Day 307 Malawi 05/09/2011, Cape Maclear – 'WelliVille Lodge', Mangochi. 46.66miles/74.57km, 5hr18minutes, Av 8.7mph.

In what seems like typical fashion on the day we intend to leave, the wind got up quite dramatically during the night. The constant flapping of the tent, howling wind and crashing waves wasn't particularly conducive to a good nights sleep. The more beers than are recommended for a pre-cycling night probably didn't help either. In truth we didn't have that many we just got chatting to Kim and Chris and lost track of how many we had had. Turning in for the night I managed to get a bit of sleep, but Debs had a shocker!

Having breakfasted we de-caterpillared the tent, loaded the bikes and set off up the dirt road into the wind. Due to the fact that we were moving quite slowly the wind wasn't really an issue. In fact during the first part of the track which was a bit of a climb, it had a nice cooling effect. Fortunately Debs hip has been a lot better lately, so despite being tired she managed the few steep hills without too much difficulty.

18km later and we reached the tarmac which was a bit of a relief as the corrugations on the last few kilometres were quite bad. Before we set off for Mangochi we stopped to say thank you and goodbye to George, Matthews and the other carvers who were involved in making our wooden touring bike. They are a really friendly bunch of guys and we are very pleased with what they came up with.

Back on the road and it was a case of another day and another headwind. At times during the journey it was so strong that we were barely moving. I would love to say that we travelled through beautiful scenery but I really didn't see any of it. The entire journey was spent with headphones in to distract from the burning leg muscles and my head down looking at the road just in front of my wheel. Debs meanwhile was doing her best to stay in my slipstream. We had considered stopping earlier than Mangochi, but had decided that as it was only 75km away it would be a waste of a day. At times during the journey that looked like a really stupid decision.

With lunchtime approaching we stopped in a small restaurant and discovered that they only had 'nsima' (thick starchy porridge made from corn or cassava) ready. Having avoided this for the last two countries or at least it's similar counterpart, we decided that we better give it a go. Lunch turned out to be somewhat less than a triumph! Nsima has the consistency of school semolina and almost no discernible taste. There, for us at least, is nothing to like about it. Worse still the accompanying beef, I use the term loosely, was gristly with splinters of bone running through it. Even I couldn't eat some of it and I normally manage to eat everything!

With stomachs full of disappointment, we hit the road and after another 25km of struggling against the wind we arrived in Mangochi. The 'WelliVille lodge' is fine for one night although they are hoping a bit with their description of our room as 'executive'. Also we have come across this strange anomaly a few times in Malawi where despite being a double room you only get breakfast for one. If you both want breakfast you have to pay extra. All things aside, hopefully it will be quiet enough that we get some much needed sleep.

As our next stop is 'Liwonde National Park' we headed to the market to get some supplies. The food at the camps is quite expensive so we really want to self cater. Shopping fortunately didn't take too long as we are both shattered. An early dinner and an early night is definitely this evening's plan. We hope the wind dies a bit before tomorrow as we have a fairly long day ahead of us.

Day 303 – 306 Malawi 1/09/2011 – 4/09/2011, Fat Monkeys, Cape Maclear. Another break by the lake!

Just a short blog for our time in Cape Maclear as we have had a very quiet time. For the main part we have had the camp-site pretty much to ourselves and the supposedly hassling beach boys have been fairly tame. For the first full day we were here, we shared the site with a nice Swiss and German couple, Dominik and Christina, who are travelling north in their old converted Swiss army vehicle.

Since then there has been one overland truck in with 5 people on board and a couple from Australia, Kim and Chris, who are on a short trip in a hire vehicle from South Africa. Despite the fact that 'Fat Monkeys' looks like it could be a bit of a party place the bar has been very quiet. If we could only stop the staff from raking the camp-ground at 6:30am it would be very peaceful!

Aside from a lot of reading, we have seen a beautiful sunset, shopped in the local village, bought some cards and bracelets and been once again to the street cinema.

The highlight however has been the arrival of our finished model bicycle. We hadn't expected to get it until we left Cape Maclear, but one of the guys who made it brought it to the camp-site for us. Considering what they had to go on, a tiny picture on our business card and a rough sketch, the result is terrific.

One more stop along the lake as we head south and we will be saying goodbye to any great expanses of water until we reach the Mozambique coast. With any luck a couple of days on the road will take us to Liwonde National Park where we plan to do a river safari. From then on it will be a few more weeks in Malawi and then off to the Portuguese speaking country of Mozambique; we better get some revision in!

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.