Cycle 5 Travelogue: Malawi

Day 13: Mbeya, Tanzania > Chitimba, Malawi

• Got to the border at 11:30am and were bombarded with money exchange & SIM card guys. Got our money and then went into immigration.
• Now we are negotiating with Gifty & Killiani as they say they will take us as the Malawi drivers are not good. Very thankful for them.
• Crazy once we crossed. Just stuck there as there was only one lane through. Then they said we need a visa. So our information was not correct. I was very adamant that we did not need it so I was rude. Dang!
• So $50 USD each. Finally driving away at 1:00pm. Then the time went back an hour…huh. Didn’t expect this time change.
• First impressions are not very nice. A border crossing guard just took a whole case of drinks off some guys bike as he was coming through. And it’s quite garbage-filled right away.
• Not 1km in and we were stopped by the police to look for immigration for the vehicle??? They called their friend Dennis from the border to help.
• Took a long time but finally we were on our way an hour later. Very quiet in the van. Apparently they paid quite a bit for a permit.
• We probably got stopped 5 times to ask for paperwork and passports. Just kept saying I was sick. And then they said our permit was only until the town we just went through.
• Instantly flat with a lot of cows grazing in fields. Really pretty with rice fields and a lot of cultivation.
• No tuk tuks but motorcycles and bikes because it’s flat. They wear their motorcycle helmets backwards.
• A lot of broken pavement. All I know is this journey would have been easier on our bikes with the pavement and stops!!!
• Arrived at Chitimba Camp at 4:15 Malawi time.
• Decided on a room with hot showers for the first few nights because of my shoulder.
• Got settled in and went for a walk around the camp until our burgers were ready.
• Got invited to eat with Ryne owners, Dutch couple Eddie & Carmen. This is good as it means they like us!!!
• Had a good chat until 7 and then we were off to our room to avoid mosquitoes.
• No service here so we went to bed around 9pm to the sound of waves crashing on the beach and crickets.

Day 14: Chitimba Camp

• Woke up naturally at 6:30am to waves crashing on the beach and singing birds.
• Bought some WiFi so we could update everyone.
• Lounged most of the day talking with Ed & Carmen about living and running a business here in Malawi.
• Had basic food as their cook is still not back.
• Did some more route planning and looked at the suggestions from the bros of things to do.
• Planning on a few more days here and then up to the mushroom farm.
• Had some more talks with Ed and Carmen, had a nice shower before dinner and then went to eat at 6 PM.
• Nice beef stew with the rice and vegetables. The meat was actually soft so we could chew it easily! Another nice discussion with Ed about his upbringing, music, etc.
• Back to our cabin in bed by 9:30 PM.