8 June, Saturday: Cycling rest day at Utengule Coffee Lodge

We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast on the patio in the sun with a beautiful view of the mountain range we are due to climb tomorrow. Following our breakfast, Chris and I did the coffee tasting offered by the coffee farm we were staying on. We learned that there are 3 species of coffee, Arabica, Rustica (or something like that) and the third...I really cant remember. But I did enjoy the 4 types of coffee I tasted, all tasting exactly like coffee. The Kifaru Coffee, which I took particular interest in as Kifaru means "rhino" is the strongest brand of coffee which the brand logo illustrates, the strong, fiery rhino.

We relaxed the rest of the day, having a dip in the pool and catching up with some much needed rest. The time came soon for us to pick up Deby and Erick. We drove 23 km to the other side of Mbeya, following the GPS directions to the Mbeya Airport, only to discover that the airport had been abandonded and the new airport was the the otherside of town, past our accommodation, where we had just come from. This was very frustrating and disappointing not being there as the family had arrived but they waited patiently and eventually we managed to pick them up, in time for a drink watching the sunset. Once the parents were now settled in we enjoyed a delicious meal in the lodge restaurant where we had excellent service, thoroughly enjoying our last bit of luxury before heading into Malawi on Monday.