Where Have We Been?

I intended to post about how difficult it is to travel in Mozambique. I actually composed the blog in my mind for a few days, then a few weeks, and now we've been out of Mozambique for two weeks. Which is all a roundabout way of saying that computers are scarce in this part of the world, especially ones with relatively decent internet. Luckily, traveling in Malawi can be just as inconvenient and uncomfortable as in Mozambique which means that my thoughts continue to be relevant. I'll start with a summary of what we've been doing for the past five weeks.

After arriving in Mozambique with my parents in late November and meeting up with my brother, we all drove into Swaziland for the requisite big game viewing. Swaziland is a small country sandwiched between Mozambique and South Africa. It has a few relatively small parks that are not nearly as heavily traveled as those in Tanzania or South Africa but have decent populations of animals. And thus we had close encounters with rhinos, hippos, elephants, giraffes, zebras, and dung beetles. Sometimes in cars and sometimes on foot. Don't worry, we have plenty of pictures we can happily show you. From there it was back to Mozambique and Zach's village in the north. This was our first chance to really see everyday people in their environment. We walked around town and met many of his neighbors and students. We spent time on the pristine beaches of Mozambique's coast and also visited Ilha de Mozambique. This small island served as the Portugese colonial capital five hundred years ago and is covered with old buildings in various stages of decay and renovation. We also have lots of pictures here. This is where we parted ways with my parents in mid-December and they returned to New York. Evan and I spent another week on more beaches in northern Moz before reconnecting with Zach to take the train into Malawi.

It's at this point that we spent three continuous days (at least 12-15 hours each day) traveling by plane, train, minibus, pickup, and bike taxi. No matter how far we wanted to go (next town or next country) and which travel method we employed, nothing was quick. Ideally, travel days begin with the sun at 4 or 5 in the morning to beat some of the heat. If you're fortunate your hostel will be close to a mosque and your alarm clock will be the first call to prayer at around 3:15am.

We took a train from Nampula, Moz to Cuamba, Moz (that's the whole train line) which is essentially nowhere to nowhere for travelers. Then a combination of densely packed minibuses and open bed pickups over the border into Malawi with a short bicycle taxi ride across the actual border . Most transport that we've experienced does not run on schedules. Drivers wait to leave until their vehicle is full, basically stuffed to the breaking point, and then stop everywhere and anywhere along the road that passengers want to get off or on. Nobody travels empty-handed. Usually there are huge bags full of rice or corn, boxes of live chickens, baskets of mangos or tomatoes, and multiple small children which are all crammed under legs and on laps. The open bed trucks are the worst because there's always room for someone to stick a foot between your feet and more or less sit on your head or perhaps on top of the cab. I have rarely seen a truck not allow someone to board, even though they're carrying their whole corn harvest to the market and there are already forty people with their own cargo in the back. It gives carpooling a whole new meaning. Then there's road dust, sun, rain, interminable stops where passengers buy more bags of produce from roadside vendors, and unpaved, potholed, muddy roads. Many people seem to resign themselves to the ordeal involved in getting around the countryside, there just aren't any other viable options.

And on to Malawi where people speak English, mostly. We spent Christmas in southern Malawi on Mount Mulanje, a large massif that rises a couple thousand meters above the surrounding countryside. We hiked in to a mountain cabin and explored up on the plateau. Then a long day of travel up to the southern end of Lake Malawi to catch the infamous MV Ilala. This ferry has been operating for fifty years, one trip a week up and down the lake. The ferry is notorious for running hours behind schedule and we put ourselves at its mercy. It was a leisurely two day trip to Likoma and Chizimulu Islands, stopping at various ports along the way. This is the only public transport to the islands and functions similar to pickups in that room is always found for more people and goods. Most of the ports do not have a dock and so everything is moved between the ferry and shore by the life rafts, which can take hours at each stop. Once we got to the islands we were stuck until the ferry came through again the following week. So we read, played cards, went swimming, attracted large bands of chanting children as we walked through the island villages, learned bao (a game similar to mancala), celebrated New Year's, and enjoyed beautiful sunsets.

Which brings us more or less up to date. Last night/this morning the ferry took us from Likoma Island to Nkhata Bay in northern Malawi and we are currently sitting in an internet cafe on Kazumu Road in Mzuzu.

In summary, things are going well. Each day brings new sights, sounds, frustration, and excitement. The weather is hot and humid and it's a relief to be in the mountains or on the water. It's currently mango season in this part of the world and we try to eat one or two per day as they drip off the trees. It seems cliched to say that Africa gets into your blood but it's true and it does. There's a different rhythm to life here and once you pick up on it life becomes a little bit easier. Hopefully the coming weeks will provide more regular internet access and we'll keep you apprised of our travels.