Trip Report #7 (21 July 2009): The way to Zomba

This was to be a day of driving. 

We stopped on the way out of Cahorra Bassa to get a better view of the dam wall. 

We pushed on to Tete where we filled up with petrol.  The local garage owners were suitable unfriendly and could not seem to understand why each one of the 4 of us wanted to use their bathrooms whilst filling up our tanks.  Frankly after using the bathroom, neither could we.

Tete is a gateway into central southern Africa with an impressive bridge spanning the breath of the Zambezi.

 

Tete bridge across the Zambezi.

 

 

Viodacom seems to have a footprint in Mozambique in the apparently form of tudobom.

Immediately after crossing the bridge we got pulled of by customs whom extorted some beer and a lift for a colleague out of us.  This was fine until the guy proceeded to start drinking on our back seat and eventually pass out.   

Everyone speaks Portugese in this place and virtually no English. 

 

 

Beer is large…

… and motor cycles even more so…

The border crossing into Malawi was uneventful.  The most memorable part was when our passenger woke from his “slumber” and realised that he missed his turnoff some 40 km back.

The road to Zomba was long and presented a difficult drive for Mari-Louise who took over from me for the last stretch.  Blantyre was extremely busy and presented many driving challenges.

We arrived at Zomba mountain in the dark and cold.

We made good ground this day, but it was hard going.

Regards,  Carl-Hein