Home » Malawi Tanzania » Cycle to the Summit Part 17 - Dar es Salaam to Lilongwe

Highlights of the Dar to Lilongwe stretch of Cycle to the Summit have included some super cycling and World Cup football action. We cycled through Mikumi National Park where we saw elephant, giraffe, zebra and buffalo, before crossing into Malawi to see first hand the famine situation that is featuring in the UK press. We also learned about the increasing problems associated with the AIDS epidemic. We are currently enjoying the hospitality and company of our friend Sutapa in Lilongwe. Over the next few days we will visit WaterAid and plan for the final stages of our journey to the Earth Summit in Johannesburg.

Cycle to the Summit Part 17 - Dar es Salaam to Lilongwe

Toby Hammond
2006-06-25 20:12:13

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months in Africa we have used more pit latrines than we have had hot dinners! The dodgy foot was given the OK and we set off uphill. At the top of the steep climb we met a Canadian man cycling around the world. We shared stories, swopped anecdotes and inspected each other's bikes before cruising downhill through banana plantations and on towards Tukuyu.

9th June 2002 - Tukuyu - Rest

We opted for a rest day as tummy trouble was taking its toll on some of the team members. I took the opportunity to experience a church service in Tanzania. I doubted that I would be able to find any service conducted in English and was unsure how long the service would last so took some reading material. The church was a 'bring your own bible affair' and the minister spoke only Swahili so after an hour I felt tempted to take my book from my pocket. Just at that point, many of the 300 strong congregation looked around at me and before I knew it I was ushered to the front of the church to explain who I was and what I was doing in Tanzania, with the help of a translator. I felt rather embarrassed but everyone made me feel exceptionally welcome, even though I understood little of the service. In the afternoon I wandered around the local market and learnt how to weave the straw mats that are widely used in many Tanzanian mud houses.

10th June 2002 - Tukuyu to Karonga (Malawi)- 94km

Toby was feeling much better and was glad that the first 40km were downhill to the Malawian border. We freewheeled through more banana and tea plantations, saw Lake Malawi on the horizon and felt the weather hot up at the lower altitude. The border was perhaps one of the most hassle free crossings of our journey so far and we pedalled into Malawi to the calls of "Mzungo, give me my money". The shouts for money were not like the hostile calls for money that we had encountered in Ethiopia, although the frequency of the shouts did get rather irritating. ...