Home » Malawi Mozambique » Cycle to the Summit Part 18 - Lilongwe to Maputo

Rather than take the popular Tete Corridor the team made their way on worsening roads to the Southern tip of Malawi. Mozambique proved much more undeveloped and remote than expected, often in the early days only passing through one small town a day with very limited supplies. But help and hospitality was at hand, from a much appreciated and unexpected source. The Indian Ocean was reached again after many testing days cycling and with it civilization 'as we know it' was slowly restored.

Cycle to the Summit Part 18 - Lilongwe to Maputo

Toby Hammond
2006-06-25 20:20:17

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handles, I was envious of the women who were carrying far more water than me seemingly effortlessly on their heads. It occurred to me that although we have been preaching how women have to walk miles a day to collect water for their families, this was the first time I had actually had to walk any distance to collect water and experience the difficulties first hand. Normally we had been in the fortunate position of being able to fill our bottles from hotels and eateries were we had been privileged enough to be customers. It was actually a pleasant change to be cycling in mist, with the smell of burning grass verges making it quite atmospheric. It was Ruth's turn to have the runs and she was apprehensive about diving into the hedge for one of her frequent toilet stops because we had seen frequent land mine warning signs. On spotting a friendly looking church with facilities like the water bore hole and pump we were quick to recognise our refuge for the night. Interestingly, the small village only existed because a bishop's wife died in a car crash there and so a church was built as a memorial. The attached water source, health centre and school under construction had all encouraged settlement in the surrounding area.

Thursday 18-Jul-02 Zove to Pande 125km

Another testing tedious days cycling… As we often did, we cycled until it was nearly dark before looking for somewhere to stay. Information and estimates of distances from locals was confused so we decided to ask if we could camp by a hamlet of mud huts. In the past we had never been turned away but here we were viewed with suspicion at the first few places we approached. Eventually a man showed us to a thatched shelter in a clearing with several well-spaced very quiet huts. We did not meet any other of our temporary neighbours except a crazy woman who looked like she had been on the local home made liquor that we had seen being sold at the road side. We all slept out under the ...