Mon 28 May 2018, Day 176
Staying at Mozoozoozo, Mzuzu
Distance 65 + 6447 = 6512
Average 12.7
Time on bike 5 h 08 min
Total from Amsterdam 11912
Location S11.457478, E34.028447
Peter tells me the Malawian disco music carried on until 01h23 and they played one ‘doef doef’ song over and over. We can’t understand why the chief of the village, the principal of the school and others don’t put a curfew to the time. We have a huge alarm clock outside our room this morning that’s running around going cock adoodle doo, pausing outside each house waking up everyone. A great breakfast of oats, milk, banana and half an avo each. Left at 06h45 and dropped off our rubbish and empty bottles. From the first km we rode with an easterly wind, then into the wind the rest of the day. It was tough. The road to Mzuzu was busy and with no shoulder we had to concentrate where we were riding so didn’t see much of the countryside. The school principal told us the road is flat … Mmm. I’m not going to ask for conditions of the weather or roads and any hills in future as they are NEVER accurate. We are thrilled to have different fruit as bananas and under ripe oranges were getting boring. Along the way we found naartjies (clementines) and lovely crunchy Pink Lady apples.
The Suzuki Samurai guys caught up with us this morning just before Mzuzu and again at Shoprite. We found the bike repair guy which was tricky as Cameron from Mushroom Farm only gave Peter a hand drawn map. Blessings replaced a spring in the rear hub and lined the front wheel with an old tube. Hoping this will be the end of front wheel punctures. Cost for bike repairs was K9500. Peter and I had a quick squizz at the store and we’ll go back tomorrow to do a bit of shopping. It’s more upmarket compared with Shoprite stores telling us that when Shoprite opened its first store in Malawi the government weren’t happy about so many products being imported so a meeting was held and Shoprite management told the Malawian government that if all the imported products were available locally they’d be more than happy to support locals and the Malawians weren’t able to argue this any further … say no more !!! We battle to find basics here that we take for granted back in SA. Camping at a backpackers, Mozoozoozo and still at as rhe altitude is just under 1300 metres, I’m wearing almost all my clothing and happy our goose down sleeping bags are -6°C. Watched a movie that Trent had on a USB stick, similar to a Harry Potter one but almost all of us were dozing. Tomorrow we do a short ride down to Nkhata Bay. Night all xx
– Our classroom room. Yellow bag is where we pitched the tent … always forgetting to take a pic with tent pitched
– The motor cycle ambulance
– Blessing and his bike workshop in Mzuzu did an amazing job repairing Zaza
– Campsite at Mozoozoozo
