Day 289 / 54

Date: 26 January 2023
Sleeping location: Mphipi Lodge, Cape Maclear, Malawi
Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 101 / 17852 / 3015
Estimated climb (m today/total/total Part 2): 400 / 152700 / 34700
Friendliest motorcyclist: Neville 
Day in three words: Malawi’s greediest children 

I set off along more flat farmland and marshland, but with some cloud-shrouded mountains to the right which jazzed things up a bit. I also started to see lots of big baobab trees today, which are impressive (and often very old) things, and lots of nice long-tailed colourful birds, which are nice things. Early on I took a 15km dirt shortcut that cut 25km off the total distance, thus passing the recently codified law of dirt roads, which was kind of okay, very muddy in places but thankfully flat. The main issue was every single kid asking for money, even depressingly young ones. I wonder if they sit them down at a very early age and say “these are white people, they have money, you should try to get it off them.” It would explain a lot.

Eventually I just put my both earphones in, because there were no four-wheeled vehicles on the road anyway, listened to music and ignored absolutely every child, and it was lovely. I also managed to hide behind an embankment and a church for morning snack and lunch respectively, have time to myself and eat up some of the tasty things purchased in Lilongwe, which was also lovely. On the road I was passed by a motorcyclist who then stopped to say hi. He was Neville, from Johannesburg, who was on a several thousand kilometre trip around Southern Africa that he described as “a jaunt”, which I enjoyed. He was also heading to Cape Maclear.

 

To get to CM I had to go over a short but steep and relentless climb through Lake Malawi NP, during which I was passed by another touring motorcyclist, this one with Belgian plates, who didn’t wave as per my previous observations. Just before the village was a viewpoint called Otter Point, so I cycled as far as I could, left Maggie, hiked the few hundred metres to it, enjoyed the great view briefly, noticed some monkeys, became immediately scared about monkeys stealing my food with their grabby little monkey hands, rushed back and was reunited with a thankfully unmonkeyed Maggie. 

Cape Maclear was a quiet sandy strip along the beach with accommodation options strung out along it and nice views of a couple of islands. Unfortunately the accommodation was quite expensive and the place I’d hoped to go (Thumbi), which had some other guests to talk to, was out of my price range. Whilst ascertaining this at reception a woman around my age said hello and revealed that she was the Belgian motorcyclist in question. Sadly I had to leave so I didn’t have time to ask why she hadn’t waved. I found a more affordable place nearby, but it was not as nice and I was the only person there. 

Walking around the village I was set upon in the usual conman-limpet style by a youth who just wanted to "show me something from school". I told him I wasn’t interested, but he followed me back to my accommodation to try again and I gave in to make him go away. His "something" was a crumpled piece of paper explaining in elaborate terms why he wanted money. It was total bullshit and I told him so, but he protested "But it's for school", "It has the headteacher's stamp" and other shite. This country is getting to me; the fake bonhomie, the lies, the pushiness, it’s all just to extract money. Back at Thumbi another guy gave the soft to medium sell on some handicrafts...a nice story about how it's a community project, but do I really believe it? I don’t know any more.

I got a beer here, bumped into Neville again and immediately started venting about the above. He agreed and used the nice phrase "they force you to be rude to them". After I’ve calmed down we talk some more, then keep talking and eventually go get dinner together. He's just retired and really seems to be making the most of it, this “jaunt”, then cycling the Portuguese Camino, then borrowing a motorbike and touring Europe, then SE Asia...it all makes my gap year look like a kid's holiday and he’s in his 60s. He's an (ex) accountant, a self-published author and an astute guy, as well as a nice one and good company. 

I got the number of the local scuba diving operator and texted him, but he said the water is too murky after recent storms. I ponder my options; so far I don't like this place, it's expensive and maybe I'd be better leaving earlier than the two days I'd planned. 

Malawian Signs Corner

Potential Private Secondary School 

God Be With Us Cosmetic, Salon & Fashion Shop 

Which Is Which Tours