14 June, Friday: Adios Camp, Rumphi -> Macondo Camp, Mzuzu

After our morning routine of oats and muslei for breakfast we left Adios Camp on our bikes in good spirits. The sun was out and although lots of patchy clouds, the weather was warm. Not even 5 km down the road, I hit a pothole and went tumbling down on the tar, only adding more grazes and bruises to my body from the previous 3 falls. I hit my right leg and hip quite badly, sending a sharp pain through my whole leg, but I dusted myself off and continued the cycle.

We cycled 7 km on the same road we entered Rumphi on before turning right onto the main road, which is a very narrow tar road with lots of potholes and the sides of the road have fallen away, making it very tricky to keep to the left. Todays cycle was dangerous and it was'nt so much fun. We had a horrible strong front wind (16 km/hr wind, according to iphone weather map) and lots of hills. The scenery was beautiful though, we were surrounded by mountains, but we could defintely feel we were climbing them! Some hills were covered in rocks while others with tall trees sticking out of them. We are constantly passing young girls carrying huge loads of wood on their heads, as well as very old women, walking barefoot carrying buckets full of food, and women bending in the river washing their clothes with babies on their backs. I have a whole new great respect for African women, they are the real example of what a strong woman is.

We arrived in Mzuzu just after our lunch break to a more civilized, built up city. After a round-about we even came across a massive Shoprite, which we all got so excited about. Deby and Erick spoiled us with stocking up our food supplies. We then got to our campsite for the night, Macando Camp, a beautiful little spot with pathways covered in granadilla vines. The camp is run by an Itilian couple who have just given the camp an extra touch of comfort. We spent the evening snug in the cosy restaurant, eating a delicious Italian meal with a few glasses of Wine.

Cycled: 62.3 km

Time: 4 hrs

Ave speed: 15.6 km/hr

Ascent: 528 m