In search of Father Jack.

Again my intention was to paddle straight back but found myself heading to the mainland to the north of the lodge and I'd then hug the coast back to the lodge. I discovered something on this stretch, which was that I found it much easier paddling while kneeling than I did sitting, and continued the journey like that. The canoe was zig-zagging less too, as I kept my stroke closer to the canoe. It was still not pretty canoe handling but more effective. I spotted a clump of reeds with nests and made a bee line, well a line a drunk bee might take, to the reeds. The nests were made by weaver birds. As I lie here, writing this up I can't be certain exactly which species, they have a red eye which makes then either a Village Weaver or a Southern Masked Weaver. I'll leave others to comment but they are beautiful. I've pictured a brown established nest and a newly constructed green one. As I left the weavers in peace, a pied kingfisher was fishing from a rock in the lake. I returned to the lodge and was pleased to see the recliner under the tree was free, as I felt I'd had an energetic morning.
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There is a postscript to the trip in the canoe. I learned from another guest that a hippo had been spotted in that part of the lake a day or so before. I'm sure I'd have been fine in my plastic canoe if I'd come across him. Sometimes its better not to have all the information before starting!

While relaxing after my canoe exertions I spotted some birds flying around. Some were keeping to the top of the trees, obscured by the leaf canopy. One bird made it easy as he flew down and walked around under my recliner. He was a Blue Waxbill and very pretty too. The next one was harder to photo and I never got a perfect shot but I saw the yellow flash under his tail which confirmed he was a Dark-capped Bulbul. I love being in area where birds pop up that I haven't seen before.
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I got into conversation with a lady also staying at the lodge. She was a doctor, working in a local clinic, The Billy Riordan Clinic.

https://www.billysmalawiproject.org/

The clinic is named after a young Irish man who sadly drowned on the lake some years ago. His mother came out to see where the tragedy happened and was struck with the lack of primary health care in the area and decided to do something about it and the clinic is the result.

The doctor I was talking to clearly got great job satisfaction from the work she was doing here, as the patients appreciated the care they were given. Talking to the doctor it is obviously a very valuable facility and plugs a gap in local primary care. It was heart-warming to talk to this young doctor and see her enthusiasm for the work she was doing here. One fact that came up in our discussion is that the life expectancy is 61 years for male Malawians, so at 30 half your life is over.

On a lighter note, a few more birds appeared and these were a Black-throated Wattle-eye, a Black-collard Barbit and a White-browed Robin-Chat. Who makes up these names! I needed considerable help in naming the Wattle-eye and my thanks to a close family expert back in UK.
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There’s no such thing as a friendly Crocodile! Long water crossing and a possible leaky canoe! Have you come off the bike and banged your head Jim? You certainly are on an adventure and enjoyable taking us all along with you.
 
There’s no such thing as a friendly Crocodile! Long water crossing and a possible leaky canoe! Have you come off the bike and banged your head Jim? You certainly are on an adventure and enjoyable taking us all along with you.
Had to be done John! And had to survive to tell the tale. Nearly came off the bike today but more anon!

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Was hard to leave the Monkey Bay Beach Lodge today as the place has a vibe that suits me. You can chill all day if you chose, while looking at the ever changing lake. Warren is a welcoming host his attitude is picked up by the staff. After packing the bike I went down to look out on the lake and watched a couple of locals in a dugout canoe, laying nets and then pulling them in. In the end it was time to go and after paying my respects to the croc in the bath, I departed.
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I wasn't going very far today just about 200km. I had forgotton how potholed the road was and after a few near misses I started to concentrate better. When I got to the turn to the main road, a roadside seller caught my eye with his striking display of work. I stopped and quickly picked on a hand broom which I bought. I know I shouldn't load myself up with some weeks of riding still to do, but its not as heavy as a cowbell I bought in Lesotho, if a little bigger. I did resist the tiny garden table and chairs, just because they'd have got crushed, but I'm sure I'll regret not getting them.
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As you can see from some of the photos, it was on and off rain today. To the side of the road was a section of rice paddy fields with labourers at the backbreaking work. There were a number of beautiful trees and this one a wonderful specimen. Another example of a bicycle fully loaded. Then there was this guy!
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I was heading for Senga Bay and hadn't identified a place to stay. As I approached, the rain came on very heavy. When I got close, it seemed as if it had been raining here for some time, as there was a lot of surface water. I was following the GPS to the centre of town but the road became a sandy track, going up hill, with streams running down, which I ignored and continued on the tarmac. This became a bit muddy and I passed an expensive lodge and followed signs to a campsite. I was hoping the campsite may have some cabins. The route to the campsite was flooded. I kept to the edge of the flood and it all seemed OK. I went a bit further and the bike dived down and felt water going into my boots. The bottom of the flood was soft and the water was above the wheel axles. The bike squirmed in the wet sand but the engine kept running and I got enough traction to pull us out. The security guard from the campsite appeared and invited me in out of the rain.

He explained there were no chalets but a tent for rent if I wanted to put it up, I declined. I asked if he knew of reasonably priced rooms and he directed me back to the sandy steep road but avoiding the flood. Off I went as the rain continued and girdled my loins for the awful road. As I started up the sandy road I met a local bike rider. He grinned at me which was less than reassuring. I got up the hill and to my relief spotted the place the security guard was talking about. It wasn't great, but they had a room and was cheap and could cook dinner. In this pouring rain it would do.

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Enjoying this, Jim....sounds like you're getting as wet there as we are here in the UK. Take it easy. :D
 
Loving the RR and getting some good tips too,thanks. I'm going to use the spare phone hotspot idea! Safe travels and keep up the great report.
 
Loving the RR and getting some good tips too,thanks. I'm going to use the spare phone hotspot idea! Safe travels and keep up the great report.
Thanks guys, seeing some of the flooding in UK I think I'm doing OK.
Yes, I'll try and cover a few other practical tips like the hotspot phone. Maybe a bit on documents and insurance may be helpful, also photography, or at least how I take photos.

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After a reasonable sleep and surprisingly good shower, I came out to check the bike. What I discovered were a lot of ants in the document section of my tank bag. Its amazing how they find their way up there in numbers. There were a couple of sweets in there which had got damp and they were helping themselves and this little cluster were on my laminated map. Thanks to Simon for the recommendation to have them laminated. If you come to Africa you got to expect ants, they live here and we are visiting their territory. What was not so welcome was the cockroache the size of a small mouse in the bathroom the night before, wow they can move fast.
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My next surprise, in my very cheap(£16) accomodation, I was offered breakfast. So I went over to the resturant and had omelette and chips, which sustained me on the journey ahead. Once packed I left the compound and off along the sandy road passing the Liverpool sign on the side of the shop. I wondered what the owner thought of the 1 - 0 loss against Athletico the night before. The sandy road didn't look so intimidating this time, without the streams of water running down it and of course I'm fresh after a good nights sleep.
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Back on the tarmac the there was the usual street life, like these ladies delivering fresh mangos. This was a cycling area and for a moment I was transported to Cambridge or Utrecht, as the bikes here were more for human transport and lots of them. With over 300km to go it was important to fill my tank and this lady concentrated hard on doing it well. There may not be another service station till my destination, so I welcomed her diligence.
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The road north was not an easy ride. There were the usual potholes of course but also stretches of repair where the road surface was just sand or clay. Sometimes the sand was quite smooth and could be ridden at full speed, then another section would be potholed. The potholes in this sandy coloured material aren't easy to spot, so can be encountered going a little too fast. You chose your speed and see what your luck is like. On the route I crossed a number of rivers, some in full spate and others more tranquil. The route was also much closer to the lake than further south and on high ground I could get glimpses of the lake. In addition there was a secondary lake on my left, whereas the main lake was on my right. This picture of the bike on the bridge shows the secondary lake in the background. There is a channel under the bridge running into the main lake. On a later river I spotted this herd of cattle being driven across the river with Lake Malawi in the background. Lastly a couple views of Lake Malawi as I approached my destination, Nkhata Bay.
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Little bike doing a grand job then.
How does the petrol price compare to UK.?
Generally cheaper, and here in Malawi I'm paying about £1 a litre. The little bike's doing a super job and sipping fuel. I must have got about 150 to the gallon yesterday. The journey from fill-up to to fill-up was about 310km and it took around 9 litres. Wasn't riding so fast and the route along the lake was pretty flat.

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