Day 295 / 60

Date: 1 February 2023
Sleeping location: Doogles, Blantyre, Malawi
Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 82 / 18181 / 3344
Estimated climb (m today/total/total Part 2): 900 / 155800 / 37800
Lanes required: 1.0
Day in three words: Slog to Blantyre

In the morning the cloud was back, initially just below me with the sun above it, but soon it rolled in properly and any semblance of view disappeared. It never returned and it was the same at the nearby Queen's Viewpoint, which made that moment the night before all the more special. The cloud was still higher than it had been on the way in and on the way back out the landscape reminded me of some of the British forestry from my GB Divide ride last year. But that ride, for all its difficulties, had nothing as lethal as the surface here. Out of nowhere Maggie slid out from under me a second time and I fell hard onto my left side. After this I was so spooked that I walked most of the rest of the way down. It took 1h15 to do the 6km back to tarmac, but once back on tarmac about 12 mins to do the next 7km back to Casa Rossa, where I celebrated my survival with some good coffee and french toast. I chatted with Sylvia some more and watched her cat playing with a big insect that seemed to be completely OK about being played with. 

Back on the main road progress was slow; the road was bumpy and a momentum killer, there was a stiff headwind, my legs were still not feeling back to normal after the illness, and my knee and shoulder were hurting from the fall. I just gritted my teeth and ground out the miles until Blantyre, stopping halfway to rest in an odd concrete shelter with an unused (still in its wrapping) bed in there for me to sit on. The landscape was quite pretty, with some big rocky peaks rising up from the undulating plain I was riding on, but I was too zoned out to properly appreciate it.

After several hours of grind I got into the outskirts of Blantyre where, the road became a dual carriageway that Malawians seemed to think could accommodate two cars and a bike. I didn't agree and made a bit of a nuisance of myself by taking the centre of the inside lane, although there was surprisingly little honking as most people mainly just patiently waited to pass in the outside lane. The act of staying alert took my mind off my tired legs and I got to the city centre unscathed (and unscared) and went to "Doogles", an ioverlander approved accommodation option, about 4. 

It initially seemed unpromising as it was a bar (with swimming pool) right next to the busy bus station, but in the back was a secret quiet little garden with some quite nice lodges at a reasonable price. I took one and opted to barely move for the rest of the day, only venturing out of my room to eat and do some light blogging in the bar. Dinner was a pizza and three fried quail, because when you see the words "three quail" on a menu it is impossible to resist channeling those Henry VIII vibes. They were basically like big chicken wings with more admin and organs. 

Malawian Signs Corner

Smile has its on [sic] season [on a bus]

Power Mind Electronics 

Zomba Institute For Applied Sciences - a precise choice of your achievement 

PA Bakery - anything but bread 

Chips And Restaurant

Food Blast! [Featuring "bread sandwitch"]

It is well [On a bus]

Care your eyes [sic] you may not get them again [love the use of "may" here]