MALAWI TIME

By Paul Stokes and Chris Fisher

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people you might better stay at home” Stanley Michener

We have arrived in Malawi and been welcomed by a million white teeth wielding locals all the way. The Malawians are a notoriously friendly nation; you don’t have to try hard to make friends here, although many of the people that swarm you at every stop end up pulling out all sorts of curios, cards, necklaces and anything else you may be willing to part with a small portion of cash for.

We spent a full day in Blantyre shopping at the South Afrian style shops and tightening bolts on the bikes after the endless corrugations the day before. Blantyre is a relatively clean and safe African city with a real little CBD littered with recognisable banks and forex outlets. Apart from the necessities, there isn’t much else to do there so we headed for the lake as soon as our bums would allow us to get back onto the saddle. The ride up to Cape Maclear, on the southern tip of the lake was beautiful. Rolling hills and huge Baobab trees around every bend made the 3 hours of riding a breeze. I even stopped complaining about how sore my bum was for a little while. We passed some comical signs; “Toys’R’us” was one that we saw carved out of wood, where the Locals were selling intricately carved wooden tractors and trucks. A golden arched “MacDonald’s Chips” was selling a selection of French fries or French fries with salt on the verge of the road.

We thought at the start of our trip that travelling at 80-90 kph would be painfully slow, however, we’ve managed to get to our destinations faster than some of the cars who were travelling in the same direction as us. This is due to our ability to avoid, what feels like 90% of Malawi’s goat population living on the side of the roads, with relative ease. If you aren’t a goat lover before you come to Africa...don’t think that coming here is going to amend your affections towards the destroyers of the African Continent!

The turn off to Cape Maclear followed a heavily corrugated stretch of dirt road, about 16 k’s through the Malawi Parks reserve, the bushveld was stunning! Arriving at Fat Monkeys, we were met with smiles all the way. The owners were very friendly, and made our arrival as hassle free as possible, which ended up being the first place in Malawi where we did not have to pay upfront for accommodation. Setting up the tents, while admiring the most beautiful sunset we have ever seen made us realise that there is nowhere else on earth we would rather be at that moment. The feeling of content that comes over you at the lake must be my “9th wonder of the world” (the 8th wonder is Dave’s TW200 making it all the way to Malawi with no problems at all, basically the most reliable and fuel efficient bike out of the three, however by far the slowest!)

The next day we awoke to a perfect day once again, a common occurrence here in Malawi, along with the calls of the nearby Fish Eagles. We were met by an elderly man named William Shakespeare, who offered to bake us a banana bread loaf for breakfast the next day for 1500 kwacha. In no uncertain terms Shakespeare then proceeded to ask if we would like to add an extra 500 kwacha for his “special ingredient”, at which point we laughed and declined the happy additive. The warm banana bread was delivered to our tents at 8 sharp the next morning and came in handy as a snack for our astonishing full day out on the water with a tour guide named Isaac. Isaac escorted us from island to island on his aptly named boat “The warm heart of Africa” an affectionate nickname for this friendly country. The snorkelling was as good as he had told us it would be with an array of brightly coloured tropical fish clumped between the boulders within the crystal clear waters. It makes it hard to believe that you are swimming in a lake. After an “all you can eat” fish braai for lunch on an island we were treated to a spectacular show by the fish eagles. The beautiful birds of prey answered Isaac’s invitational whistle and swooped down to grab a free fish a mere 10 meters from the boat. It was incredible to witness up close and personal.

Things were starting to become a little settled in Cape Maclear, which is a sure sign that it’s time to move on. We headed northward up the western shore 370km to Kande Beach. The views were breath taking all the way, sometimes crossing river mouths entering the expanse of the lake. As we got closer to Kande Beach the mountains started to rise up to our left, shadowing the early afternoon sun. We were stopped by some important looking policemen en route to Kande. Before departing on our trip we were warned that we would be stopped often by police everywhere but to date they have found little interest in our motorbikes and so we have been ushered straight through the continuous series of road blocks. These guys had other plans and were adamant to see our licences, insurance details and any other important looking documents. I think we could have shown them our Ster Kinekor Movie Club cards and they would not have known the difference. We all had different policemen interrogating us and after we left we worked out that we all showed them different documentation that gained similar satisfaction.
Kande Beach is yet another idyllic beach with glassy waters and a small island about 500meters offshore. We rented a kayak and paddled out to the island for some more snorkelling and rock jumping. Kande beach is a popular stop for overlanders with an expansive bar and hammocks connecting all the trees. It happened to be “Market day” in the town so we took a stroll through the exuberant brightly coloured stalls and even managed to find a fish, vegetable and nSima (pap) meal for a wopping R10.

Leaving Kande we followed the road north for only 50km’s to Nkhata bay. The short stretch of road was a continuous stretch of fast winding bends through a mass of rubber trees on either side of the road. The obvious opportunists/entrepreneurs were ever present, selling balls made of rubber, which they sap from the trees with a simple, although clever little system where they peel back the bark so that the sap oozes out and drops into a cup attached to the side of the tree. We rolled into Nkhata after what will probably be the shortest day on the bikes and checked into our accommodation at the intricate Mayoka Village. Mayoka Village consists of a number of beautifully constructed twin rooms, dorms and camp sites all linked by enchanted pathways. It is set on a steep slope dropping straight into the blue waters of the lake. It is a very festive spot with a brilliantly constructed bar perched over the water, playing host to bands and serving fantastic meals all day long. We are not complaining about our three day wait here for the ferry to the islands.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

“Two roads diverged in a wood one day and I, I took the one less travelled by... and that has made all the difference” Robert Frost

Greetings from Malawi! We are all alive and intact (bearly) after two long and gruelling days on the bike... although the experience made it all worthwhile. Dave suggested that I entitle this blog: “The road never travelled” because it truely was a far out experience! Our first long day was relatively straight forward, we left Vilonculos a tad later than our anticipated 6am plan but still managed to put 300km under our belts before lunch. The roads north of Vilonculos were relatively good with only the occasional stretch of potholes and there were few other vehicles on the road. At one stage we travelled 80km without seeing another car heading in either direction. The landscasped transformed from coconut trees spanning as far as the eye could see, to a hilly bushveld and eventually becoming mountainous as we approached the Gorongosa National Park. Our plan had been to try and ride through the Gorongosa, stopping inside to camp for the night but we were turned away at the gate an account of our two wheeled nature. This turned out to be alright as we were shown to a brilliant campsite set within the forests just outside the Park’s fenceless borders. The camp formed part of an “Envirotrade” project which helps local people to create income through sustainable practices of farming, building and tourism. It was a very well run camp and tempting to stay a few extra nights but we were on a mission to get to Malawi and decided to push on at first light the next day.

The ride from Gorongosa to Blantyre was epic to say the least. We circumnavigated the western border of the park along a fairly good dirt road but not good enough to prevent a few topples and a few more close calls! After 3 hours and 80km behind us we realised that it was going to be tough to get through 550 odd k’s on these roads, let alone crossing the Zambezi and border into Malawi en route. We opted to take the slighty longer option up to the Zambezi in an effort to stay on more tar and avoid further time consuming spills. This worked for us albeit with a hellish last 60km stretch on lose washboard gravel to the Dona Anna railway bridge. Crossing the railway bridge on motorcycles was a unique adventure motorcycling experience that I will not forget in a hurry. We were ushered in the direction of the pedestrian gangway by all the townspeople, the walkway was barely wider than the laden motocycles and Paul proceeded first with understandable concern. We made our way across the colossal steel structure 3.4km to the other side, dodging the oncoming people, bikes, goats and chickens in the process arriving safely on the northern bank of the Zambezi and starting a new chapter of Southern Africa.

From the river it was bad dirt roads all the way to the excuse for a border crossing into Marka in the extreme south of Malawi. The border on both Mozambique and Malawi sides consisted of little more than immigration/customs/health office and a rusty boom in the middle of nowhere. We got across in just under an hour, even though the officials seemed a little peeved to have their game of cards interrupted, and started the last 100km stretch of dirt in fading light. We gunned our way through the endless string of villages, hoping to hit tar before dark. This was easier said than done and our frustration grew when short stretches of tar teased us all the way. The smooth blacktop eventually arrived and stayed, just as the gradient increased exponentially and twists and turns through the mountains started. Towards the end we were counting done the kilometre one by one until we entered the bright lights of Blantyre and dismounted the bikes in our broken states and hit our pillows with a rhythmical bang.

MAGICAL MOZAMBIQUE

“The true traveller is he who goes on foot, and even then, he sits down a lot of the time” Calette

We escaped from Maputo after just one night there, the traffic in the centre of town made for some nerve racking riding. There are loads of little motorbikes weaving between the hundreds of buses, taxis and trucks and the motorists seemed to have a distinct disregard for anything on two wheels. The 3 of us worked hard to stay close together amongst the chaos as we headed north from Maputo on the 200km stretch to Bilene. It was a relief to put the big city lights behind us and coast through the coconut sprinkled landscape. We rode through marshlands over bridges on the main road from town to town, trying our utmost to stick to the speed limits as we had heard nothing but scary stories of the Mozambican police. Riding in a group of 3 made it easier to stop and film en route and above all it was amazing to finally have some people with whom I could share the extraordinary sights, sounds and smells of these foreign places.

We were met in Bilene by a beautiful campsite set on an azure blue lagoon. We got the tents up in seconds and headed for a local restaurant and took a walk through the small village market. We only spent a night in Bliene in an effort to get up to Tofo sooner so the next morning we had the bikes packed up and set off on a sandy track along the lagoon and up to Xai Xai. Two hours in the soft sand with a fair amount of wrong turns, dead ends and aimless loops was tiring so we stopped for a nice rest in Xai Xai before slugging out the remaining 300 km on tar. Danny, Casio and Leroy stuck with us in the car up to Tofo and against our best efforts, we still ended up navigating our way through Inhambane and along the last pot hole strewn 30km in the dark.
The six of us spent the next 3 days in on the beach in Tofo and catching up on some blogging and admin in my African office under blue skies. Tofo is a tourist hub with loads of accommodation options to suit your budget and one can take a moonlit stroll down the everlasting beach to the vibey beach bars. It was away with the basic travel food for a few days and out with the prawns, fish and any other marine delight your taste buds desire.

On Saturday we said goodbye to the guys in the car as they headed back to South Africa and headed 50km south to the picturesque Pandane beach. The soft sand road to Pandane once again tested our soft sand capabilities and provided for a couple entertaining tumbles. Pandane is regarded as the best snorkelling destination in Southern Mozambique and the weather gods were on our side for our two days of bliss in the crystal clear waters. After the last 5 days on the beach we were feeling the urge to keep on moving and made our way north to Morrongulu for an overnight stop at yet another magnificent Mozambican beach before continuing up to Vilonculos. Travelling north from Morrongulu we hit the last stretch of Mozambican road still needing to be refurbished which meant weaving in between thousands of potholes and trying our very best to avoid the occasional “tour stopper” that would be capable of swallowing a motorbike whole. Stopping at some of the tiny villages dotted in between the small towns makes for some of the most African experiences with small kids crowding around the bikes, intrigued by our every move. We rolled into Vilonculos yesterday and are resting and doing bike maintenance today before a mammoth two day stretch to Blantyre in Malawi via the Gorongosa National Park and across the Zambezi River.

See you there...

THE SWAZI KINGDOM

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page” St Augustine

Crossing the border into on a Friday afternoon was fairly straightforward notwithstanding a bit of a queue of people working in South Africa and heading home to Swaziland for the weekend. Very little changes once you enter Swaziland from the south, the roads are good and well sign posted, sugar cane fields line the tarmac and you can even use rands as the Lilangeni piggy backs the rand and is always exchanged at 1:1. As you head further north, riding adjacent to the uBombo Mountain range, you start to realise just how beautiful the tiny country is. Swaziland is one of the smallest countries in Africa but contains a piece of every landscape imaginable. While traversing the country you ride across flood plains, through majestic mountain ranges and along wide and winding rivers. South African style petrol stations litter the roads so fuel is the last of your worries and one passes game farm after game farm throughout the country.

I headed up to the western side of Swaziland, passing through Manzini en route and eventually arriving at MlilwaneWildlife Sanctury in the afternoon. Bikes are not allowed within the reserve but they make special allowances for those travelling by motorcycle so that you can get to one of their many accommodation options. I was heading to Sondzela Backpackers, a well run and affordable option that was full up with Mountain biking enthusiasts who had made the trek from South Africa for the famous Imvelo Classic Mountain Bike Race. The MTB race winds its way around the nature reserve up some steep hills and along some beautiful singletrack. It is the reason I had first come to Swaziland a few years back and have returned year after year with friends. This year would be slightly different in that I could not bring my mountain bike along (for obvious reasons) but I still had friends making the trip from Jo’burg for the weekend. This included Dave and Paul on their motorbikes, these two would join me from here on till northern Malawi before heading back to South Africa via Zambia and Botswana. We had a festive weekend in and around Malkerns culminating in a fantastic party at the intricately decorated “House on Fire” concert venue on the Saturday night.

We departed from Mlilwane on the Monday morning, heading for Maputo and the rest of Mozambique. It was nice to finally have some company on the road and to make things even better we had 3 other friends travelling with us for the next 5 days in a double cab. This meant that we could afford to buy more food and supplies and live in relative luxury for a few days. The trip to Maputo flew by with few stops other than the moderately efficient border crossing and before we knew it we were snaking our way through the busy streets of the capital city in rush hour traffic.

KICKING BACK IN KZN

“As I make my way through my first continent, I am finding that things are far easier to do and much harder to contemplate” Ted Simon

Upon entering Kwazulu Natal I took a cruise through Port Edward. The quiet little coastal town in the southern reaches of KZN was a place I called home until my teenage years began and it was like stepping back in time as nothing much has changed. After my short walk through memory lane past my old school, house and beach, I headed along the N2 northwards to Umzumbe near Port Shepstone. Along with the vastly improved roads in KZN came frequent petrol stations, shops and a huge choice for accommodation. I chose to stay in a backpackers set in the forest above Umzumbe beach which was fantastic, it had little board walks leading through the jungle setting to tree houses dotted here and there. Staying in Umzumbe for a couple days gave me a chance to catch up on some film capturing and recharge my batteries. It is a favourite spot for surfers and I ended up sharing a dorm with a group of semi-professional surfers cruising the coast in search of waves.

From Umzumbe I took a short doddle down to Durban, riding mainly on the old main road (R102) and just enjoying the scenery and avoiding the crazed taxi drivers as they bid for the fastest times from town to town. Being in Durban meant admin time and I headed straight for the banks and forex outlets to sort out my money for the countries to come. Visiting the shopping centres felt a little foreign after the past two weeks in the sticks but allowed me to get some much needed supplies. I had a good time staying with a friend, Andrew, in his lap of luxury in Umhlanga, soaking up my last bit of proper civilisation for the next 6 months. Soft linen, TV, restaurants, shops and electricity would all become a thing of the past with every northbound mile.

I left Durban early in the morning on a longer than average stretch up to Hluhluwe, another place I have called home in the past, but far more recently. The trip took me past my old office which reminded me of the months of hard work and saving before my adventure could begin and left me with no regrets about my current life path. The greatest thing about travelling is experiencing new things everyday, its like being a small child and having your eyes opened to the world for the first time. From Mtubatuba I took the national road through the Hluhluwe Mfolozi game reserve. Travelling on a motorcycle limits you as far as entering game reserves goes so I have to take advantage when roads pass straight through the parks. Unfortunately I didn’t see much in the way of big game but it still feels so much better to cruise past a grazing zebra or heard of wildebeest on a bike as opposed to seeing things through the TV shaped boxed confines of a car window, you really feels as though you are in the picture, not peering at nature from afar.

Being in Hluhluwe for a few days gave me the chance to catch up with old friends and experience more of the great outdoors lifestyle. I stayed on a little game farm outside town called Ehlathini (in the bush). I loved being back in Zululand, riding through the Zulu villages experiencing what has to be one of the most beautiful and undiscovered parts of our wonderful country. My ride from Hluhluwe to Sodwana took me past Muze Pans. I sat and watched the sun set over the pan with a pod of rather vocal Hippos wollowing a mere 15 meters away wondering how life could get any better.

After a comfortable night at Sodwana Bay lodge I headed 30km north to Mseleni Hospital where I would produce my first charity production for the Mseleni Children’s Home and Lulisandla Kumntwana (reach out to the child) Charity organisation that cares for orphaned children within their own communities, helping them with food and running workshops to help them cope with their heartbreaking life stories. I joined one of the charity coordinators for a day as he visited the child headed households in the area, giving them food parcels and trying to help the teenage kids with the burden of looking after their younger siblings. It is a harsh reality of the devastating effects of HIV in these rural parts of the country and left me feeling so helpless. I spent a couple days editing my footage and managed to put together a short film for the charity that will hopefully help them in appealing to private donors. During my time at Mseleni I was staying with Rob and Polly, friends of mine who have been living and working at the hospital for the last couple years and are now about to leave to cycle back home to England. They were in the throes of organising with the familiar site of expedition gear everywhere and chatting to them about their forthcoming adventure put the challenge of my journey into perspective. I left Mseleni, Kwazulu Natal and South Africa feeling that almost anything was accomplishable with the help of an engine between my wheels and vowed never to complain about the discomfort of a motorcycle but rather spare a thought for a tenacious couple on peddle bikes!

Swaziland beckons...