Pleased to report that the water is now being heated for my shower
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Gael warning in the Congo
- Thread starter simondippenhall
- Start date
I realize that I had done scant justice to my time in Lilongwe, perhaps put off by the travails of the backpacker camp with its nonfunctional WiFi, distant loos, and general rundown air.
There were some good scenes. These ladies sold me a mid afternoon snack of corn on the cob
I marveled at the crowded commuter transport
It seems Dr Ziwa can solve most problems...but not a stuttering GS
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There were some good scenes. These ladies sold me a mid afternoon snack of corn on the cob
I marveled at the crowded commuter transport
It seems Dr Ziwa can solve most problems...but not a stuttering GS
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Morning dawned today over the beautiful Lake Malawi...view from.my bed
I was up early for breakfast and keen to go, despite the beauty of the scene (it was laundry day on the beach)
I was apprehensive about the exit up the steep and muddy ravine from the hotel, with a stuttering bike and after torrential tropical rain that night.
In the event the bike ran better and pulled smoothly up the slope
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I was up early for breakfast and keen to go, despite the beauty of the scene (it was laundry day on the beach)
I was apprehensive about the exit up the steep and muddy ravine from the hotel, with a stuttering bike and after torrential tropical rain that night.
In the event the bike ran better and pulled smoothly up the slope
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Travelling in South Africa and Namibia has led me into bad habits like taking good fuel for granted.
The apparent bad fuel in Zambia has re-taught me that I need to take more care. So the trusty filter funnel has been redeployed
I have been using only Total fuel stations in Malawi as they seem the poshest, but even their fuel yields a measurable amount of water! So after two cycles of engine cleaner fluid and filtered fuel, the bike today ran well.
And what a day it was....the almost Caribbean beauty of the lake was combined with the superb M5, one of the best biking roads I have ridden in a while....sweeping curves, enough potholes to keep you alert, and little traffic. Joy indeed.
I was a little worried about rain as the road wound into the mountains
But the rain held off and I rode the increasingly challenging curves if the road as it made its way past a mountain top coal mine and then lots of monkeys, attracted to the road by passing cars who threw them bread.
Then I made a remarkably smooth crossing into Tanzania. The whole process took less than an hour, there were no charges for motorcycles (a welcome contrast to Malawi where I had to pay road fund and other charges at the same level as a car!) andI was soon on my way:
First view of Tanzania
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The apparent bad fuel in Zambia has re-taught me that I need to take more care. So the trusty filter funnel has been redeployed
I have been using only Total fuel stations in Malawi as they seem the poshest, but even their fuel yields a measurable amount of water! So after two cycles of engine cleaner fluid and filtered fuel, the bike today ran well.
And what a day it was....the almost Caribbean beauty of the lake was combined with the superb M5, one of the best biking roads I have ridden in a while....sweeping curves, enough potholes to keep you alert, and little traffic. Joy indeed.
I was a little worried about rain as the road wound into the mountains
But the rain held off and I rode the increasingly challenging curves if the road as it made its way past a mountain top coal mine and then lots of monkeys, attracted to the road by passing cars who threw them bread.
Then I made a remarkably smooth crossing into Tanzania. The whole process took less than an hour, there were no charges for motorcycles (a welcome contrast to Malawi where I had to pay road fund and other charges at the same level as a car!) andI was soon on my way:
First view of Tanzania
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Great write up Simon. My appetite is whetted. Nice whales down here in Humanus though.
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I wasblown away by the beauty of Southern Tanzania, a hard act after stunning Lake Malawi!
Verdant agriculture
Lots of tea plantations
I stopped for a late lunchtime coffee and some nuts and was joined by Yuma and his two mates, who were duly awarded picture postcards of London.
They try to look appreciative:
Then on I went, apprehensive about the drastic Tanzanian speed checks. I mentioned this to two Germans at the border (they lives in Tanzania but had not travelled this road)...they were quite relaxed so I had an inner chuckle when I saw them ahead, stopped by the traffic police
.
The road continued to wind and climb, so much so that I found myself at a chilly 2,300 metres
Time to stock up on some local provisions, for which my (secondhand on UKGSER) Enduristan tank bag is ideally suited
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Verdant agriculture
Lots of tea plantations
I stopped for a late lunchtime coffee and some nuts and was joined by Yuma and his two mates, who were duly awarded picture postcards of London.
They try to look appreciative:
Then on I went, apprehensive about the drastic Tanzanian speed checks. I mentioned this to two Germans at the border (they lives in Tanzania but had not travelled this road)...they were quite relaxed so I had an inner chuckle when I saw them ahead, stopped by the traffic police
.The road continued to wind and climb, so much so that I found myself at a chilly 2,300 metres
Time to stock up on some local provisions, for which my (secondhand on UKGSER) Enduristan tank bag is ideally suited
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Enjoying this Simon. Great write up
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Looks fabulous! And Jim’s report too . I’m heading out to Durban tomorrow so I’ll wave as I pass 
Looks fabulous! And Jim’s report too . I’m heading out to Durban tomorrow so I’ll wave as I pass
I used to be a passenger on the LHR to Durban flight quite a bit....is it true that you have a radio / AT Control dead zone in the middle where in effect you are flying alone for a while?
I was told this once... didn’t know if BS
Looks fabulous! And Jim’s report too . I’m heading out to Durban tomorrow so I’ll wave as I pass
I am sure Jim and I will keep our eyes peeled if you let us know overflight times for Tanzania and Hermanus
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I’ve not been back to Durban since my first ever long haul flight in 1997,when it was a shuttle flight from Jo’burg.
Comms in Africa are much better these days and many countries now have CPDLC (Google it ) but we still have a special ‘broadcast’ frequency where we all let each other know where we are and what we are doing.(I don’t mean reading Ride magazine !
)
Germans at the border? I was at Leenane last month and met Mike Paul of Globeriders. He quipped: "You can be in the least populated part of the planet and see a single headlight. You can bet its one of two things: either a local on a truck with a headlight out or a German on a motor bike!" : D
So today (which is Saturday I believe) the plan was to ride to Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania (no, I didn't either!).
Last night a large GSA with Kenya reg parked next to me at the hotel in Mbeya, and I met the rider and pillion, Jurgen (ez Freiburg now living in Nairobi) and his companion Kate also from Nairobi.
Jurgen was en route to Pretoria for a three week break and he gave me an excellent briefing on the road Nirth, which made me realize the 600 km run was doable in the day despite the voracious Tanzania traffic police.
As far as I can see the two main industries in Tz are farming and policing speed traps. Every village has a 30mph (well 50 kmh) limit for a mile either side, and the villages are very frequent so it's a right pain as on average there is a speed trap every 2 or 3 villages
.
In exchange I could brief Jurgen and Kate on the excellent Malawi roads and gave them my Malawi SIM which was of little further use to me.
So I set off early after grabbing some cash from an ATM (with a horrible commission levied!) and refuelling. Leaving at 0730 I got the rush hour on the deeply rutted and diesel impregnated 'Zambia road' as it was known. Battling with tuktuks and uses, I was really good if my superloud Stiebel horn which fit a lot of use.
Once out in the countryside again it was fabulous if chilly
Most of the speed traps seemed uninterested in me and just waved me on whilst they booked other motorists.
At least, that was true until after a couple of hours I reached the village of Nlolo where I was flagged down and shown a highly dubious speed reading of 109 kmh as I entered the 50 kmh zone. I had a little chat with the initially unbending officer, showed him the map of my route so far which is usefully stuck on my top box. I explained I had not had a single speeding ticket throughout my African odyssey and encouraged him to be lenient.
My pronunciation of the town I was coming from (Mbeya) was so bad that it made him laugh and with that he shook me by the hand and wished me a happy trip through Tanzania. Result!.
Much of the mornuuwas at 1800 metres a d I was getting chilly, even to the point of considering putting on my hi Viz 'boil in the
bag' waterproof.
When the sun came out briefly (for the day was largely cloudy with sprinklings of rain) I stopped for a banana and my pre-made coffee.
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) the plan was to ride to Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania (no, I didn't either!).Last night a large GSA with Kenya reg parked next to me at the hotel in Mbeya, and I met the rider and pillion, Jurgen (ez Freiburg now living in Nairobi) and his companion Kate also from Nairobi.
Jurgen was en route to Pretoria for a three week break and he gave me an excellent briefing on the road Nirth, which made me realize the 600 km run was doable in the day despite the voracious Tanzania traffic police.
As far as I can see the two main industries in Tz are farming and policing speed traps. Every village has a 30mph (well 50 kmh) limit for a mile either side, and the villages are very frequent so it's a right pain as on average there is a speed trap every 2 or 3 villages
.In exchange I could brief Jurgen and Kate on the excellent Malawi roads and gave them my Malawi SIM which was of little further use to me.
So I set off early after grabbing some cash from an ATM (with a horrible commission levied!) and refuelling. Leaving at 0730 I got the rush hour on the deeply rutted and diesel impregnated 'Zambia road' as it was known. Battling with tuktuks and uses, I was really good if my superloud Stiebel horn which fit a lot of use.
Once out in the countryside again it was fabulous if chilly
Most of the speed traps seemed uninterested in me and just waved me on whilst they booked other motorists.
At least, that was true until after a couple of hours I reached the village of Nlolo where I was flagged down and shown a highly dubious speed reading of 109 kmh as I entered the 50 kmh zone. I had a little chat with the initially unbending officer, showed him the map of my route so far which is usefully stuck on my top box. I explained I had not had a single speeding ticket throughout my African odyssey and encouraged him to be lenient.
My pronunciation of the town I was coming from (Mbeya) was so bad that it made him laugh and with that he shook me by the hand and wished me a happy trip through Tanzania. Result!
.Much of the mornuuwas at 1800 metres a d I was getting chilly, even to the point of considering putting on my hi Viz 'boil in the
bag' waterproof.
When the sun came out briefly (for the day was largely cloudy with sprinklings of rain) I stopped for a banana and my pre-made coffee.
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Here is a snap of the hero of the day:
The landscape was changing as I rode north, becoming increasingly sandy and I was delighted to see the first of many baobabs, which brought back memories of West Africa
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The landscape was changing as I rode north, becoming increasingly sandy and I was delighted to see the first of many baobabs, which brought back memories of West Africa
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Dedicated to Jim who is particularly fond of these fine trees
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Great tree Simon. I miss them down here.
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I waved but think you boys were asleep
Another tough day
Another tough day
B Murr
Registered user
Great trip report and certainly inspiring for anyone thinking of travelling to that part of the world.
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I was asleep. Needed to wave louder. Enjoy the facilities!
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