The girls left Lake Malawi a day ahead of me so I took off by myself to cross the border to Tanzania. The boat that took me from Mayoka Village to the town was a bit late so I had to pay a Mini Bus driver a few extra dollars to leave the bay area with his bus only 60% full (they do not leave a station until they have filled their van). I did this so I could get to Mzuzu sooner vs. later because I had to get another minibus from Mzuzu to the border (which closes at 5pm). [View Full Entry]

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As proof that life ebbs and flows, after our easy bus trip from Blantyre to Lilongwe, we experienced a hellish 10-hour bus trip from Lilongwe to Mzuzu. Not only was it very long (it should have only been about six hours) but about seven hours into the trip, we stopped at a town and the bus got so packed that people were standing in the aisles and sitting on the backs of the benches. A lady with a chicken stood over Vicky which caused Vicky (the English Princess) to freak out for the rest of the three hour journey. In addition, [View Full Entry]

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After going through immigration and entering Malawi, the girls and I waited at border for a large bus to take us to Blantyre. But after we realized it would take forever for that bus to leave as locals had tons of crap they bought in South Africa and had to claim them at customs, we got into another crowed chapa for the 1.5-hour ride to Blantyre. We arrived at Doogles, a famous backpackers in Blantyre, and we secured some dorm beds. I was tired, sweaty and in need of a shower badly. The girls and I had a few beers at [View Full Entry]

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Once again, the ride on the northern roads of Mozambiqe was rough and slow going. And once again the girls and I crammed into the back of the pick up truck. But we were all smiles as we realized trying to traverse this area on public transport would have been excrutiating! We reached Tete after sundown and found our way to the only place in town...the Tete Motel. It was expensive ($40 per person) but at least it had hot water and air conditioning...something I have not had in a while. We all showered and then ventured out for dinner. Somehow [View Full Entry]

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We left in the early morning with the two English doctors (who were working in Zambia) in their pick-up truck. I had envisioned riding in the back of the truck with the sun on my face and the wind in my hair. Instead, Charlotte, Vicky and I were squisshed into the small back seat of the pick up....where we sat for the 12 hours it took to reach Vilanculos. The roads to reach Vilanculos were mostly under construction which meant we had to navigate through mud on the side of the construction. I was sooooo happy we did not have to [View Full Entry]

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The bus ride to Inhambane was a rough one. As usual, it took longer than estimated...after 10 hours we made it to Inhambane and grabbed a free mini bus ride to Tofo (courtesy of Bamboozi Backpackers). Neike and I took beds in the large round dorm room which housed about 15 beds. Upon arrival, we were the only ones in the room (but that would change the next day and soon the room would be full). It was almost sunset when we arrived but after the long, hot bus ride, I quickly ran into the ocean which I found out was [View Full Entry]

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Judith and I boarded the public bus and headed towards Mozambique. We had heard that it was simple to get a visa at the border so we were not worried. At the border, I made sure we were the first at the immigration counter just in case the visas took a long time. My strategy paid off because just as we were getting our passports back (it took about 25 minutes in total), the public bus was taking off for Maputo. As we approached Maputo, I felt as if I was once again traveling. The city was crowded and smoggy and [View Full Entry]

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I drove to Swaziland with Meke and Irena.....Meke almost drove through the border without stopping before a uniformed man with a gun halted "stop!". Passing through the border was simple and we drove very slowly (they take speeding in Swaziland very seriously) to Matsapha where we stayed at The Swaziland Backpackers (highly recommend this place!!). There were a great many other travelers staying there so I was able to swap stories and tips on traveling. The following day Meke, Irene and I (along with a wacky Irish dude) went quadding (4-wheel motorcycle riding) up in the hills surroundi [View Full Entry]

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The two Aussies (Bret and Tim) and I set out in their small rental from J-Bay to Cintsa....where we were to stay at Buccanner's, a legenday backpackers place. The 7-hour drive was fantastic as the green scenery fo the rolling hills had us smiling. We arrived at Buccaneer's around 4pm and were situated in a small dorm room which had eight beds (I was lucky enough to snag one of the non-bunk bed beds. The room had a great little deck which overlooked the bay. The one bad thing about Buccaneer's we noticed immediately was that it was situated on a [View Full Entry]

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The stretch between the Garden Route and the Wild Coast is known as the Sunshine Coast. It is primarily known for the surfing mecca of Jeffrey's Bay (known as J-bay). In the morning, I luckily got ride from the Tube n Axe to the highway where I was looking to once again board the local bus. My luck was strong that morning for when I reached the highway, the bus was just coming down the highway. I waved it down and boarded it...and again I was the only white face. I found a seat towards the rear, inserted my earplugs and [View Full Entry]

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