One thing I forget to ask at Infomulanje is how to acquire an (obligatory) guide, and I wonder if I've made a booboo when I start chatting with a guy, B, on the street and agree to use his services. I've read that porters (which I won't need) are allocated on a rotation basis so they get cheesed off if you arrive at the trailhead with one already, and I'm not sure if the same applies to guides. I mention this and B says he's registered so it's not a problem. That isn't quite the question I asked but rephrasing it doesn't seem to get me the conclusive answer I'm seeking. We board a minibus to Likubula from where the ascent will start. B says the fare is MK150 but the conductor wants 200. Even 150 ... read more

The morning I leave for Lilongwe, it's overcast and spitting with rain, the eight okta cloud cover greying out the pre-dawn light to the point where I am reminded of wintry teenage paper rounds. The AXA bus from Mzuzu to Lilongwe bears little resemblance to that from Karonga to Mzuzu. The latter's aisles were off limits to humans and cargo while the vehicle was moving, the former's aren't. I have babies' arses swiped across my face as their mothers force their way down the aisle, offspring secured to their backs by the ubiquitous chitenges. Half way through the journey I acquire a (seated) neighbour whose hip size is roughly twice mine, and spend the rest of the trip perched on the edge of my seat, displaced by a mass of buttock that surely should require two ... read more

The WLP describes Nkhata Bay as "Caribbeanesque" then back-pedals and damns it with "quite picturesque". It's certainly (and thankfully) not as hot as the former but I'll give it the latter. It has the potential to be overrun by tourism but, with Malawi not on the tourist trail and with the nearest airport to Nkhata Bay 6 hours away by road, that won't happen any time soon. However it's certainly a backpacker destination and the number of smoking teenagers is overwhelming, with me not having seen such a quantity anywhere in Africa. My first accommodation is serenely peaceful and I fritter away three days on the balcony of a basic bamboo hut, occasionally pottering into the town where there's nothing to do either, though I do see a store advertising "A good coffin for a good ... read more

With Malawi next on my destination list, the obvious overland route is to bus it down to Mbeya, overnight there, then cross the border the next day. It's a 13 hour journey to Mbeya during which I have an entire double seat to myself. I recall reading in the paper that the cost of 1km of road in Tanzania has doubled to $1 million in just two years, and a mere 49km of new road were completed last year, a situation government critics are blaming on corruption and poorly-enforced contract conditions. This same newspaper also carried a letter in which the writer requested that all daladala conductors should be forced to tuck their shirts in, so there are clearly differing priorities in competition. I notice that the porters at Dar's Ubungo bus station wear overalls that ... read more

I take the most expensive bus option to Arusha, but it's a far cry from Argentinian standards. However the aircon (!) works and the ride is comfortable, with my seat occupied only by myself. Having read that Arusha is tout heaven, I've taken the precaution of booking a hotel room in advance. There's nothing more irritating than being trailed to a hotel by a tout and finding the price inflated because of their unwarranted commission. However there is little hassle at the bus stop and my bigger problem is actually finding the hotel. Once again, no-one can tell me any street names nor the location of my hotel. I swear now that, if anyone in the future ever asks me for directions in the place where I'm living, I will not rest until I have found ... read more