The insects and the slightly too small for the bed mosquito net didn't affect our sleep and we woke feeling pretty refreshed. Instead of waiting at the restaurant for breakfast, we boiled some water for coffee and hastily made some toast, before hitting the road.
We knew that the day was going to involve some hills and shortly after leaving Liwonde we were straight into the climbs. After the last few weeks of flat ground the hills were a nice diversion. For me at least, I much prefer the variation of climbs and descents to the constant pedalling of a flat road. Plus while climbing, the wind isn't as much of a factor, instead it provides a pleasant cooling effect.
After the often difficult and occasionally unpleasant cycling we have had through Malawi, today was completely the opposite. Everyone we met along the road seemed genuinely friendly and the villages along the road were well supplied with food. Stopping for a plate of chips and salad at a little stall was a nice experience, even if the stall holder wasn't keen to have his photo taken.
All of the drinks we had along the route were cold, the scenery was nice and the school children were really happy to see us. If only every day on the road had been like this in Malawi, then perhaps it would live up to its reputation as the warm heart of Africa!
Arriving in the very hilly city of Zomba, Malawi's capital until the 1970's, we rode through the heaviest traffic we have encountered in the country and headed for a motel. Finding the Ndindeya motel was easy enough, even if we had to ask where it was while standing outside as there was no sign! Having had a look at the rather dark standard rooms we elected to have one of the brighter, bigger executive ones. After paying for our stay, which seemed to take ages, we unpacked our gear and got settled.
After a short rest we headed into the city and found a very well stocked market where Debs bought herself plenty of salad. The vegetable highlight had to be finding avocados for sale for the first time since we left Tanzania.
Back at the hotel I did some blogging and photo uploading while Debs rested. A nice meal in Uncle Dan's café took care of dinner and signalled an end to a very good day. Tomorrow I am off to find somewhere to watch England's opening match of the rugby world cup.
What impressive scenery, with those mountains in the distance.
ReplyDeleteLove from Mum and Dad xx