Day 300 / 65

Date: 6 February 2023
Sleeping location: Under power lines 16.6387S 33.3431E, Mozambique

Distance (km today/total/total Part 2): 73 / 18507 / 3670
Estimated climb (m today/total/total Part 2): 700 / 158400 / 40400
Wild camping: back on
Day in three words: Riches to rags

I woke early and continued to extract luxury from the hotel until the checkout time of noon, which I even overshot by about ten minutes. In total a full 24hrs of relaxation, which actually works out at less than $4 an hour, plus a free breakfast. Worth it.

Straight after setting off I crossed the Zambezi, which appropriately enough for day 300 was a big landmark as (to me) it signified that I was now officially in Southern Africa. It’s a big old river this far downstream and it basically splits Moz into two pieces, with only three road bridges and one rail bridge across it. The other side of the river was more ramshackle and busy and had Latin American vibes. After a brief stop at Tete’s other Shoprite I headed out of town; very quickly things quietened down and the empty African savannah returned. I rode for most of the afternoon along the hot, mildly undulating road, with occasional trucks clanking by but very little else. For lunch I stopped under a tree for an excellent brie and cucumber sandwich and a bag of a giant wotsit-style snack called Señor Puff, which turned my fingers a lurid orange and was way too massive to even contemplate finishing.

Towards the end of the day I went through a quite big town that was not on the map at all, where hundreds of youths were all walking the same way, each carrying a farming tool of some kind. Were they going home from farm school? Going out to do some sunset farming together? Outside the towns it was quiet enough to start considering wild camping again, so I picked up water at a petrol station here then started looking for camp spots about half an hour before sunset. 

After a couple of places that I abandoned because they didn't feel right I came across a small track to a corn field with a little house, where I planned to ask if I could camp nearby, but it was empty. Maybe it was just a simple shelter for the corn pickers? This meant it was unlikely that anyone would be around, so I backtracked slightly to a track which ran under the electrical pylons. This was ideal as it was quite clear and level but not actually used as a path by anyone, and I found a good spot just down a slight dip and out of sight from the track I'd come down. The only visible lights once the sun set were fireflies. 

There was no wind at all so it was extremely hot and sticky - about 30 degrees per the Tete weather forecast. Dinner was a sort of spicy stew made with soup powder, pasta, sausage and a block of "cheddar flavoured processed cheese" that was an insult to the good people of Somerset. I could see thunderstorms in the distance but couldn't hear the thunder, so I initially decided to go without the tent outer, but just after lights out it started to become audible and I reluctantly put the outer on and made it horribly hot inside. It started to rain soon afterwards and the big storms seemed to pass either side of me, thankfully never getting too close or raining too hard. I still didn't drop off until the rain was long gone, by which point I’d melted into a puddle of sweat anyway. Get me back up to altitude.