Trip Report # 9 (23 July 2009): The LONG way to Linchinga!

We got up the next morning and rushed through breakfast before our audience returned. 

After getting back to the main gravel road I had to re-inflate my tyres which took some time and again drew a crowd.

Mari-Louise picked out some individuals in the crown and this little boy was our favourite. 

 

We headed north up the lake after receiving confirmation, the previous day, from a police control point that there is in fact a border crossing in the north.

Highly excited and impressed with ourselves for making such a discovery we headed north. 

We required the services of these two youngsters to find the actual border.

Getting there introduced some minor obstacles, but in general the road was fine and very beautiful.

 

 

Arriving at the border we found two officials who dutifully told us that they do not have a stamp and that we must travel back to Mangochi in the south, after which we were more than welcome to cross the border here.  mmmmm

So back we went, but not after having two breakdown stops to try and find the cause of Adri’s Syncro stutter. We ended up crossing the border at Chiponde (east of Mangochi) and took on the road north.

 

 

Just more than halfway up to Lichinga we stopped for a rest and toilet facilities (bush).

Traffic was hell and we had to rush to avoid this cyclist.

The view from here was…

…well you make up your own mind.

The last stretch of the trip was done in darkness and on poor roads.  Right near the end I pushed my luck a little too far and went and stood without petrol.  After emptying a jerry can into the fuel tank we were of to Lichinga, hopeful to find a camp site.

We all ended up in the one and only hotel in town where everyone stays.  Hotel Girasol.  I am convinced that the building was converted from an asylum.  The rooms were very clinical, but they were clean and had hot water.

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant where I wanted wine, but could not accept having to pay R200 for a bottle of Nederburg lyric.  The beer was cold and reasonably priced.

This was a very, very long day, and the decision to book into the hotel was probably for the best.

ciao, Carl-Hein.