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.
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