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Malawi Click on thumbnails to enlarge. |
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(continued from Tanzania) Going into Malawi from Mbeya was not easy. We took around 7 different methods of transport from Mbeya to Mzuzu. Bus, shared taxi, car, minibus, bigger bus, etc. Eleven hours to cover about 240km. It was a long day. Crossing the bridge between Tanzania and Malawi was really easy, but be careful of those guys trying to change money. There are lots of fake bills going around. You are much better to change your money at the money changer after the bridge, right before you reach the Malawi immigration post. The rates were really good, the best rate we had the entire time we were in Malawi! We slept in Mzuzu, a small city which is used as a transit point between Lilongwe and Nkhata Bay. Banks have ATM’s and there was an interesting market with some traditional herbs and voodoo items for sale. Again, we didn’t see any white tourists there! We really enjoyed Nkhata Bay, simply because it still has a local feel and not too many tourists were around. The views you get on the lake are simply fabulous. I dove with Aqua Africa in the lake. At 20$US for a dive, you can’t go wrong! It was my first time diving in a fresh water lake in 12 years! The fish were very colorful and the diving environment was different than what I am used to in the ocean. I have to say that Aqua Africa is the safest dive center I have seen around the world so far. The owner has safety as a priority (which is excellent, because the closest decompression chamber is in South Africa!) |
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We stop for a day in Nkhotakota village and it was interesting to see such a big Muslim community there (and no women in the streets)! We stayed at the Pick and Pay Guest House which has some very basic washed down rooms for about 5$US. We tried to rent a vehicle there (and it seemed impossible to do), but the owner finally called a friend who was asking 300$US for a day to drive us around the Nkhotakota Wildlife reserve. He was also asking $50US to go down the road (about 10km). It was simply ridiculous. My analysis of this is that there are very few vehicles in Malawi and those who have one try to impose monopole prices on private transport. Malawians surely know how to maximize space when they travel… We got on another mini-bus which could sit 11 passengers, but we were close to 30 people, including roosters under the seat and a trunk full of fish. From Mbeya (in Tanzania) to Lilongwe, mini-buses were simply overloaded, dangerous, overcrowded, uncomfortable, not very reliable and not regular (connections were bad). By the time we reached Lilongwe, we were simply tired of spending a day (sometimes more than 10 hours) in mini-buses to cover less than 150 km. By the time we reached Lilongwe, Cynthia was really sick (fever and headaches), so we immediately suspected Malaria. We got a blood test taken at Medicare (in Lilongwe) for 1$ and the test came negative 10 minutes later! (continue... Zambia is next...)
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