Travelling…

…can sometimes be exhausting. Like this trip to Malawi; 7 out of 9 days on the road! Was it worth it? Yes, definitely in most ways, but I don’t want to do it again shortly ;)

Last Sunday morning at 03.00 I knocked on C’s door and off we went. Almost 13 hours later we arrived in Mocuba after a long, but nice, drive on mostly very good roads. We had stopped I Nampula for a quick brunch and had also waited about an hour and half in the morning for a car we were co-driving with the first day. That part of the day was the least appreciated by far – imagine we could have slept another 1½ HOUR!!! Anyway, it was ok and it certainly helped us sleep like babies the first night of our trip.

On the road in Mozambique



Nampula



Next day we left Mocuba at about 09.00 am and arrived at the boarder ca 5 hours later. Everything went well and we could continue towards Mulanje after not much more than an hour. All the way through Mozambique the landscape changed and became more green and lush. In and around the Mulanje Mountain there are many tea plantations so coming into Malawi it was even lusher and the surroundings were very beautiful!



Malawi:)






The day after we arrived I explored the Mulanje town by foot. It’s quite a small town, but very nice with the mountain and tea plantations surrounding it. I had decide to go Lake Malawi since C would be busy with meetings the next couple of days, so the day after I was on the road again… 11 hours in mini buses and on the back of a truck was definitely an experience. By the time I arrived in Cape Maclear I was exhausted and starving. With both of those sorted I crashed at 09.30 pm and slept very well the whole night!

In the morning I woke up to this beautiful view (it was dark when I arrived so I had no clue what to expect)



And after breakfast my guide Patric took me to Thumbe Island on this canoe



There I snorkeled when he was feeding the fish with bread – it was like being in an aquarium!! I had a thousand beautifully colored fish around me going for the bread. AND me! I tell you; they have sharp teeth :) We also paddled around a bit and I saw many big birds hunting for fish, Fish Eagle among others.

In the afternoon I strolled around the village and for lunch I had banana & garlic toast. Try it – it’s really good! After lunch JB taught me how to play Bawo, which apparently is a game played all over Africa. I haven’t seen it before, but it was a lot of fun, and I actually managed to win one game.

It was a very nice and relaxing day which I really needed, because the day after I started my journey back at 04.00 am. Another long day on the road and it began with me missing the big bus I intended to take. So I ended up in mini buses…again… The actual ride is mostly quite ok (even if the buses are loaded with people so you barely fit in), it’s the 1½ - 2 hours driving around filling up the buses to maximum before starting that drives me crazy. And when I think the bus is finally full they squeeze in at least 4-5 more people who usually have to stand up because the seats are more than filled up already.

The mini buses are not in the best shape...




Anyway, after another 10 hours I was back in Mulanje and could take that longed after shower. And then, the next day we headed back to Mozambique. 3 more days of traveling before I came home left me exhausted for a couple of days! But I have seen a lot more of Mozambique and I have been to Malawi – so yes it was worth it :) I also got my new visa, which was one of the reasons I had to leave the country. Doing it in the company of C was a whole lot more fun than being on chapa’s to the Tanzanian boarder and back!

Malawi

Tomorrow morning 03.30 C and I will head off to Malawi!

It will be my first journey south of Pemba. Hopefully I will have Internet access, but if not I’ll be back in about 10 days. And then I promise to tell you all about it!

Ciao for now – I need to start packing :)

Rat

The story of my house guests continues; while I was away a rat moved into my house in Nanhimbe. He is the one house guest I appreciate the least so far and I hope I will find a way to kill him soon! The other night, sitting peacefully reading in my couch I saw the little bastard peak out of the ceiling and start walking upside down towards me! Jesus – I really didn’t like that move. Fortunately he saw me suddenly and returned through a crack in the bamboo ceiling. Coming home the day after, I heard him in my trash bag and immediately called Frank. I’m too much of a coward to get close myself, but Frank couldn’t get him either. Well, well one of these days will be his last! Maybe I’ll borrow a cat and let it up on top of the ceiling where the ugly thing lives – I can hear him roaming around up there, lying in bed at night :/

Other than that I don’t have much news at the moment. Life is getting back to normal; I get up at 04.45 for my run with Anne-Laure Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then I run with Frank Wednesdays and Fridays in the afternoon and then all 3 of us go for a longer run Sunday mornings. In between I walk or run by myself and am supposed to do Pilates at least 3 times per week… I will start the Pilates tomorrow again ;) I know my back will get so much better once I’m back on track with that training as well. Summa summarum: training feels good and I’m getting stronger and in better shape every week. Have lost a couple of kilos too. (Was about time…)

It feels like it’s getting hotter by the day now, the temperature goes up to 33 ̊C in the shade and inside my house it never goes below 27 ̊C. It starts to get harder to fall asleep because it’s just too warm. I really need to buy a fan soon. And after running I’m sweating so much you would think I was coming OUT of the shower instead of getting in.

Be careful with what you wish for

Finally back in Pemba! I have spent the last 2 weeks in Ibo with almost no access to Internet. This time I wasn’t able to get into my blog at all, I tried several times without success.

And last week we had our first charter; Oliver & Fiona from Australia sailed with us four days. It was a great trip with lots of snorkeling, nice trips around Quirimbas and fresh crayfish (Pieter caught two while snorkeling, using a hook he made out of some stuff he found on the boat). We went to Rolas, Matemo, the Sandbar, the wind was quite strong the whole week so the planned trip to Pangane didn’t work out unfortunately. But we had a great time anyway :)

On my way back to Pemba one of my wishes was fulfilled – I got to ride in the back of a chapa (the local buses are called chapas in Mozambique). And I am happy about the experience, but I don’t necessary have to do it again… IF that truck was approved of in Sweden for public transportation (which of course would never happen) it might be for maximum 10-12 people on the wooden benches. At one point I counted 32 adults and 10 kids, 1 rooster and 2 chickens (alive of course…) not counting the guys on the roof – probably another 5-6 people. It was uncomfortable to say the least. The bush roads aren’t exactly smooth, I don’t know how many times I flew straight up when there was a bump in the road and landed on my behind hard on the wood, but it must have been at least a thousand!! I had people everywhere; on my feet, in my lap, on my head etc. 5 hours I spent on that chapa ;)

Sitting there I started thinking about how uncomfortable I was and that I never, ever want to sit in the back of a chapa again and I realized how fortunate I am => I actually have the opportunity and money to choose a more comfortable way of traveling. Because how poor I might be I will never be as poor as the people of Africa. This is their reality! Every day.

And that goes for everything in our different lives. As Elder said when we talked about it earlier today; if we get sick we have a way out if we need. Via insurance, family, friends or own savings or however we fix it. But if you’re an African, living in a village in the bush with no money you can’t get anywhere – you can only hope you’ll get better and rely on whatever care you can get right where you are.