The real Africa- Zambia and Malawi

Around the end of December (29th) we left from Kasane (Botswana) towards the border with Zambia at Kazangula.
The day before we had said our goodbye’s to Marlous and Chris (www.machweg.nl) who were traveling on the southern part of Botswana and so we crossed the
border with Julie and Peter.
We had a great last day all together in Kasane, with a lovely dinner at in Indian place that was nearly better than any indian place we have been to in Amsterdam and
also the guys from Bushlore (rental company) came to repair the last faulty element of my rooftop tent and table.

Crossing the border was the most interesting one (and tricky one) until now. Even though we can still not complain. We had to cross towards Zambia on a ferry and as soon as we got
to land on the other side the fun began. Julie and Tess stayed behind guarding the cars (aka.. our homes) and Peter and myself threw ourselves into the Zambian plaza of offices and officials.
Everyone knows we need about 3-4 different papers, but the real order (and obviously pricing of it) is unclear to everyone present. We go from one office to the next, back to the first and return again.
Score: 1,5 hours later, 2 visas, third party insurance for the car, carbon tax, road levy, council levy, 120 US dollars and about 300 Kwatcha… but we are VERY welcome :-)

It is a relatively short drive towards Livingstone so we arrive there around lunch time. One of the first things that straight away catches our attention is two things, the amount of bikes in Zambia and the amount of (absolutely old and polluting= dangerous) trucks driving around with Copper. Zambia is, in comparison to Botswana and Namibia a lot more populated so we start seeing a lot more people next to the roads on our daily kilometers.
We arrive at Jolly Backpackers in Livingstone, the only camping option they have for a rooftop tent is in the parking lot so we decide to treat ourselves to a twin room with airconditioning and even our own (cold) shower! This is a real backpackers place, there are nice cushions lying around everywhere, everyone is ’ chilling’,they all look like they had a little too much to drink the night before, there is good internet, a sports tv where they show rugby, a bar and also a nice kitchen where everyone could make their meal. Tess and myself checked in in the room, went to do some groceries and booked a tour

to got to the Vic Falls the next day.
Livingstone was my first big city again since probably Swakopmund in Namibia so there was choice of groceries again and we found a nice italian place to have dinner (Olga’s guesthouse). It was indeed an attempt to the italian kitchen but the pasta was so thick that it nearly seemed like eating bread :-). But he.. it is Africa and the sauce was great and the wine was cold.

The next morning our tour to Vic Falls! Apparently in the dry season it is a lot less impressive and several people even recommended us to go and see the Zimbabwe side instead of the Zambia side because it would be a lot more spectacular. Tess And I have both seen the Iguaza falls and decided we would settle for the Zambian side and surely wanted to go and visit. Peter and Julie had also indicated to us that only in the dry period (between oct and december) it is possible to swim in the Devil’s pool. What is that? well .. (check the pictures) but it is described as a natural infinity pool at the edge of the waterfalls themselves. We booked a hike there, of about 1hour each way, we then had to shortly swim up current and then were released into this pool. Amazing! something we will for sure remember and worth it. So… Guys go to the Vic Falls in the dry season. I have to say that we both agreed to this was not completely without any risks, and therefor only possible in Africa. We obviously asked if anyone had ever fallen over the edge.. as always the answer was: no, no, never very safe! But looking at all the papers work and indemnities we had to sign before going there I doubt it.
Straight after the Vic Falls we stept into the car and continued our journey towards the east of Zambia, to the Kariba Lake (between Zambia and Zimbabwe). The drive would be too long to do in one go so we decided that we would stop along the way and see if we could camp in one of the villages. The biggest (tiny) village seemed to be Choma so we hoped to be there around 16.30 and make a decision

before dark. The journey went well, we got there on time and started our usual tour and research routine. What does that mean? We read the Lonely Planet and some other guides and choose what we think sounds like nice accommodations or campsites. We get to the village and in about 30-40 min drive across all options. This has been very useful up until now because descriptions are usually not very accurate or old. In Choma we find a deserted campsite that looks like the ideal movie scene place for a midnight murder, a hotel whereby we doubt if the sheets have been changed at all and we settle for Leon’s Lodge. This place is apparently used a lot by business people travelling towards Lusaka but looking at the interior (red velvet sofa, and a huge bed) we also think it may be rented out per hour. But we are very positive and happy, it is clean, it has it own bathroom, there even seems to be WIFI and we are allowed to cook in the patio of the place, behind our own car with our own gas bottles and supplies. See pictures for details. After dinner we go inside our lovely room and

watch a movie, great second day in Zambia!
The price for the above only 200 ZK (24 euros)

Tess and me started to realize that we think they adapt the Lonely planet and tone of voice to the different countries. What is incredible and heaven in Bali or Ibiza is surely not the same in Malawi. Maybe naive of us, but we have had a few TIA (this is Africa) moments when arriving at a place (restaurant, accommodation or campsite) described as incredible, Caribbean, and spectacular and we nearly expect a French resort … and it is surely not the Cote D Azur as described obviously but a very sandy local road with a somewhat nice gate and decent security. It is just that when you read their description you get the wrong expectations… we now look back and have a laugh about it.

Well, on we go with our travel adventures. From Choma we travelled to Siavonga. This is a place on the Kariba lake created by the artificially man-made Kariba Dam. See the pictures for our visit to the Dam and the 2 min visit to Zimbabwe on the other side. In Siavonga we did a bit of accommodation research and the only campsite available did not really appeal to us as it was super isolated. We went to a fancy hotel to see if we could do some good bargaining.. result: fully booked as there was a conference going on (yeah really!) but this lady said that her brother also had a hotel down the road and we could try with him and see if we could maybe camp in the garden of the hotel.. See pictures for more information: A personal garden with amazing views of the lake, a personal Heli pad and we were allowed to make use of all the facilities and use a shower and toilet in one of the rooms.. How Sweet, so give it up for the Lake Safaris Lodge.

After a great night sleep, some nice drinks in the hotel, observing a local fishing boat leaving the hotel harbor and enjoying our view we left the next morning towards the wild again towards South Luangwa Park. This was a long drive and also a obligatory stop in Lusaka for Fuel and some groceries shopping. We knew we would not make it in one day there so we needed to find accommodation. In the shopping mail where the supermarket was in Lusaka also an internet cafe had just opened. We wanted to search where to stay that night, so we went there: ”we are not open yet” .. But is there wifi? ”yes there is but you cannot use it inside” ole….? Then suddenly a very nice local guy said” ”Here take my laptop and sit outside on the street, you will still catch the wifi and you can search for you accommodation” Wauw! this is Africa too! After 30 min we were finished and had booked what is the ONLY accommodation between lusaka and Chipata: Bridge camp. So no time to waste we got in the car again and drove for another 3-4 hours.

Bridge camp it was!: we arrived there and were welcomed by the couple Linzi and Wil, he is Dutch and she is from the UK. Very friendly but have clearly been out in the wild too long and have lost pretty all connection to the real world and people. He built the camp himself and it is his dream, she came with him and was told it would be for 3 years they have now been there 11 years! There is absolutely nothing in the mini village called Luangwa Bridge. It was a very interesting night with a bottle of wine that we bought there and drank with them, some good conversations and cigarettes. But.. Tess and me agreed that this would not be our ideal future image. She was bittered and he stood behing the bar all day drinking beer, smoking and playing sudoko on his computer. The location is close to the river with stunning views but it has been soo extremely dry in Zambia that it was dry, dusty and extremely hot. But.. another great experience and very good hot showers!

The next morning we were finally really on our way the a wild life reserve again South Luangwa. Since Chobe in Botswana we had only been having problems with some baboons and mosquitos and that was nice for a few days, but the wild life was calling again and South Luangwa (mentioned as one of the most beautiful parks in Africa) was waiting for us.
We had already been warned about the road between Bridge camp and the park and indeed it turned out to be pretty bad… There were road constructions all the time so we had to deviate from the normal road to a dirt road next to it, as soon as you drove behind a truck you really had to slow down or even stop because the dust would prohibit you from seeing anything else but a brown and dusty cloud. It was on this road that our car got a bit of a harsh time.. see the pictures for more details.. Completely black from the loose lying tar on the new road that had not been properly finished. I got a real shock when I got out of the car.. I thought someone had put fire to my car while driving… Even with my nails scratching .. nothing came off.

We arrived at Track and Trail in South Luangwa park and camped there for 2 nights. On arrival we were asked to hand in all our food (not just fruits and veggies) because of the elephants that walk around the camp at night. And it being still soo dry (no proper rains yet had arrived) the elephants were hungry and they had had some incidents. Well that set the expectations so to say. We were pretty tired from all the driving and the heat so we had some relaxing two days, with plenty to do. We had dinner at the lodge once and cooked the other night and after dark we were escorted by a guard (Boston) to our campsite for safety and animals. The nights visitors we heard were Antilopes and hippo’s and had some relaxing swim in the pool and I even treated myself to a full body massage including background music from Adele!
This campsite was actually also run by a Dutch guy called Peter and his Zambian wife Chichi. Peter was the real beach boy type as Tess and me described him (jeje) and this turned out to be true as he used to have a beach club in Scheveningen (holland) by the name of Zanzibar with his brother. But he decided he wanted a more outdoor life and moved for a lifetime adventure to Zambia. We spoke to his Zambian wife for a while and she told us they spent about 3 months each year in the Netherlands and then come back again. We asked where and of all places: Wassenaar!!! So Funny.. she even made a joke herself saying yeah I am a special event there, I am probably the only black person in that village, and Tess (who is from Wassenaar) could confirm that… What a small life and what an amazing life stories all these people have.
The second day Peter and myself drove with two cars to the local village, to buy some petrol (as someone had said that would probably the only way to get the tar of the car…) and to find a local guy that wanted to earn some Kwatchas. Half an hour later I was driving back with a 22-year old local boy sitting next to me in the car and ready to perform some heavy labour on my car with petrol, water soap and some old clothes. Result: a much cleaner car but still slightly yellowish… I have decided to not worry about this until I return the car.
That evening we had what probably is one of the most beautiful game drives in the park. It was 4 of us with a good guide. We left around 16.00 and returned around 20.00 that night. The last hour in the park was pitch dark and we had an extra guy in the car who was holding this big lamp to spot animals in the dark. And we did..we saw hyenas in full action eating a buffalo, and lions eating an elephant. When it was still light we finally spotted a Leopard!!! Jippie!! So our big 5 are complete. See the pictures for some more details. The lions were so close in that park that we could see the sweet on his nose or even the lashes of the eyes.. Amazing!

A small reflection on Zambia: this is the country we have been stopped most by random checks up until now. Mostly they wave us through straight away, other times they ask you some simple questions or they will actually ask if you have cold water to give them. As in the rest of Africa alcohol is a big problem here, so the thirstiness probably came from that. We usually said no to the water question and they accepted that and then let us drive off. Most people in even the smallest villages seem to have money for a cell phone and beer, but sending their kids to school or buying water is a problem. Apparently Barcelona is a big FC in Europe and the world but also clearly Africa i think that in every village we crossed there was at least 1 guy wearing a shirt of it.

We found out that in Zambia primary schooling is for free and it works in shifts. All the kids get 3 hours a day so some have from 7-10 other from 11-14 and other from 15-18/, That does answer our question of why there was always kids walking around at all hours of the day wearing school outfits. Not because they are missing of skipping class but because at random times the next shift starts. If not there would not be enough space for all. Primary is 15 hours a week then for free but secondary school is paid and highly paid. The people from the lodges and some locals told us it is between 1000-2000 dollar per kid per term.. That means most kids do not go to secondary school because their parents cannot pay for it, and other are so lucky they can but their parents have to spend more than half their salary on schooling and this is only possible if they have a decent job like working in a lodge. Next to that there is currently elections that will be held in Zambia in January and a lot of opinions on whether it is being done the fair way. Zambia claims it is a democratic process but many of the populations doubt that. The current government also had put into place some strange rules and laws… There is currently a problem with too many people moving to the bigger cities like for example Lusaka looking for a job.. There are not enough jobs there and no proper places to live, crime is increasing and so.. it has been decided that in all local/rural areas the primary schooling is not allowed to be in english anymore but should be in the local dialect: why? In this manner they try to keep them ’dumb’ and hope this stops them from moving to the bigger city… Horrible!
In Botswana we saw a lot of good wood being sold next to the roads and we were more than happy to buy it for nice camp fires and to scare off the animals. In Zambia you can buy charcoal every 500m. They burn down a tree slowly themselves and in that way make charcoal. They fill large white bags with them and place them in stone/wood holders next to the road. In some cases we saw people buying them in other cases a big truck came by and probably took it all to a central selling point. Most of all the transport in Zambia is by bike.. We felt fully at home! So many of them with big loads of goods on the back or a kid or even goats and chickens (alive or dead). Other than that plenty of tomatoes and mangos piled in perfect little mountains next to the road.

After South Luangwa it was time to cross into Malawi. After Zambia and Botswana and many animals Malawi was a very nice change. More than anything we were happy to not have the baboons that make life difficult with a car.h They like to steal.. food but also a camera or a towel if that is what they find. Malawi is known as the African country with the friendliest people and up until today we can really confirm that. It also is one of the poorest countries of the world and in comparison to other african countries, Malawi is quite populated (16 mln people) so there is constantly people next to the roads. Half of Malawian population is below the age of 15 so there is kids everywhere! Finally I was able to give away a bit more of my pens, pencils (thank you Ronnie), teddy bears and hair clips for the

girls.
The border crossing was extremely smooth, and in that sense different to Zambia. We even managed to get a discount (at least that is what we think :-)) on the Third Party Insurance for the car, the visa is for free and we finally need to show our yellow fever vaccination papers (at least that was not for nothing) Our roles: Tess watches and protects the car and I throw myself into the African bureaucracy. This also matches with one of my goals for africa to have more patience and taking it as it comes..So here we go! Within 30 min: 2 visa! insurance! and Tess knows the complete personal life of the local guy called Mike who entertained her these 30 min and promises her that he will always stay with his current wife because he loves her and thinks she is the coolest (:-) there is still hope!)

After some nights in the wild again and realizing that it already was the 5th of december (Sinterklaas present was to cross into Malawi :-))

we decided to drive straight towards the lake. As we decided it would be nice to end our trip with some days lying at the lake (beach) and actually getting a bit of a tan, because mostly we have been driving and getting a ’bouwvakkers tan’ (haha)

While writing this blog I also realized that I have not really described our daily routine: Most days we get up around 06.15 (as the sun is then out and it gets hot and also noisy), we fold up both tents on the roof and then we shower (or not if no water available). Reason for this order is that the rooftop tent covers and the car get so dirty on these roads that we are both a bit black and dusty after folding it up so showering before makes no sense. To fold the tent up, one of us gets on top of the roof the other one can perform the other tasks from the floor. (haha sounds serious he!) Then after that we make breakfast, sometimes yogurt with muesli and some fruits and sometimes if we have enough time we make pancakes on our gas bottle. Then we are usually onto the road by 08.00, or if we stay several days at one place the daily activity of a walk, the beach, shopping or researching new plans starts then. Lunch is usually easy going, some crackers in the car with cheese, some dries mango or a bag of crisps or rice crackers. Then we hopefully get to the destination between 14.00-16.00, we fold out the tent, and leave that ready for when there is no light (around 19.00). Then the cooking ritual starts around 17.30-18.00. that seems early but the reason is that in this way you can have dinner when it is still light out. Eating in the dark seems romantic but in this continent that usually means pitch dark (unless obviously staying at a lodge or hostel) and the mosquitos and all other unknown big flying animals come toward the light.. which means your head ( = headlamp) and usually fall onto the plate where you are just about to take a bite from the pasta.. Not nice/ So early cooking, eating and washing the dishes and by 20.30-21.00 ready to go up into our tents. Reading a bit and usually

asleep by 22.00 and then the next morning around 06.00 we are all fit again.

So on to the coast it was, to be specific Senga Bay and we were going to stay at a hostal- backpackers place called Cool Runnings. It was certainly on the lake and it had a great green loan of grass where we could camp. The actual village was 4-5 very sandy roads with half finished buildings that were meant to be shops and 1 bar where all the locals were filling up on their daily alcohol allowance. We put out our tent, cooked a simple but nice dinner and enjoyed some local beer at the bar- Kuche Kuche beer (Melisse zou jij top bier vinden) It was also here were we first interacted with some local kids on the beach of the lake Malawi and were introduced to the local concept of Africa beach boys selling really anything, but mostly key holders with your name, or a wooden kano-shaped figure that you can put on your table as decoration.

Next stop was going to be Cape Mac Lear, a bit more south on the lake than Senga bay but a place with plenty of lodges and dinner options and we were looking for a campsite (or simple lodge) with a pool to finish in style. On our way there we started to notice that the same way that in Zambia nearly every second village had a huge Jehova’s Witness settlement, in Malawi this was a mosque or big islamic looking building every village. Also for the first time in Africa we started to see relatively big cemeteries with considerable tomb stones on the graves and also shops next to the roads where you could buy them. Interesting.
By lunchtime we arrived in Cape Mac lear and nobody had indeed been too positive, this was pretty much great for african standards. The nice thing here is that even the very simple, dusty village road to which all lodges were connected looked nicer than usual. Clearly the locals here had also had a spinoff from the tourism, either because they worked in one of the lodges or also because tourist have a walk through the village here (that is even safe by night) and would most likely spend some money.

We stayed at Mgoza Lodge and it was lovely, we were not able to camp but got a real nice beach chalet with two beds for a good price. (with shower and toilets to be shared outside but we are used to that. Big advantage of this place was also a nice pool next to only the lake. Good breakfast and very nice staff!
Lake Malawi is beautiful and you even forget that it is a lake, it really seems you are at the sea. Obviously the water is sweet but there are even waves to make it look even more like a coastal area. In Lake Malawi it is ok to swim for tourist and also all the locals do. And it is also used to shower, wash clothing, and dishes… it is still Africa. Yet in some part of the lakes there is a bacteria called Belhallaeiza. It is like a small bacteria-wurm that gets into your body, not everyone gets it but it is possible. It starts with a fever and then it can damage your liver. There are some pills you need to buy and take them 6-8 weeks after you swam in the lake… So here comes another few pills.. I think i might have to test my liver function when I get home because also the malaria tablets are not so good for your liver and neither are these tablets.

After to great days at the lake it was time to drive back towards Lilongwe as Tess would be taking a plane the next day and we wanted to sleep the night before in Lilongwe just to be safe. On our way back we started to realize that the deeper you get dragged into Africa the more apparent it becomes the weird ( useless) questions we get…. We get stopped quite often along the road by the police who then needs to let u pass. They ask what are you doing here, where do you go? And then... Where did you come from!? Why.... That last question where did we come from? They never check and what does it matter? and moreover to none of our answers did they ever react differently than a nodding yes…
Today... I went to the Toyota dealer and when driving in the gate they asked me my mileage, and then again when I drove out!? Probably with a 500m difference!! And... I was going there for a 70.000km service check... And this is not the people working in the Toyota dealer asking but some random person who only opens the gate and clearly needs to be kept busy ;-) haha

On our last km together (close to Dedza in the mountains) suddenly a police man jumped out of nowhere requesting us to stop and park the car. oh oh.. We opened the window.. and we were friendly accused of speeding and of overtaking in an area where it was not allowed. He was right about the overtaking the speeding we are not sure and he claimed to have a speeding camera which we in the end never got to see. He wanted malawian Kwatcha (10,000) which is around 16 euro. We had no more local money (which was true) and offered dollars, he said that fines could only be paid in the local currency. Then we offered him 5 dollars personally but also did not want them. He proposed to drive to an ATM with us and get money etc…. I said sorry that is not an option: she needs to fly out of Lilongwe at 13.30 today (it was 10.30) and we have 1 hour left of driving. He shortly stood still and then said: ’’ Ok I understand, you are in a rush and need to catch a plane, I will let you go just this one time’’ we quietly drove off and that same night had an amazing dinner at Latitude 13 in Lilongwe and those saved 10,000 Kwatcha paid for the wine :-) Interesting fact: Since Botswana we have not been able to buy or order sparkling water, they only sell normal water. And then at this restaurant in Malawi they asked us do you want mineral water or boiled water? So we looked at each other, Boiled? But then they explain that is for free then, because it is boiled tap water, to take all the bacteria out and it is obviously served cold :-).

In Lilongwe we were staying at Mabuya Camp, it was recommended to us and pretty ok. Quite a backpackers place so also a lot of more younger people than ourselves. Nice for a change :-) Yet Lilongwe had been hit by a fire at the power plant so there was no electricity in the whole of the city for 2 days. Also most of the water in these towns need a pump to be pumped to the houses so also there was no water for even longer (3-4). This reminds you that we are still in Africa but moreover also how lucky we are in Europe that water comes out of the tap every time we turn it on, and also the lights work when we press a button. You become very creative when you have little water, you can easily boil and egg in the same water that you cooked potatoes in before for example and clean your teeth without water and just a small sip to rinse your mouth. Tess was leaving back home the next day and so emotionally a bit of a tricky day :-( Taking a shower before getting to the airport was as mentioned earlier a challenge but we got there alive and on time. Goodbye was with tears (from both sides) and quickly because with these things it is like taking off a bandage, it is going to hurt might as well do it quick. So now for the first time I was on my own…..

Before heading to the airport Tess joined me to the Mozambique Embassy to get my visa sorted in advance. Over the last weeks I have heard very mixed versions about Mozambique and also about the hazard of getting in the country, so to be sure I thought it would be a good idea to have the visa upfront. The next day I did the same for Tanzania, so that is now sorted. Mozambique has been very unstable over the last period of time but mostly in the middle between Beira and Quelimane. Nampula is further up north and so it should be fine. Yet the roads are also very little developed and the Northern part of Mozambique can be badly influenced by the heavy rains. These rains should start somewhere in December until March but have not yet

come into the country. Steph will be arriving in Nampula on the 30th of December and the plan is to travel within 8 days towards the border with Tanzania. This is ca 1000 km and should be doable yet not many people travel there and the accessibility changes very often. Next to that the official language is Portuguese and as I have been told they are not very willing to try and speak English, that combined with a mostly corrupted police force makes it an exciting last part of the trip.
Last week we met some Portuguese people who are working in Ihla de Mozambique (which is 2-3 hours drive from Nampula) and they have invited us for New Years Eve to come and stay with them for 1 or 2 nights. So that will be a warm welcome for Steph and a very nice start of 2015!

For now I have been in Lilongwe for a few extra days, I went to the Toyota dealer to fix some things of the car, to the various embassies, did some shopping and some effective work on my blog. Tess left the 9th of December and I will most likely travel to the North of Mozambique tomorrow (13th). Then I have free time until about the 27th of December when I should be heading south to Blantyre in Malawi and cross the border with Mozambique to be in time to pick up Steph for another amazing journey.
Yesterday Peter and Julie (mentioned in an earlier blog) also arrived at Lilongwe and are staying in the same campsite. Very warm and nice feeling to see them and they took me out for dinner. So nice! A bit of comfort and family away from home. The day before that I had a very nice ’braai’ with about 7 locals from south Africa and Namibia that were also camping. Lovely meet, and even some home made bread that we made in the bbq! a good first two nights on my own- I can do this!

I hope you all enjoy this blog again and you will hear from me soon!

Besos from Malawi- the friendliest country in Africa!
PS: this last picture has been my view today while doing the hard work of getting this blog uploaded and all the pics :-)