Day 302 Malawi 31/08/2011, Mufasa camp, Monkey Bay – Fat Monkeys, Cape Maclear. 15.21miles/25.01km, 1hr45minutes, Av 8.8mph.

Sausages, bacon, eggs and toast this morning! It is really nice to have a short day ahead of us, so that we could have a slow start to the day. Having breakfasted we loaded the bikes, settled our bill and headed out of Monkey Bay.

Before we turned off to Cape Maclear, we stopped to have a chat with the guys at the wood carving place about getting a model of our bike made. We have been unable to get a photo printed, so they have made a quick sketch and have told us it will take about three days. Negotiating a price was a bit trickier and probably more than we wanted to pay. If they come up with anything like they have promised though, it should be a nice souvenir of our time in Malawi.

The ride to Cape Maclear is along a 20km long dirt road, interspersed with a tiny bit of tarmac, passing through Lake Malawi National Park. It is a beautiful stretch of road and is well worth the ride. Aside from a few sections we were able to find a smooth track along the edges to avoid the at times vicious corrugations. For the main part the track is pretty smooth, although considerably hillier than we were expecting. Debs hadn't put her knee supports on and when the track turned to tarmac and started to climb quite steeply she ground to a halt. A combination of pushing and me running back down the road to give her a helping hand, meant that we got her to the top. From there on in, it was mainly downhill until we reached the coast. Obviously we have to go back up when we leave, but that is for another day!

Following the signs we arrived at 'Fat Monkeys' and found a nice shady camp-site under a tree. We have also found an infestation of caterpillars that seem fond of our inner tent. Having not closed the inner, we were a little concerned that Toad was about to be carried off by the number of caterpillars I had to remove from him! As long as they don't start trying to eat the tent we will be fine.

Obviously meeting cycle tourists has become commonplace for us now, so we weren't as surprised as we might have been when we met a family of Dutch cyclists who are spending three weeks travelling round Malawi. They seemed like a lovely family and it is nice to see parents and teenage children embarking on an adventure of a different kind during the school holidays.

While we were staying at Monkey Bay, a couple had told us that they had been to a cinema for the village children in Cape Maclear. While looking at the posters near reception we saw that there was a showing tonight at 6pm; our evening plans were settled. The films are shown twice a week on a projector screen in the village streets. For the next hour we sat surrounded by excited children, some of the little ones sitting on our laps, while they showed a succession of Mickey Mouse cartoons. It was a heart warming experience as the kids got very excited about the escapades of the on screen characters. The end of every cartoon was greeted by cheers and clapping and the experience was one of the highlights of our time in Malawi. We enjoyed it so much, we will probably go again on Saturday.

From the film showing we walked back along the beach to the camp. A couple of beers rounded off a very nice day. Far from overtly touristy, so far we have found Cape Maclear to be very relaxed and laid back. Things can obviously change, but for now it looks like a good place to spend a few days.

Day 301 Malawi 30/08/2011, Mufasa camp, Monkey Bay – Mangochi – Mufasa camp. Pick-ups, shopping and a minibus.

Breakfast this morning was bacon and eggs for the first time on the camp stove since Europe. The bacon in town may have been quite expensive but it was worth every penny! It certainly made a change from boiled eggs, toast and honey.

Having eaten our fill, we headed into town to catch a bus/matola (pick-up) to Mangochi, where we hoped to get some supplies and more importantly some money. Luckily the first vehicle we encountered that was going to Mangochi was a matola with two empty front seats, so we wouldn't have to ride in the back. Getting to the town which was only 50km away certainly wasn't fast. The constant stopping to pick up and drop off passengers and their cargo, combined with lots of waiting at villages until we were overloaded, meant that the journey took nearly 2 hours. By the time we arrived we were both suffering from numb buttocks, our backsides are now shaped for a bike saddle, and stiff limbs. Still it could have been worse, we could have been crammed into the back with everyone else.

Our trip to Mangochi was a successful one. We managed to get some money out, checked out a potential guest-house for when we cycle through and bought some fruit and vegetables. The journey back was also an improvement, when we got a seat in one of the minibuses. Changing driver three times on the journey back was a bit of a laugh, especially when each one seemed to try and outdo the others on the speed front. The last driver was especially fast, seemingly holding out changing gear until the engine was screaming. We half expected to hear a bang and see parts of the engine flying out from under the bonnet. With the vehicle remarkably still in one piece, we arrived back in Monkey Bay and it had only taken just over an hour.

Walking back towards the camp we found some cheap sausages in a small market. Having struggled to find food for most of our time in Malawi, we now have sausages, eggs, bacon and vegetables. It is just a shame that I rejected buying potatoes while we were in Mangochi. Sausages and pasta just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Our time in Monkey Bay and Mufasa camp has been pretty good, but it will be nice to try and find somewhere that has a flat camp-ground and electricity. Considering the fact that Mufasa camp is quite expensive, it offers very little for the money. It is undoubted peaceful and being on a private beach means that there are no beach boys trying to sell you things. There are however still quite a lot of locals coming in and out that leave you wondering who they are. The camp-site is also full of half collapsed tents, which apparently some of the staff sleep in. In the couple of nights we were there, we only saw one being used so why are they taking up space in what is quite a limited area. I personally haven't found Mufasa camp to be the restful, 'paradise on earth' that the owners would have you believe. Having to camp on a slope certainly hasn't aided it being very restful. There is too much of a work in progress look to the set up at the moment for me to get too excited. Of late, people seem to have been quite quick to tell us that Cape Maclear is very touristy and there is a lot of hassle from the beach boys, so it will be interesting to see for ourselves when we head there tomorrow.

Day 300 Malawi 29/08/2011 Mua – Mustafa camp, Monkey Bay. 46.85miles/75.42km, 4hr12minutes, Av11.1mph.

We breakfasted, settled the bill, loaded and got on the road early this morning. About 3km along the road from Mua we turned off the tarmac and onto a decent unsealed road bound for Monkey Bay. In truth we could have stayed on the tarmac, but a short 15km of unsealed road saved us 30km on the road. The scenery along the track was beautiful the villagers unfortunately weren't. It was an almost constant “give me money”, which we largely blocked out by ignoring everyone and having our headphones in. This is starting to seem the only way to cycle through the country without being constantly saddened and annoyed.

With the track behind us we rejoined the road and started to make good progress. It may have been a long time coming, but for a short while at least the wind was behind us. It has to have been the quickest we have covered 50km for quite a while. Having just stopped for a drink in a small village we moved on and encountered yet another cycle tourist. Wayne from Manchester has been on the road for a while, having already cycled down the west coast of Africa from Spain. He is currently doing a big loop round Southern Africa before heading north through East Africa. It sounds like an amazing trip, which fortunately seems to have no time scale. Once again we had a quick photo session and then waved goodbye. This meeting of cyclists is starting to get common!

The wind being behind us was obviously too good to be true. Shortly after saying goodbye to Wayne either we changed direction or the wind did. For the next 30km until we reached Monkey Bay it was almost constantly blowing in our faces.

Before we reached the town we passed a stall with some fantastic wooden carved Land Rovers, better still they had bicycles. None of the cycles were like ours, but one of the carvers, George has said that he can make one like ours if we give him a picture. We have no idea where we will put it if he makes us one, but I guess we will have to find space somewhere.

Arriving in Monkey Bay we headed through the small town to 'Mustafa rustic camp', which is to say the least rustic. After a struggle to find one of the ready made camping spots that was big enough for our tent, we are now pitched albeit on a slope. There is no electricity on the site but there are hippos and crocodiles in the surrounding area, not that we have seen any. The staff also seem to be really friendly. Rob is especially interesting as he arrived here from England via the west coast on a Honda CG125 motorbike; which in his words is the perfect motorbike for Africa.

Enquiring at the bar as to where the easiest place to extend our visa is, we found out that we could do it here at the port. A short walk up to the gates, some basic form filling and the parting of 5000 kwacha (£20) later, and our visas were extended. It seems we won't have to go to Lilongwe after all. From the port we went and bought some shopping from the supermarket and then headed back to the camp. We have decided to eat dinner at the restaurant tonight instead of cooking, which is just as well because some beers have been drunk. Tomorrow we will take a minibus to Mangochi to get some more supplies and fingers crossed find a working ATM.

Day 299 Malawi 28/08/2011, Pa Ntondo Pa Namalikhate hostel, Mua. A wander round the village and grounds of the mission.

After a nice breakfast and a very good nights sleep we went for a walk round the surrounding area. Being Sunday, the missions large church was surrounded by people. On further investigation there appeared to be a large service being held outside the building, attended by groups from different local parishes. The singing and dancing of the parishioners was a joy to watch and made an interesting start to our day.

Having been largely disappointed with African towns and villages it is a pleasure to arrive somewhere interesting. I have found the seemingly endless wilderness of Africa a little tedious. I am aware for some people that that is what they come for, but I much prefer some culture and areas of interest aside from game reserves. I am struggling to see how you can get that excited about seeing your umpteenth wild animal. I am of course aware that this is just my opinion and Debs would probably disagree with me, especially if it means seeing more giraffe, elephants and zebra!

Leaving the people to their service, we had a look at the wood carving showroom. I have to confess to being stunned at how little money many of the carvings were. If shipping wasn't such a costly option, I would now be the proud owner of an extremely large sculpture of two chameleons in a tree! Once again the curse of shopping and travelling by bicycle made us leave the showroom empty handed.

After walking round the beautifully painted buildings of the visitor centre, we went to have a look at the woodcarving workshop.

Disappointingly, the carvers were strangely apathetic at our interest and no one seemed bothered to show us what they were doing. Of course that would have involved effort, something that Malawians don't seem very interested in unless it involves asking for money! Which sadly we have encountered several times in the area surrounding the mission. You would have thought that the huge amount of money that has clearly been spent in the community would have been enough, but apparently not. Either that or stupid tourists have been ignoring all advice and handing out money and gifts to the locals!

Back at the hostel we have been relaxing in the peaceful gardens. Tomorrow we will leave the peace behind and head for the busier more touristy Monkey bay.

Day 298 Malawi 27/08/2011, Salima – Pa Ntondo Pa Namalikhate hostel, Mua. 45.03miles/72.03km, 4hr38minutes, Av 9.7mph.

To show how exhausted Debs was last night, she fell asleep shortly after dinner at about 8pm and didn't wake until just before 7am. I meanwhile had a bit of a fitful night; I have been having some trouble with my previously injured shoulder and just couldn't get comfortable. By 7:30am we were sitting waiting for breakfast, which when it arrived was cold, or at least mine was! When I mentioned that my breakfast chips and egg were cold, I thought that Debs had remained very quiet. It took just one look at her tucking in, to realise that her food was warm.

Leaving the guest-house we headed into the town for a not entirely successful shopping trip. We found some bread and supplies for the road ahead, but all of the ATMs were either out of money or wouldn't accept our cards. It is just as well that I have some cash or we would be struggling, hopefully wherever we stop for the night will accept dollars. To make our trip into town even more annoying, we couldn't find the right road out and ended up doing an unnecessary 6km detour almost back to where we started. That added to a very strong headwind meant that our supposed easy day was looking to be anything but.

With leaden legs and aching muscles we pushed on down the road. Yesterday's exertions were taking their toll and I was having a bad time of it. Having blocked the wind for most of yesterday and doing the same today, on top of a badly aching shoulder and neck, meant that I was in no mood for begging locals. Today I took the decision to put my head down and try to ignore everyone. Debs kept up the waving and shouts of hello where it was deserved, but there were once again too many 'give me money, pen, bike' demands from the locals. There is nothing more heart warming than a group of children singing 'mzungu, one dollar' as we pass!

Having just passed a small bridge and with traffic coming from both directions, Debs didn't see a pothole on the side of the road. She managed to stay on at the expense of blowing both front and rear inner-tubes, and bashing herself badly on the seat. She was a bit shaken up and in some amount of pain, which I have to admit I rather ignored, instead looking to see how much damage had been done to the bike. In my defence I figured that as she was still standing, she must be alright. Two buckled wheels and some broken spokes on the other hand would have been a much greater problem. Fortunately bike and rider were in pretty good shape though, all I had to do was replace both inner-tubes while surrounded by kids and being baked by the afternoon sun! I had the bike back together in double quick time and we were soon off to find a quiet lunch stop, which we found in the shade of a tree.

Back on the road and into the wind we pressed on towards Mua, stopping briefly at a river to watch the locals bathing and washing their clothes. A friendly guy came up for a chat and told us that we were only about 15 minutes away from the town and he was almost correct!

About 25 minutes later we turned off the main road towards the mission, which was up a fairly steep, dirt road. The mission was built at the beginning of the 20^th century by the Catholic 'white fathers'. It has grown to include a school, hospital and the main reason for our visit, the 'Kungoni centre of culture and art'. With the hill negotiated, we arrived outside the administration building and Debs went to enquire about a room and whether we could have a look around the museum. The museum is closed on Sundays, so we had to go in now or we would miss the chance. Our first problem to solve was how to pay, as the rooms are quite expensive and we only just had enough money for the room and dinner. Seeing as it seems a very nice place we would really like to be here for another day to have a look good look round. Plus Debs is a bit sore from her earlier pothole related incident. The guy in the showroom seemed to think that we could arrange to pay in dollars, so fingers crossed we will be good for a couple of nights.

Unfortunately the guide to the museum had gone home early, so we were shown round by the showroom staff member, who tried his best to give us an insight into the history and culture of the native people. The museum is fascinating, it was just a shame that we hadn't arrived a bit earlier, so that we would have had more time. The highlight though had to be the room filled with 'gule wamkulu' masks, the largest collection of its type in the world, which due to their ceremonial importance photography is sadly prohibited.

Having had a look at the museum we headed off to the hostel to enquire about getting a room. Here we ran into a stumbling block when the staff member told us that they weren't supposed to let people pay in dollars. He agreed to chat to the administrator so we are assuming it will still be alright. Regardless of our payment issues we have been given the keys to a beautiful chalet. All of the rooms are themed along the lines of the carved mask outside. We are in the 'chinkhombe' (owl) room, which has many carved owl fixtures and related wall hangings. Outside, the rooms are surrounded by lovely gardens and a terrace overlooks the local river.

Dinner may have been beef stew which we have had countless times in Africa, but it was one of the tastiest we have had and the kitchen staff are really friendly.

Hopefully the peace and tranquillity of the area will translate to a good nights sleep. Tomorrow we plan to have a better look round the mission.

Day 297 Malawi 26/08/2011, Nkhotakota pottery – Half London lodge, Salima. 62.15miles/99.87km, 5hr41minutes, Av 10.9mph.

A strong wind got up during the night and I had to go out and rescue our laundry from the line and make sure the tent was secure in case we blew away. We had hoped that it would have died down by morning, but it was not to be. It looked like our day back on the road was going to be a tough one, especially as we had a fairly long distance ahead of us.

After breakfast in the restaurant, we have run out of food, we paid our bill and said goodbye to Pete. We hope you have a safe journey and will let you know when we get to Capetown.

Farewells said, we headed back to the camp-site, packed the tent away, loaded the bikes and set off up the track to the road. The money demanding children of the journey in were obviously elsewhere, because we had a largely bother-free ride. The few kids that were out were pretty chatty, even if a couple of them kept asking me for a football. Where they believed I had said football hidden is a bit of a mystery, obviously we 'mzungus' can be quite sneaky!

Arriving at the road it was straight into the expected headwind; it looked like being a very long day. Which was fortunately accompanied by some of the friendliest, nicest, happiest, locals we have encountered in Malawi. For once it was a pleasure to be riding through the country.

Of course it didn't last and a few more kilometres up the road we were back into the money demanding, grabbing at your bike brigade we have become used to. Fortunately we were still on a bit of a high from the reception we had enjoyed earlier.

Having ridden about 30km we encountered the first of what would end up to be three cycle tourists today! Rodrigo is from Argentina and has ridden to Malawi from Capetown. We are not really sure what his plans are, except continuing up towards Tanzania and possibly Kenya. A couple of photos later and we continued, back into the wind, towards Salima.

A further 20km down the road and we ran into Pius and Margrit, two Swiss cyclists who have been on the road for 4 years and have ridden over 60,000kms! They were also heading north as they slowly make their way back to Switzerland. Once again we took a quick photo, wished them well and carried on into a much lighter wind.

With dwindling supplies we tried to find somewhere to get a meal. Malawi unfortunately came up short, as getting a meal on the road here is a real problem. Instead we had to settle for a warm drink, which was made better by a group of sweet children who got very excited at having their photo taken.

The next stop was no better when we ended up in a village with a particularly unpleasant atmosphere. Eventually we bought some cooked meat from a small stall in another village. The meat wasn't much of a triumph, but we did provide a certain amount of entertainment for the locals. It seems that white people eat the same things as they do, who would have thought it! Another short break later, where we ate the last of our on-board rations, and we were ready to face an afternoon in the saddle.

A combination of some friendly locals, a rapidly dropping headwind and finally finding a cold drink meant that we pretty much flew along for the last 40km. If we hadn't passed through a group of especially aggressive money demanding children and adults when we turned off to Salima, we would have arrived outside the 'Half London lodge' feeling pretty good. Instead we arrived tired, hot and still struggling to find much positive to say about cycling through Malawi. Fortunately the reception at the lodge was a warm one and we are happily settled into a nice enough room. A night in a proper bed is going to be a bit of a luxury. Dinner at the restaurant was the cheapest we have had for a while, but the food was very nice, even if it took an age to arrive. By the looks of Debs it is going to be a very early night. We have less distance to cover tomorrow, so hopefully we will have a good day.

Day 295 & 296 Malawi 24/08/2011 & 25/08/2011, Nkhotakota Pottery lodge. A couple of days of not doing much.

We have decided to leave going to Lilongwe for a bit longer and instead have spent a couple of pleasant days on the beach at the pottery lodge. It has been a pleasure to spend time with Pete, as he is a very interesting character and has been, and continues to be, on an amazing journey. The lodge itself has been very peaceful, with a good restaurant and generally helpful and friendly staff.

While some of the pottery that they sell is very nice, we have decided that carrying it is going to be impossible and the cost of shipping to the UK is a bit on the expensive side. It is a shame as there were several items that we could very easily have bought.

There is very little to report about our stay aside from a visit to the camp-site by some very playful vervet monkeys. They rather run amok for a while and Pete was constantly defending his gear and trying to stop them from emptying the rubbish bin.

The rest of the time has been spent sitting round a camp-fire and eating rather a lot of toast.

This not so small insect terrorised Debs in the toilet block last night! So much so that I had to go in and investigate; I don't know what was scarier the insect or the chance of being caught in the women's toilet block!

Day 294 Malawi 23/08/2011, Ngala Beach Lodge – Nkhotakota Pottery lodge. 58.84miles/96.54km, 5hr52minutes, Av 10mph.

Firstly I would have to say that dinner was excellent last night and we had a pleasant evening chatting with the staff and customers at the bar. Unfortunately events this morning weren't so great. Upon paying our bill this morning we found that government tax was added on afterwards, this may have been a small amount at 1% of the bill, but it is the first time we have been charged it since we arrived in Malawi. Bearing in mind the rather expensive camping, bar and restaurant prices of the lodge and it seems a little galling that the tax is not included. What was more annoying was that when I paid, I was told that I was owed 172 kwacha, but was then only handed 150 Kwacha and told that they didn't have any change. Now 20 Kwacha is worth less than 10p, but when the staff member laughs at you because he hasn't got any change, it becomes a matter of principal. No matter how long we stood there saying that he should go and find some change, all we got was more laughter. By now we were later leaving than we had planned and I was so annoyed at being laughed at, that there was no choice but to walk out and leave 'Ngala Beach Lodge' behind.

Things didn't really improve on the road where we encountered a pocket of aggressive, money demanding locals. Horrible children chasing up the road shouting “you, give me money!” and adult women with their hands out. If I hear one more 'Malawi the warm heart of Africa' and Malawians are the friendliest people in Africa I will scream. At the moment they are firmly behind Tanzanians and Kenyans, which quite frankly isn't saying that much. Anyone who thinks these are the friendliest people, should get themselves to Sudan and see what real hospitality is. Debs is finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the begging, demands and often insulting behaviour. Plugging the Ipod in certainly helps block out the constant barrage, but once again I had to pedal hard up the road to catch up with a speeding and upset Debs. Fortunately things improved and we passed through villages full of excited children, who just seemed pleased to see us. It is a shame that our journey through Malawi so far has followed the same pattern.

With only a light headwind today we made pretty good progress. The road was reasonably hilly though and it has to have been one of the warmest days in Malawi yet. Eventually after a longish day in the saddle we rode into Nkhotakota and stopped for some supplies. While Debs was shopping, I kept an eye on the bikes and attracted rather too much attention from the kids when I bought a samosa from one of them. They couldn't seem to understand that I only wanted one. Before too long I was surrounded by children with bracelets, peanuts and more samosas for sale. Clearly the best thing to do is not buy anything at all. When Debs came out we had to push the kids back so that we could pack the shopping away. Stocked up with supplies, it was good to get back on the bikes for the final 15km to our stop for the night. The rest of the journey went without incident until we turned off towards Nkhotkota pottery and set off down the 4km of dirt road to the site. The road was pretty hard packed so riding it wasn't a problem, but the kids lining the track all seemed to be of the 'give me pen/money' variety. At one point they were chasing along behind us shouting their demands. When we arrived at the safety of the lodges gates it was a bit of a relief.

While we were checking in we were joined by Pete, an Australian, who has been travelling round the world on his BMW motorbike for the past three and a half years. He is a fascinating guy to talk to, as long as you don't mention Ewan Mcgregor and Charlie Boorman!

It had been a long day, so we decided against cooking and went to the restaurant for dinner instead. The three course 'meal of the day' had to be the best food I have had in Malawi. Debs had a lovely, if slightly too spicy for her, chicken curry. A few beers and a chat with Pete rounded up a tiring day. We will have a rest day tomorrow and then possibly head to Lilongwe to extend our visas, provided we can leave our gear here for a few days. So far the pottery looks like a decent place to stay.

Day 293 Malawi 22/08/2011, Kande Beach to Ngala Beach lodge, Ngala. 39.98miles/64.60km, 3hr56minutes, Av10.1mph.

After watching one of the overland trucks get stuck in the sand while trying to get off the site this morning, we negotiated the 2km track to the road fairly well. Debs of course managed to find some of the children to give her a push, I meanwhile was left to fend for myself! People seem to come out of the woodwork to help Debs when she has the slightest difficulty; I don't know how she does it, perhaps a winning smile?

Before we rejoined the road properly we stopped in at Kande Horse stables to say goodbye to Sophia, Johnny and Adella. It has been an absolute pleasure to meet them. Every time we have an extended stay somewhere we always seem to meet the nicest people. We have to give a big thanks to them all for their hospitality and a really big thanks to Sophia for the Southern Africa guidebook. We hope to see Sophia again when she comes to England, we will make sure there are plenty of baked beans available!

Despite having largely got over her cold, Debs was still feeling quite weak, so it was a good job that the strong winds of the previous few days seem to have died down. We were also very lucky with the terrain, as barring a few small hills it was mainly flat. The scenery today was amongst the nicest we have travelled through in Southern Africa. Beautifully green vegetation was backed by the mountain range to our west. When the road moved back towards the lake, we were greeted by a calm waters and a constant string of small fishing villages. While riding along we saw two locals standing in the middle of the road taking a photo of something with their phones. Wondering what they had spotted we were surprised to see them posing with what appeared to be half a snake. While I don't propose that I am an expert on snakes, the diamond head and large fangs looked awfully like some kind of viper, so I guess posing besides a dead one is safer than a live one! As if seeing one snake wasn't enough Debs then had a near miss when she nearly ran over a very sizeable, possibly venomous snake, as it crossed the road. Whether it would have tried to bite her if she had hit it, we can't say, but we imagine it would have been a little annoyed! The break must have done us good because we are now much more able to handle the occasional demands for money, today largely from groups of women. The children in general have just appeared excited to see us, or perhaps we are only hearing what we want to hear now.

Weakness from illness and a rumbling stomach because I hadn't eaten enough aside, we had a pretty good day. Getting back on the road after a break is always a bit trying on the muscles, but we managed fairly well. Shortly after 1pm we arrived at Ngala Beach Lodge, which is a bit posh and has turned out to be the dearest place we have stayed. No matter how nice it is we won't be staying for longer than one night. 1500 Kwacha (£6) per person for camping is a bit steep, especially as it appears we are sharing two toilets and two showers with about 20 British teenagers.

Having set up camp, Debs went for a swim in the lake and I strolled into the village to get some supplies. It may have been market day but the food selection was pretty limited. I bought some tomatoes, bread and eggs so breakfast is taken care of, but dinner will be had in the restaurant. Let's hope we have a nice meal and a restful night, we have a pretty long day ahead of ourselves tomorrow.