For the second night running we failed to hear anything during the night -- I used to be a light sleeper -- when everyone else was kept awake by hippos and friends. One guy [Kim] discovered hippos grazing just below his sleeping position (having had to wake the guards) and another (stupidly?) sleeping in the open was circled by a cat-like creature (a hyena?).
We were woken at 5am (the alarm was set for 5.30) by the Austrians [camping adjacent to us] deciding that everyone should know it was time to get up and by a school trip noisily animal watching a few yards away. Then back to Chipata and over the border to Malawi -- the Zambian official asking everyone about their [country's] football team and us Brits about the really expensive (US$60) visas.
Along the road I noticed the tendancy for Zambian huts to be neatly painted -- black at the bottom often with some simple step-triangle ornamation, possibly a white border to that and a dusky orange or yellow for the rest of the hut.
Another classic shop: "Champana bros. tailoring shop and bakery." My stiff back after last night's game drive reminds me [repeatedly] how African road engineers don't know how to join roads to bridges smoothly. A final shop [stop] in Chipata where we clubbed together small change and bought a tour kite. Souvenir Zambian kwacha 20 bills were distributed. At about 4560 Zambian kwacha to US$1, that's about 0.5c per note! We passed a man arc-welding a bicycle wheel (why?).
Zambia-Malawi no-man's land is about 10km wide and full of people, odd. On reflection, Coca-Cola must be the world's best known brand -- it's everywhere. Even in the crappiest roadside town in Africa.
Malawi seems a lot greener and most of the roadside is ploughed for agriculture. They may not have much but they seem to do better with it in Malawi. Less litter, more brick housing, better infrastructure? You still see women collecting water from nearby pools, though. There are a few roadside shops advertising in a non-English language in Malawi -- better literacy, perhaps?
Our destination is Steps Campsite, Senga Bay on Lake Malawi part of a Le Meridien hotel complex.
Steps Campsite S13.71596
E34.62891 Elev. 471m.
As we collapse in the lake (bilharzia free!) the number of "adventure trucks" increases to four. Obviously a popular spot, here, opposite Cape Maclear.
Paul notes the difference between Zambia and its neighbours is part of the poor government allowing overgrazing, particularly by goats.
Copyright 2002 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.