ON YER BIKE
Zambia and Malawi both have very strong contingents of cyclists, riding everything from brand new, if cheap, mountain bikes to old Raleigh delivery bikes which have been around since before the era of independence.
There are distinct national differences between the two countries though with Zambia's cyclists being far more nervous of motorists and wobbling off into the bushes beyond the verge at the first sound of an approaching motor vehicle while Malawians will pull over the side of the tar but won't relinquish their slim stretch of tar completely.
Zambian cyclists favour a strong metal carrier over the rear wheel while Malawians tend towards wooden constructions with four support rods from the rear wheels extending about 3 foot above the carrying platform. Between these rods, narrow, long woven baskets are inserted with the "freight" being carried in the basket.
Malawians specialise in carrying market produce on their bicycles, with the occasional complete bicycle loaded onto the carrier, sticking out either side and presenting a hazard to pedestrians and other cyclists if the rider isn't careful.
In Zambia, women have life really easy (in terms of market day!) with their menfolk having to pedal up the hills and freewheel wobblingly down the other side while the ladies sit, side saddle, on the carrier. There is, on occasion, even a child or two on board.
They also manage to carry 50 kg of flour or maize meal or, most spectacular of all, 5 crates of cold drinks lashed to the back with nary a wobble.
Truing the wheel
Every village has a market and every market covers every aspect of the villagers needs. The market includes a roadside butchery, vegetable stalls, clothing stalls (generally second hand) as well as craftsmen making pots, pans, lamps and candle holders from old cars and any other scrap metal they can lay their hands on.
Every stall also has at least one bicycle repair shop, where four poles support a woven reed roof under which there is nothing except the earth and some wire, ball bearings and basic tools. From this, the villages bikes are kept in working order and anything the cyclist may need can be constructed.
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CHRISTMAS PRESENCE
Blantyre, 25 December 2001
After an evening of trying to decide where to spend Christmas - "somewhere nice!" was the requirement for the occupants of the vehicle we had been travelling with through Kafue - and ruling out a road along the Zambezi River through the Lower Zambezi National Park because no one else had ever heard of it and vetoing South Luangwe National Park as being too expensive (other travellers say is costs $25 a day per person) despite its reputation as one of the best parks in Africa, we had sort of decided on The Bridge camp about 250 km east of Lusaka as a general solution within the group.
We woke the following morning to find our fellow travellers had disappeared in the night, leaving a brief note saying they had decided to head for Malawi and the Lake for Christmas. Lisa had been wanting to leave Zambia, being fed up with the roads and the cost of fuel and park entrance fees (yes, we know it gets more expensive further north!), so we decided to push on as fast as possible and try and reach Lilongwe by Christmas eve.
Distance is deceiving
It was a long, hard drive to Chipata, about 30 km from the border, with the first 300 km being on good, if winding, roads which seemed to go over every hilltop in the area and reduced Wag 'n Bietjie's speed to 40 km at some points as we plodded slowly up some of the steeper hills.
The last 200 km found us back in pothole dodging territory, with the craters getting bigger and more numerous every time we passed a village. The rural populations of both Zambia and Malawi still live very much along subsistence farming lines, with homes built from local materials and fields tilled by hand. The population density seems much higher in Malawi and the land seems to be better utilised, with hillsides being terraced, one line of crops to a step and larger areas under cultivation.
At one point during the drive we began to suspect, clearly under the influence of too many hours behind the wheel and too many hard jars to our brains as a result of not being able to stop in time for sneaky, vicious potholes lurking in shadows or masquerading as their patched brethren, that the villagers were actually digging the potholes to force motorists to slow down when passing - increasing the safety factor in the village?!?!?
At the border, we made the mistake of mentioning that we had Tigger with us and having to deal with an officious veterinary control officer who demanded a photostat for his files - available in the town 2 km away for (only) 2 000 Malawian Kwatcha (MK) - which equates to about $30. We gave him the forms we had got from Namibia, and which were no longer of any use to us, after telling him the chief customs officer said he would have to walk back to the border post from the village because it wasn't our job to transport him around - he was so incensed that customs was meddling in his affairs (veterinary stuff is completely separate) that letting us through was minor compared with the argument he was going to have with the customs people!
Of course, if we'd just kept our mouths shut, nobody would have noticed the dog and we could have sailed through.
Finding a hippo in Lilongwe
We arrived in Lilongwe, having cruised the last 130 km on a really good road, about 7.30 pm. We seem to make a habit of getting into new countries just as it's getting dark and then having to negotiate the nearest city in the dark. Lilongwe proved relatively easy but the first two backpackers were either closed or didn't have off-street parking so we ended up following vague directions - with a stop for liquid refreshment at the Golden Peacock Restroom - to Kiboko (Hippo) Campsite, where we bumped into our former fellow travellers.
I hade to rewire the truck's second battery system the following morning because we thought there was a short in the wiring which blew fuses every time it got wet. After an hour and a half's work and four fuses, it turned out that the fluorescent camping lamp was causing all the problems - we no longer use it but I managed not to beat the offending piece of junk into smithereens when I discovered that I'd unloaded all the tools and crates and sweated over rewiring things in vain!
Now we're in Blantyre, having driven down here at a sedate pace on Christmas day, marvelling at the climb from Lilongwe up to the edge of the Rift Valley and then dropped down into the valley and across the valley to the commercial capital of Malawi on the other side.
We were due to leave at sparrow fart for Mt Mulanje but woke late and decided to catch up on domestic chores (like keeping all of you up to date with our travels!!!) and head out on Boxing Day for two or three days in the mountains.
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