Day 169… Thursday 7th September
Drove north up the lake for 2 and a 1/2 hour journey. Roads in very bad condition and progress was slow. The journey took twice as long. Passed many rural villages with tomatoes, watermelon, fish and coal being sold at the roadside. Cycles are the main mode of transport along with the odd taxi minibus driving like a maniac (suspension short to pieces, the boot held down with rope and the vehicle weighed down by several passengers all squeezed in). Our campsite was Nkhotakota Pottery Lodge right on the lake with pottery made on site and a training workshop offered. I was tempted to buy some but there was no way it would survive the journey back to South Africa in one piece. Everything in the back of Greta gets beaten up and covered in dust. Friendly staff and the German owner came over to introduce himself. Met a Belgium couple and their kid who had been travelling extensively in this part of Africa. Smaller vervet monkeys causing trouble and steeling food. Also plagued by ants tonight.
Allen’s perspective…
Everywhere in Africa nowadays is very noisy. They’ve seemingly discovered cheap electronics in recent years and as such must now blare out loud music at full volume all night long, which really mucks up my sleep. The sun rises really early here and whilst the local bar music had stopped the beach was beginning to get noisy, so after a quick trip to the loo I could see all of the fisherman who came in after their nightly catch, all with the sun rising in the distance. Quite amazing.
Once we left Cool Runnings, as Rach mentions, the roads were bad. In places the tarmac had broken down to the width of a single lane, and the lorries just hurtle along at full speed regardless. You have to come off the road to let them pass, and then re-join all without damaging your tyres in the process. And then there’s the potholes. Feels a little like Angola again!