10th September 08

Date: 10th September 08
Location: Nhkata Bay, Malawi
Weather: Hazy sunshine and hot, 34°c
Status: We’re off on an adventure….that’s Bre, me and the Colonel!!

Up at first light to get things ready for the day ahead. Packed the tent away, gobbled down some breakfast and headed to the edge of the lake for the now usual morning swim to the other side of the bay. It’s one of the things I have really thoroughly enjoyed about staying here, the beauty of the water and the opportunity to keep fit and healthy by using it every day!

Updated the website and checked email to find out any last minute updates on Kees’s movements and then fired up the Colonel for the road ahead. Said goodbye to her family and discussed where, in around a months time, we’ll all meet up again probably somewhere around Nairobi.

This marks a new part of the journey with just me and Bre on the road covering a few thousand km’s together through possibly five new countries. It’ll be awesome to have just us to worry about for a change; we’ll up the fitness regime and then be ready to take on the mountains and marathon ahead.

Left the gorgeous Nhkata Bay and pulled out of town with the first destination being Mzuzu to refuel and reload with money for the next few days. Its only 40kms away so we got there quickly but as we arrived in town my laptop started playing up, damn it….and then when I’d stopped the engine on the truck the starter motor solenoid stuck in and the engine wouldn’t start….what on earth’s going on, this is meant to the a GOOD adventure!! Had a push start from a group of locals and hit the road again with the intention of not stopping before reaching our destination Livingstonia some 130kms north along the edge of the lake.

The drive slowly took us up 1000m from the lake’s edge and became much more hilly with steep climbs and falls along twisting roads with huge drops, really stunning backdrops and the sun slowly dropped out of the sky. We arrived at Chitembe Camp just in time to have a dip in the lake before cooking omelettes for dinner.

Some local kids made friends with us and ran into town to buy tomatoes, bananas and papayas and then offered their services as wood carvers….so I ordered a couple of keyrings for my nephews.

Watched a movie upstairs and went to bed

End of day location: Chitembe Camp, Malawi
Distance covered: 162kms