I joined Paddy and Rick on their cycle expedition on the 31 March when I arrived in Blantyre, Malawi. I had been looking forward for that moment for a long time, but since I had not done any trips remotely similar to this one before I had a mixed feeling of nervousness and really not knowing what would await me. I had made myself some thoughts, however, of how it would be: Long and hard cycling in very hot weather and a constant worry about having enough water.
However, all of those expectations didn´t ring true. It was not long and hard cycling, it was very long and very hard cycling! At moments I wondered if these guys were machines that could just go on and on, and I was struggling to keep up. The weather wasn’t hot and sunny as expected (I actually had to wait ½ hour to get out of the plane because it was pouring down), but rainy and actually a bit cold – so I got good use of the lightweight rain jacket (really more wind than waterproof) which I´d bought at the last moment. As for the water, that was no problem at all. In Malawi many villages that we passed by had a well where we could fill up our water bottles. So far no need for the 6 L bladders I thought would be essential. Although that might change as we now head further into Mozambique which has more barren land. The wells were a real eye-opener to me for the important work Water Aid is doing (an organization which I´d never heard about before) and how much more easy it makes the life for the local population which have enough to struggle with.
Since I joined we´ve cycled from Blantyre to Mulanje, which is a large massif containing many high peaks, of which we had set our eye on the highest: The 3002 m high Sapitwa Peak. It turned out to be quite an exhausting hike, but we were all happy to have done it, although our legs might not agree. The next few days would be even harder and, admittedly, at times I was thinking I cannot keep up this tempo. We did the 70 km ride back to Blantyre in a hurry to get to the Mozambique passport office to get our visas the same day as that would save us both time and money (and not being entirely sure how acquiring a visa at the border was going to work out). But the hardest day still lay ahead. The around 160 km ride from our camp to the next target: Tete in Mozambique. On the way to the border we had to overcome some stinging hills while it was drizzling (which was quite welcomed at the time), but eventually we reached it and got our approval for entry to a new country.
It is always interesting to see the difference from one country to another, this time the first we spotted was all the holes in the road! (People complaining on the roads where I come from should have a look). The ride was a tad easier from the border, lacking the long hills. But the weather turned more to my expectations and it was getting hot. We were really glad, then, when we reached Tete, ½ hour before dark, all of us really exhausted.
In Tete we were very lucky to have made contact with a family that invited us to their home. During the 2 days we stayed there we were really treated as kings and all of us are really thankful for the hospitality we were shown (I hope I can manage to bring the same hospitality back to Norway). We were even taken for a fishing trip on the Zambezi! Something we'd never imagined doing when we were biking over the bridge 2 days earlier. And even if we didn't manage to catch a tigerfish, it was a truly great experience, and the earlist beer we ever had!
When I am writing this it is our last night in Tete, and we all agreed that after the 2 rest days it kind of feels like a Sunday before work on Monday. Still, I believe it will be nice to get cycling again and explore a new country and all it has to offer.
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| Starting out from Blantyre |
However, all of those expectations didn´t ring true. It was not long and hard cycling, it was very long and very hard cycling! At moments I wondered if these guys were machines that could just go on and on, and I was struggling to keep up. The weather wasn’t hot and sunny as expected (I actually had to wait ½ hour to get out of the plane because it was pouring down), but rainy and actually a bit cold – so I got good use of the lightweight rain jacket (really more wind than waterproof) which I´d bought at the last moment. As for the water, that was no problem at all. In Malawi many villages that we passed by had a well where we could fill up our water bottles. So far no need for the 6 L bladders I thought would be essential. Although that might change as we now head further into Mozambique which has more barren land. The wells were a real eye-opener to me for the important work Water Aid is doing (an organization which I´d never heard about before) and how much more easy it makes the life for the local population which have enough to struggle with.
 |
| ... And so the days passes by... |
Since I joined we´ve cycled from Blantyre to Mulanje, which is a large massif containing many high peaks, of which we had set our eye on the highest: The 3002 m high Sapitwa Peak. It turned out to be quite an exhausting hike, but we were all happy to have done it, although our legs might not agree. The next few days would be even harder and, admittedly, at times I was thinking I cannot keep up this tempo. We did the 70 km ride back to Blantyre in a hurry to get to the Mozambique passport office to get our visas the same day as that would save us both time and money (and not being entirely sure how acquiring a visa at the border was going to work out). But the hardest day still lay ahead. The around 160 km ride from our camp to the next target: Tete in Mozambique. On the way to the border we had to overcome some stinging hills while it was drizzling (which was quite welcomed at the time), but eventually we reached it and got our approval for entry to a new country.
It is always interesting to see the difference from one country to another, this time the first we spotted was all the holes in the road! (People complaining on the roads where I come from should have a look). The ride was a tad easier from the border, lacking the long hills. But the weather turned more to my expectations and it was getting hot. We were really glad, then, when we reached Tete, ½ hour before dark, all of us really exhausted.
In Tete we were very lucky to have made contact with a family that invited us to their home. During the 2 days we stayed there we were really treated as kings and all of us are really thankful for the hospitality we were shown (I hope I can manage to bring the same hospitality back to Norway). We were even taken for a fishing trip on the Zambezi! Something we'd never imagined doing when we were biking over the bridge 2 days earlier. And even if we didn't manage to catch a tigerfish, it was a truly great experience, and the earlist beer we ever had!
 |
| Paddy's focusing on the beer |
When I am writing this it is our last night in Tete, and we all agreed that after the 2 rest days it kind of feels like a Sunday before work on Monday. Still, I believe it will be nice to get cycling again and explore a new country and all it has to offer.
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