In search of Father Jack.

Arriving in Nkhata Bay it took me a while to locate the place I'd booked on booking.com. It had good ratings of 8.5 so I was looking forward to a relaxing stay of a few days. Just getting the bike parked was not encouraging. The receptionist tried to clear space in a garage but failed and the only option was outside on the front of the hotel. As this was a busy town I wasn't delighted for the bike to be so exposed. I took everything removable off the bike and locked them in the topbox, this was stripping the bike more than I'd done on the trip so far.

Then I was showed the way to the room which required climbing along terraces, some covered with moss and up quite uneven steps, no fun in riding boots after nearly 6 hours on the bike. This was not what I had in mind, but I'd paid in advance so would stay the night. The whole feel of the place was influenced by a power outage which lasted till 9 in the evening. The room was OK but had a very basic bathroom. I put my helmet and jacket down and returned to the bike. Took my heavy bag off, left it in reception and asked for it to be brought up, as I climbed again to the room still in bike gear. 10 minutes later still no bag and I had to go down to chase as the bag had my clothes. I may sound like a privelaged westerner here but the vibes I was picking up were not welcoming. Soon after the bag was brought up, the guy was back up to my room chasing me for a dinner order. Seemed my money was welcome even if I wasn't. I resolved to eat out and leave in the morning.

I walked to a local resturant passing the market with the promament fish stalls. On the way back to my room still in the blackout, lighting my way with a torch (none hed been offered by reception) the cockroaches were scurrying away as I climbed. Definitely leaving tomorrow.
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So after leaving Aqua Africa in the town I checked out a couple of lodges on the south of the bay. Both looked good but I chose Mayoka Village, being the cheapest and having a good vibe around the bar/ resturant area. It looked a good place to hold up for a few days and I took an ensuite cabin with views of the lake, for $30, exclusive of food. There is free use of canoes and paddle boards and I hear there may be a chance of seeing some of the rugby tomorrow(Sunday).

Not a bad view from the resturant!
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Having a bit of time, reminds me of my reading on the plane on the way here. It was Bill Bryson's, African Diary given to me by my daughter. It describes Bill's planning of a charity trip to Africa, a first time for him. Bill of course is a very experieced traveller, so I was surprised that he came across as somewhat nervous about the prospect of visiting Kenya with a charity. At a meeting in London the charity officials explained, they would fly to the refugee camp, to avoid the bandits. Bill raises his eyebrows and took a sudden intetest! You'll be fine in a plane, the bandits rarely shoot at a plane. This was less than reassuring to Bill and gave me some interesting thoughts as I flew south.

Bill asked, how dangerous is Kenya anyway? Not at all, was the immediate reply, qualified to, well hardly. Depend what you mean by dangerous, someone said. Bill suggested, getting stabbed or shot would qualify as dangerous. He was told this only rarely happens, you'd have to be very unlucky! Its the diseases you need to worry about, someone piped up. Now I was taking more than a casual interest, as Maleria, Schistosomiasis, Rift Valley fever, Blackwater fever, Yellow fever, Dengue fever and Bilharzia, were listed.

Then someone said, the roads are also dangerous, there are some crazy drivers out there. The book now had my full attention! You will be fine the charity team concluded, it'll be an adventure, just check your insurance before you go.

So with these thoughts rolling around in my head, I tried to get some sleep before arriving at Johannesburg, to be reunited with the motorbike. I'd then ride north, avoiding the bandits, the diseases and the crazy drivers(and the elephants), remembering it will be an adventure, repeating the mantra to myself, I'll be fine! Thanks for the book!
 
Great stuff Jim, hopefully we will get the right result today in the rugby!! Safe riding


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Looking good there Jim. I also enjoyed the game....and the result! Just hope you get it together for the French. Safe travels.
 
Well this has been quiet for a few days due to me running aground, in the nicest possible way, on the shores of Lake Malawi. Mayoka Village aught to have a health warning on the entrance, warning overland travellers that they might end up staying longer than planned, as happened to me. It just seems to have the right blend of comfort, good food, excellent staff, well stocked bar, access to the lake, free use of paddle boards and kayaks, at reasonably prices. One result of this is that you'll find a rich mixture of nationalities, ages and backgrounds in the bar/resturant area each evening. Some will be overland travellers with 4x4s, motorbikes or public transport, or NGO employees or volunteers. Its very easy to drop into conversations discussing a range of topics. It also has access to s gas.

I tried the paddle boarding as shown here and admired the blue taled lizards around the jetty.
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Drumacoon Lad. said:
Quick update. Now in Tanzania. The rains have returned. Poor wifi access is impacting updates. Will catch up when I've better wifi.

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Click to expand...

Come on, own up, your still relaxing at that lake aren't you. I know I would be.
 
MikeS said:
Come on, own up, your still relaxing at that lake aren't you. I know I would be.
Click to expand...
Seems I've been sussed. A big part of me is still back at the lake.

But the responsible part of me loaded the bike in the rain and for 2 wet days, rode to the border. So I really am in Tanzania. Dry this morning so things looking up! Heading further north today.

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Keep your spirits up Jim and post pics when you can - it’s much appreciated.
:thumby:
 
So let's step back a bit and pick up the threads. We are back in Mayoka village and it seems I may have sold you short on the pretty lizards which have a number of names but my favourite is Rainbow Skink. More detail:-

Trachylepis quinquetaeniata is a medium-sized lizard reaching a length of about 20 centimetres (7.9 in). The coloration of this species is quite variable, depending on the gender and the age. The scales are glossy, with metallic reflections. The basic colour is usually olive-brown or dark brown, sometimes with pearly whitish spots and with three light olive or dark brown stripes running from the head to the electric blue tail. These stripes may fade and become indistinct in the adults.

The one below is eating an insect.
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Next to the Skink was an African Pied Wagtail singing its heart out. Down at the local fish market some fresh local fish were for sale. Back at Mycota these black tubes may appear to be electrical cables but in fact they are, ant thoroughfares.
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Having tried unsuccessfully to bring luck to my team with the Irish Rugby shirt, I was hesitent to put this one on. But the chance to watch Liverpool with the locals wasn't to be missed, and I'd brought the shirt a long way. The match started at 10 and all the guests had gone to bed, so about 6 of us were watching, including the security guard who was ment to be keeping my bike safe, in the car park 100 metres away. To make it more interesting there was a local Liverpool supporter and an ardent Manchester United fan who kept taunting each other all during the game. Luckly the opponent's goalkeeper had an off day, we got the right result in the end. As the local suplorter said, Klop FC, won!
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Anyway it was time to leave and instead of saying to the receptionist, one more day, I said, I'm leaving tomorrow. I woke to hesr a background noise which I hoped was the fan. Sadly it wasn't the fan but rain. A part of tried to see this as an excuse to stay one more day but the logical part of me looked at the forecast and it was likley to also rain tomorrow, so I was leaving.

I packed and went down for a last breakfast of poached eggs in a tomato sauce on toast and shared it with the lady from Canada who was also leaving that day. The English couple who watched the ruby with me were also there, so there were a number of goodbyes. I also briefly saw the lady from Mainz, Germany, who knows my friends Irish pubs in that city. It was a place to meet people.

Fully kitted out in day-glow waterproofs, I pressed the starter, and of course it fired up. Again an adventure bike was parked next to mine, this one from Germany but no owner in sight. I left in the rain which continued for about 2 hours as I climbed away from the lake. As I got up to around 1,200 meters I entered low cloud which was quite a contrast to sunny days by the lake.
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Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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