk-tuks, motorbikes driving chaotically in all directions, we drove through the city of Mbeya. Once we got out the busy traffic rush, we landed up in rolling hills of green tea plantations. Deby, so excited and was in awe with the beautiful fields. Eager from now taking a far too long a break off the bike, I got onto the saddle on my own. It was hard having to cycle and keep motivated being alone on the bike, but I valued the time to focus on the stunning scenary. It felt like we were back in the tropics, surrounded by banana trees and lush green mountains. I cycled through villages with only mud huts and messy thatched roofs. Only 20 km later, we arrived at the Songwe Border Post, heading for Malawi. The officials on the Tanzanian side were friendly and the immigration process went smoothly and quickly.

I continued to cycle into Malawi on my own while the support team sorted out the car and trailer papers. This was a lengthy, unpleasant process and over an hour later, the car caught up to me. As soon as I hit Malawi, the air was slightly warmer and the street was busy, full of locals drying their rice on the tar, Chinese road construction underway and children running barefoot through the rice fields. English does not seem to be an issue, all the children saw me and came rushing calling "give me money". Once the car and I reunited, we stopped for a very late lunch and due to the long distance we still needed to cover, I called the cycling a day.

Locals drying out their rice on the tar

It wasnt long before the car bursted with excitement at the site of the Lake, it looks like the sea, it just carries on for miles and miles. Despite Chris being sick, this did cheer him up a bit. Eventually as the sun was setting and the night crept in, we arrived at the Floja Foundation Campsite, a rustic camp run by a lovely Dutch couple who manage a nursery in Ngara and a little campsite right on the lake in their garden. We hurriedly unpacked trying to catch the last bit of daylight. Deby cooked an amazing bacon pasta which we enjoyed around the built in table in the camp before getting into our tents. Deby has brought such a positive dynamic into the team. She has such a lovely, bubbly personality, always finding something to sing about and her enthusiasm lifts us and her excitement about everything, especially sleeping in her tent for the first time in over 34 years, has got us all going to bed with big smiles on our faces. Chris is fast asleep and still a bit weak, lets hope tomorrow he wakes up 100% and we have him back on the saddle.

Cycled: 31.5 km

Time:1:34 hr

Ave speed:20 km/hr