Monday 12 October 2009

Lilongwe, Malawi

We took off towards Malawi around lunch-time, braving the dusty, potholed road and dodging the many pedestrians (who fled to the road verges at the sound of the landrover) and bicycles along the way.

I am impressed by the utility of the Zambian bicycle.  Even on the most corrogated or rutted roads you find industrious locals vigorously pedalling along.  And the bicycles are good for all sorts of cargo, other people, live pigs and goats...  One chap carted six person-sized bags of coal on the back of his, another man had a tower of five boxes carefully balanced on the carrier, towering over his back, but the most impressive bicycle cargo I saw was a wooden double bed frame, balanced on its side on the back of a bicycle speeding down the main highway and taking up as much room as a car.

The border crossing to Malawi was painless, we cruised into Mabaya Camp in Lilongwe just as it was getting dark and passed the evening chatting with an ex overland tour driver who was full of tips and entertaining stories.

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