Livingstone - Divundu 507k 4 Days

Livingstone, Kasane, Kalima, Kongola, Divundu

I spent a few days in Livingstone working out where to go next. The two options were either South though Botswana and then West to Windhoek or cross briefly into Botswana and then into Namibia and go along the Caprivi Strip into Northern Namibia.
After talking with people who had been through Namibia I decided on the Caprivi Strip.

The last of the hills in Zambia.

Camping in Botswana

It was a short trip to the border, a night camping in a lodge in Botswana then I made my way to the the Chobe National Park. 

I had expected to say Hi to the guards at the gate and carry on the for next 60k to Namibia but it didn't turn out that way. I wasn't allowed to bike through the park as it was "too dangerous". The staff were worried about Elephants and Buffalo attacking me.

I wasn't really that happy but what can you do. The funny thing was about 300m up the road and outside the park there was an Elephant standing on the side of the road eating grass. I had biked past it earlier and it had ignored me and carried on eating. I hadn't even seen it until was 5m away from it. For such a large animal they are really well camouflaged. In the photo its on the right. The other things are cars parked up to look at the elephant.

After waiting for an hour I hitched a ride on the back of a Ute across the park. I didn't see any wildlife along the way but the driver said he saw some Elephants. Its difficult to see anything when your on the back of a Ute and its doing 100k.

Just after crossing a bridge and entering into Namibia I got to see something that I hoped for but what I never thought would happen. A large group of wild elephants going about their business around 400m from me. I sat on the side of the road and watched them for half an hour until they moved into the shade. Ive seen some amazing things in Africa but this was something else. It made me think of all the people who made the journey possible (F) and the people who had helped and supported me along the way. I thought of the friends I had made and all the other people who I wanted to be there with me just to look in amazement like I was. When this journey began I would say that I was going to Africa to see Elephants. Its always been about much more than that but it was the Elephants that were the inspiration.

As expected Namibia was hot. Not crazy like Sudan but much warmer than Zambia. I can't tell what the temperature is anymore it just felt warmer than usual and really it doesn't matter how hot it is I still need to get on the bike anyway. I had two days to adjust before I reached the town of Kongola and what I knew could be a very long ride across Bwabwata National Park

I started the day a little earlier than usual and I got to the park gates at 8am. I had hoped that I could stay the night in Chetto which was 90km into the park. I arrived there around 12.30 and found that there wasn't much there.

The Shop/Bar in Chetto

The postcards of NZ are always popular

I had made pretty good time to get to there with the help of a tailwind and I needed to decide what to do next. I could camp the night somewhere or push on another 110km to Divundu. I cooked some noodles and then made the decision to push on.

I would need food and water so I finished the noodles drank 2 cans of Coke and bought 2 others for the journey. I drank the last of the 5 litres of water I had left and then got the bottles filled up again from the 20L drum in the shop. Then I got a packet of biscuits and took two re hydration sachets that I hoped would help prevent cramp. As I was leaving the shop I saw a digital clock on the wall that had the temperature. It was 38 degrees in the shade. I asked if the clock was correct and the lady said yes it was. I did fell quite warm.

For the entire 200km the view was the same

I worked out it would take me about 5 hours of bike time to get to Divundu so I split the ride into sections of a 2 hour ride and 2 x 1.5 hour rides. The first two hours was the most important because it was the hottest and the longest. If I got this part of it wrong then I knew that I would end up on the of the road with cramp just like what happened in Sudan. I really didn't want a repeat of that in a National Park with Elephants and Buffalo so I took it easy, tried not to sweat too much and get through the 2L of water that I had for this section.

150k done and it was all fine

The second section was only 1.5 hours so around 30km. I know I can do 30km so I was just focusing on that, drinking water and not pushing too hard. It had cooled down a bit as it was getting near 4pm which also helped.

The long straight roads continued and the mind wanders off. When its like this I don't look far in front of me and I don't look at the time. I try not to look into the distance because the road is all you can see so I look 10-15m in front of me. Each time I get off the bike seat I will sit up and have a look around and then get back to looking at the road. I will think what is the time now but then force myself not to look - constantly looking at the time doesn't help. I can pretty accurately guess the time now so when I do look its a game of how close my guess is to actual time.

I talked with a man in Zambia who when I told him I was riding a bike across Africa asked me if I mediated. I said no and then I said well sort of. I haven't practised meditation but riding the bike for a long time I think is somewhat like that. I think about things and then forget what I am doing. Its not always easy but the longer the ride get the easier it is to just wander off and mentally be somewhere else.

In the final section I came across some more Elephants and this time I saw then before I biked past. You would think a massive animal is easy to see in the bush but unless you are really looking you can go right past them without even knowing. At the entrance to the park I rode past a huge Elephant and only saw it when I was 5m away from it. There are two elephants in this photo.

The Elephant on the move.

I arrived at Divundu at 6.15pm. It was 9 hours of biking and 207km for the day. I was pretty happy as its the longest ride I have ever done and I wanted to do a 200km ride in Africa. So a good day all round.
It went much better than I thought it would. My legs were a little sore and the ball's of my feet bruised and I was a bit dehydrated but I had beer and steak for dinner and it made me feel a whole lot better.

And I was a little late arriving so I did get to put the tent up in the dark.

Chankhanga - Livingstone 1175km 15 Days

Chankhanga, Katete, Petauke, Nyimba, Rio Luangwa, Chimusanya, Chongwe, Lusaka, Katue, Monze, Pemba, Kalomo, Livingston

I arrived in Zambia anxious to push on and get to Cape Town and as I already talked about it didn't work out well. The break in Katete was exactly what I needed and I was looking forward to getting back on the road.   

I moved onto Petauke where I ran in to the WHO doing HIV testing and had one of the most moving experiences of my time in Africa. I was an emotionally intense few days but it all helped to put things into perspective.

The Luangwa river bridge in the rain


I have talked to a few people who are on long journeys through Africa about what happened over those days and everyone experiences pretty much the same thing. There is a point where it all falls apart and you just need a break. Cyclists, people on motorbikes, people driving cars and volunteer's in these countries all say the same thing. Every so often need a little timeout from Africa to re-set the mind and then go back to what they were doing happy again. Living the dream isn't easy and having it all fall apart is just something that comes along with it. 

Sometimes (most of the time) the places I stay in are a little rough. This is mostly because they are cheap but often its because there is no where else. In Katete it was no different. The room was fine but there was a large gap under the door so I had a bit of a rodent issue. It wasn't the first time I had seen rats but it was the first time I was woken up by one crawling over me. I often sleep in my clothes in the less desireable places so it wasn't a big deal. I did have a search of the room afterwards and found two in different corners of the room. Rats are quite fast so there wasn't much I could do to get them out but they didn't wake me again.

There were a lot of hills on the way to Lusaka - nothing over an hour climb but it was a constant up and down. It hot/humid and raining too so it was a good challenge. I also got stung by a something on my left arm just above the elbow. I am a little allergic so there were a couple of days where I couldn't fell where my elbow was.

There was a lot of large trucks on the road that come up from South Africa. Almost all of them gave me lots of room on the road - Its mostly the cars that get too close. This guy crashed about an hour before I arrived. The windscreen was broken where the driver had hit his head but he was fine.

One of the strangest things about Zambia was this. People cutting grass on the side of the road. These were busy everywhere cutting down metre high grass on the roadsides. They use a machete that has been bent so its similar to a golf club. It looked to be incredibly tough work.
 

I arrived in Luaska felling pretty good but a little tired. I had a great time at the backpackers there with people from all over the world. There were Pilots, Doctors, Park Rangers and people from South Africa who do business in Zambia. Everyone was there for a propose not just on holiday so it was really good to hear their stories and experiences of Zambia and Africa.

The 11000k mark in Pemba. This time I celebrated with a few cold Mosi's. 
Not long after I chased a man out of the bar with a pool cue for drinking my beer. Over time you develop a 5 second memory about these things. You have an argument with someone or chase them with a weapon and and when its done you just forget that it happened.

There was some hot days on the way South. African's often use umbrellas to keep out of the sun

The ride South from Lusaka to Livingstone was pretty uneventful. There is lots of farmland, corn and some long flat sections. I had the wind behind me for a lot of the way so it was a good 5 days ride and I was pretty excited about getting to Livingstone and seeing Victoria falls and it did not disappoint.

Double Rainbow!

The size and noise of the falls is incredible and it is the rainy season so the water level is quite high. The spray that comes means it raining heavily on you most of the time which creates the rainbows. Its an amazing place.

To finish off the visit to the falls I went on a river cruise on the Zambezi with 4 Zambian ladies who live in the Copper Belt. They had some interesting stories about what being a White Zambian was like. They couldn't get passports even though they were born in Zambia and we talked about what goes on in the mining district of the Copper belt. The stories included forced labour camps and people being sent in shipping containers from China to Zambia to work in the mines. What really happens in Africa is often very surprising.

Hippos lounging around
 

Gin and Tonic

Sunset on the Zambeizi


So after a rough start Zambia turned out pretty well. I have been shocked, laughed, cried and meet some incredible people along the way. I also meet another Kiwi for the first time in  Africa! Its rained a lot,had been hot, and I had some challenging rides but its was a really good time. The scenery was good, Victoria Falls amazing and the locals have been very friendly.

Zambia had a little bit of everything that Africa has to offer and although its a bit expensive (for Africa) it's been great.

The Caprivi Strip and Namibia is up next. It will be hot, spectacular and there should be wild Elephants along the way. Can't wait!

Petauke, Zamiba - HIV Testing

I arrived in Petauke mid afternoon, setup the tent and listened to it rain all night.
I had been planning on leaving the next day but I decided to camp another night. It was raining and the bike is often a miserable place in the rain. Also it was the 31st, 8 months since I left London, and I like to have the 31st off.

I was having a mid afternoon nap when I was woken by the sound of drums and singing.
Its not uncommon to hear this so I went back to sleep but when I woke again half
an hour later it was still going on so I thought I better go and check it out.

So I went for a beer not far from where there were children singing ouside a tent.

While sitting there a young guy dressed in a suit came and got 3 chairs and went and sat in the middle of am empty grass field with 2 others. I though that this was a little odd so I looked over and one of them was upset and he was being consoled by the two others.

Then I noticed a car parked in the parking lot. A woman in her 50's was crying, shaking and ocassionally striking the man in the drivers seat next to her.

The main street of Petauke

I finished my beer and went over to a white tent which was in front of a petrol station to see the children and to find out what was going on.

 The petrol station the following day

There were 12 of children all under 10 years old outside the tent, singing and dancing in a cricle. I asked a man what was going on he said they are celebrating, they dont have HIV.

The tent was an HIV testing centre setup by the WHO.

There was a line of around 12 men lined up waiting to go inside.
I looked at the men in the line, they looked at me and I took my place in the queue.

I was given a number and filled out a form with my name and address and then told to wait outside. When my number was called I went into the tent and was greeted by a Doctor.

He pricked my thumb with a blue tack and then pressed it onto a piece of paper. I was then told to wait outside again and my number would be called in around 10 minutes.

I hadn't really thought about what was going on until I stood outside and waited with the others. I looked at the faces of the men in line and I could see some were visiably thin, some were relaxed while others had a look of desperation. 
I looked at the children with their huge smiles and watched them dance and sing.

My number was called, I went back in and he gave me my results. I talked with the doctor, I said to him that what he does is incredibly important and to keep up the good work.

I left the tent walked across the road, got a beer and sat down. I needed to sit down.
 
From the other side of the road I could see that the whole street was watching the tent.
I could see the 3 guys sitting in the grass field, the man and woman sitting in the car, the men walking away from the tent and the children singing and dancing.

In a small town in rural Zambia life and death was being dished out inside a tent that was setup outside a petrol station. Along with it came two extremes of humanity. Total elation, the children that had been told that they were going to live and total devisation, the men & women that were being told that they were going to die.

Life in Africa is tough for a lot of people but that afternoon I got to see exactly how brutal it can be.

Katete, Zambia - It all fall's apart

I left Malawi and arrived in a very small town in Zambia called Chamkhanga late in the afternoon. I was felling pretty tired.  It was hot, I had blisters on my arms and legs from the sun and a blisters on my ass too.

The next day I had my usual breakfast of cold pasta and made my way into town for a Coca-Cola. Coffee is not part of the breakfast routine in rural Africa so some Coca-Cola is the next best thing. It was a little after 8am and there were a dozen or so locals in various states of intoxication in the street and some bottles were being thrown. I was hassled a little for money but when it was clear there was none everything was fine. All in all it was a pretty normal start to the day.

I set off for the next stop, a town called Katete around 75km away. I arrived around 1pm. A little bit tired but mentally broken. I had been struggling since I left Cape Maclear.
How was I going to get to Cape Town on time? I would need to do 100km/day every day to achieve this and the thought of this filled me with dread. Just looking at the bike made me feel sick.

It was a feeling I have experienced before. When doing triathalons, the last week of Ironman training which I refer to as hell week. Its the longest most intense week of training where you spend around 25 hours that week swimming/biking/running. Usually I walk into a friends office at work, she calms me down, reassures me I can do this, we have a laugh about it and I go and get it done.

In the town of Katete there is no office to walk into, no Internet and I cant get a Sim card to talk to anyone. There is no enjoyment in the biking anymore, pain and pressure to get to Cape Town is all that I think about. I fell totally alone, totally lost and with no motivation to go anywhere. How was I going to fix this?

I found a cheap guest house. I put the bike in the corner where I couldn't see it and went out for a beer. I meet the manager of a bar, watched the football, played some pool and generally had a good time with the people of Katete.

I woke the next morning, I didn't look at the bike and just went and had breakfast.

I don't remember what I ate but I do remember what I thought.

I had broken today/tomorrow rule and it had broken me.
I only need to think about what I need to do today and what do I need to get ready for tomorrow. Anything beyond that doesn't matter.

I came back to the room, watched some movies on the laptop, cried a little then went out again to write down the plan.

I would do 100k a day when it was possible and not anymore unless I need to get somewhere. There will be no more pressure. I would forget the date and I get to Cape Town when I get there. Most of all I will enjoy the final leg of this adventure. The tough parts of Africa are done and I only have southern Africa to go.

The next day I left and ride the 90k to Petauke with a smile on my face. The first time in a while.

Chilimbla - Manchinji 15 Days 625km

Chimbula, Chipata, Monkey Bay, Cape Maclear, Salima, Lilongwe, Manchinji

I arrived in Malawi pretty tired. I had put in some big days getting across Tanzania and the last week had been hills the entire time with some rain thrown in for fun!

I was looking forward to getting some time off and a few days on the beach. I crossed into Malawi late Saturday afternoon stayed in the only hotel on the Malawi side of the border. It was a Saturday night so there was lots of loud music until very late. I was also up late looking at the lonely planet (because of the music and humidity)  to see what Malawi had to offer. In there I found there was a ferry that went from the Chipata in the North to Monkey bay in the South which was where I wanted to end up. The ferry left on Monday at 1am so I had a day and 130km to make it to Chipata if I wanted to catch the ferry.

Its always difficult making the decision to get off the bike and use another form of transport. I really don't like taking a bus but I do like a ferry ride. I hadn't planned on the ferry but it just worked out that I would be able to get on it. It also meant I would get to the beach faster and a bit of time away from the bike would be a good thing.

I took the first class deck ticket. This allowed me to put the tent up, relax and have a beer at the bar while watching Malawi go by.

It really was an amazing voyage. The boat would stop at small fishing villages to unload people and cargo and then load up with fish.

 The raised platforms on the beach are used to dry the fish out before its packed into very large boxes and put on the ferry.

Some of the villages were only accessible by foot or by boat so the weekly arrival of the ferry was an event.

The ferry goes up and down Lake Malawi every 3 days and is an essential service for the people living on the lake, I talked with captain (fixed his blackberry), had beers with the people who got on and off, hung out at the bar a lot, and looked at the amazing scenery going by. It was a really good way to see Malawi and rest at the same time. On the final night i was woken by thunder and lightning in the South. I watched for an hour before going back to sleep. I later found out it was one of the storms that had caused severe flooding in the South of Malawi, and that many of the roads to the South and through Mozambique were impassable. I had originally planned (not that there ever was much of a plan) on going South through Mozambique to go directly South Africa and then along the coast from there but this was no longer an option. Anyway after talking with people along the way i wanted to go via Namibia to get to cape town.

The ferry was a bit late arriving in Monkey Bay and I had a flat tyre so it was well after dark before I got to the hostel. I had planned on staying the night then heading to Cape Maclear but the ATM was not working so it was a day trip to a nearby town (60k each way) to get some Malawi money.

 The hostel was nice and on the beach but totally deserted. The Christmas season was over and there were no other tourists around so there was just me to enjoy the beach.

I made the short journey to Cape Maclear and setup again next to the lake, this time it was in the tent but it was a pretty good spot to spend a few days.
I had been thinking for a while about the route I would take to get to Cape Town and when I would be there. I thought that after Cape Maclear I needed to have a plan.

I had set a date on when I wanted to be in Cape Town and it was pretty much always in the back of my mind. I will need to do this today, I will need to go faster, I can't have a break. I had always thought it would take 9 months to get from London to Cape Town and at the end of February it would be 9 months. 

 At Cape Mac I did some snorkeling with the help of Captain Simon. We rowed the boat out to the island, I swam and watched the eagle fish feeding. The fish were all kinds of colours, it was like swimming in a tropical fish tank. The eagle fish was very large and fast and it was amazing to see a bird catch the fish from the water

Then it was back to land and some Chumba fish cooked up by the Captain.

Beers at the local bar in Cape Maclear

I spent some time with Kaneli from the Venice Beach Hostel and Lucy who lives at Cape Maclear. It was a good time but it was difficult to not worry about things. I had spent a month pretty much alone and I was so used to being on the move, watching my stuff, thinking if situations are dangerous that it was not easy to relax.
I guess that its just one of those things about cycling alone. You get used to your own company and its not so easy to flick a switch and be around people again.

At Cape Mac I gave Chbuku or shake shake a go. Its a drink very popular with the locals and is described as "international beer". Its fermented maize and its not really like beer at all. It tastes like sour milk with chunky bits. It ferments further in the cardboard box so you have 3 days from manufacture to drink it or it goes off. The locals prefer it at 3 days old mostly I think because it has more alcohol but I really have no idea. I gave this a taste and it really is not for me. Its probably the worst alcoholic drink i have tasted and I like to think that I have given most of them a fair go but its very unlikely that I will drink it again.

I left Cape Mac and made the journey north to get on a road that would take me to Lilongwe. 
I had 10 days on the boat and sitting on the beach and I was ready for what I thought would be the big push to Cape Town.

Because of the floods the road was gone in several places. There was too much water for the pipe under the road there was a 2m gap where the road had been, This was a bit of an inconvenience on the bike but made it impossible for cars. The digger was lifting goods across the gap as well as fixing the road at the same time.

I meet some local kid while checking directions. They were next to me asking for money until i got the camera out then they all took off.

I wasn't expecting to drums and shields in rural Malawi. it was at a small town where the road went North which I was talking or Southwest to Mozambique.

I didn't usually attract a crowd in Malawi which was nice but these kids were interested in what i was doing (drinking water). The strange thing here was that were asking for baseballs. I guess that was the only English word that they knew.

The roadblock to the girls watching me all happened in a single day. It was a long 160k leg from Cape Mac to Salima with the last 30k in the dark. It was a a clear night, little traffic, many stars shining brightly and there were firefly's everywhere. They were like small LED's that lit up for a second then disappeared and they were everywhere. It was a pretty special 30k but by the end I was exhausted.

After my big effort the day before I had a 100k mountain section to get to Lilongwe. This brought up the 10000k mark. It was something that I should have been celebrating but I too busy thinking about what was to come.


So Malawi is a great country to visit and is really setup for the budget traveller. There is lots to see, really friendly locals, its cheap and many great beaches to sit on. 

I would like to have spent some more time relaxing there but I thought that I needed to get moving, to keep moving and get to Cape Town on time. Little did I know that a few day later this kind of thinking would lead it all falling apart.