We were very good last night and only had one beer, our last 'Kuche Kuche' to say farewell to Malawi. Consequently we had a very restful night, which came as a bit of a relief after the previous evening. After breakfast, where we had scrambled egg and chips, (which made a pleasant change) we chatted to two South African guys who we had met at dinner last night. Tearing ourselves away, as our planned early start was no longer that early, we hit the road and climbed up to the Malawi border. Getting signed out was quick and painless, as was changing the last of our Kwacha to Metical. We then started climbing again as we rode the 5km to the Mozambican side of the border.
Arriving at the border I stayed with the bikes while Debs went in to get her visa. She hadn't been gone long when she returned saying I had to come, as she had been told they wouldn't issue a visa. Whether it was all a misunderstanding or they were just being awkward we don't know, because after a lot of sighing and tutting they decided to issue them. The process wasn't very quick, but it was quite professional. Instead of the simple stamp we were expecting they printed out proper visa stickers, complete with our photos on them. By the mood of the issuing officer though, we hope that no one else turned up at the border without a visa after us!
Visa issued, we left the building, changed some dollars with the money changers (which was remarkably hassle free) and headed off into a new country. Fortunately the staff at the border control weren't representative of the people we would meet along the road. Stopping for a drink just across the border we met a lovely guy who had grown up in England, were greeted warmly by the shopkeepers and received warm smiles from everyone. To make things even better, not one person asked us for money!
Getting the visas had taken longer than we expected, so we had no idea where we were going to get to today, or where we were likely to end up staying. Malawi has the advantage over Mozambique of the distances between towns being relatively small. We knew we were heading for Tete, but with most of the morning gone and at least 120km to the city we knew we wouldn't make it.
With no plans, we decided to just ride and see how far we could get. Despite the temperature and hilly terrain it turned out to be one of the best days in the saddle we have had for ages. Mozambicans are very friendly, if a little shy; a wave and shout of Olá (hello) from us was enough to elicit a big smile and greeting in return.
When we cycled past a group of people sitting round listening to music who offered us some agua (water) we thought we better stop. Either we misheard or they were having a laugh, but the clay pot that I was directed to filled with what looked like very runny porridge, certainly didn't contain water. Or at least that was just one of the ingredients. Having avoided Chibuku (Malawi's home brew beer) on the basis that any beer that you have to shake first and then drink through gritted teeth is probably not good for you! It now looked like I was going to try the Mozambican version. Apparently it was going to give us plenty of strength for the road ahead! Having been handed a largely clean plastic mug filled to the brim, complete with plate underneath as a kind of slops tray, I had my first sip watched on by practically everyone. It certainly has an acquired taste, pretty much like I imagine the sludge left over from fermenting beer that is used as animal feed would be like; just with a much higher alcohol content.
Debs had a small sip, but was happy to allow me to take one for the team. She is so lucky to have me as food/drink tester and all round sacrificial lamb! The locals all thought it was hilarious and got even more animated when we asked to take some photos. It must have been the beer, but I even had a little dance, which brought about another round of laughter. It was brilliant fun and a terrific experience to take away with us, especially as we had only been in the country for 2 hours.
Back on the road I discovered that the home brew is the gift that keeps on giving. To say that it repeated on me is a bit of an understatement, it will be a while, if ever, before I repeat the experience.
There may have been no more drinking of beer, but the rest of the day was full of smiles, waves and friendly villages. It was also full of a valuable and slightly painful lesson for me. Having stopped for lunch under a tree, I became intrigued by a furry seed pod that was hanging down from a creeper. Brushing it with my hand, the pod released its intensely irritating, barbed hairs into my fingers. Which I then managed to spread to my other hand. Lesson learnt, any vegetation can consider itself safe from any further molestations by me!
Despite having had a few hold ups and very itchy hands, we had made good progress and started to look for somewhere to stop. Finding a guest-house was definitely out as everywhere we had passed was no more than a collection of huts. Fortunately though it looked like we could probably find a free camp along the road. Everyone had been so friendly that we were pretty certain if we were spotted that they wouldn't mind. Shortly after 4pm we found a pretty good spot hidden from the road. As it turned out it isn't completely hidden as we have been spotted, but the person carried on unconcerned. It has been a very good day and a lovely start to a new country.
Hopefully it will continue when we reach Tete tomorrow. If our map is correct we only have about 60km to do tomorrow so we should get to the city fairly early. Which is just as well as we have no idea where we are going to stay and the guide book rather helpfully doesn't have a map!
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