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Published: January 8th 2009
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Long time we know since our last blog but finding fast internet is a bit tricky and we have given up on uploading photos until we get back to Aussie in a couple of weeks. We have some amazing ones so please stay tuned.
After Zambia we headed across the border into Malawi with a wee hiccup being that they had stopped giving Visas at the border for some nations which included 4 of our party. After about an hour of sweet-talking by our guide, they were able to come across but had to go immediately to the capital Lilongwe to get their visas. This gave us some extra time there for a decent Indian curry and a bit of a browse in the market.
That night we camped at Senga Bay on Lake Malawi which was beautiful and fairly quiet. Unfortunately we headed further north up to Kande beach for the next 2 nights which was busier and more rowdy. However we had the chance to go diving in the freshwater lake to see the native cichlid fish which are supposed to be very pretty. Well we did see some but we only had 3 metres visibility and it looked
like we were swimming through someones aquarium that hadn't been cleaned in a year with all the fish poo.
We did see some very large catfish but couldn't find the jeep wreck supposed to be there.
We had some fun one evening with the local boys outside the campsite with their craft stalls which was predominately carvings. We had a small black Mamba cruising through one of the stalls which excited the lads no end who eventually killed the poor thing. Helen also saw a green mamba in the same campsite.
We then headed across the Tanzanian border and had to pay for our first visa of the trip. It was a long days drive but we camped on a cool farm near Iringa and had an amazing traditional meal there. The owner was a solo white woman who had been left the family farm and now employed over 300 of the locals.
The next day was terrible because we had to leave early for a 5-600km drive with no breakfast and a take-on-board "lunch" which consisted of two miniscule rolls. We were tired, hungry and grumpy when we arrived in Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean
coast. A nights rest saw us in a better mood the next morning in time for a ferry ride to Zanzibar. Promised a 1.5 hr trip by our guide, we arrived after 3 hours. The ride was bumpy with stuffy air that reeked of "spiced" sweat. Helen did a sterling job of not throwing up on the way.
After "customs" on Zanzibar's Stonetown, we hired a private taxi to Nungwi at the north of the island. This was a beautiful spot with white powdery beaches and turquoise water. We stayed for two nights and had an amazing day diving off Mnemba island with lots of green turtles, beautiful soft and hard corals and brightly coloured fish. Best of all visibility was 10-15 metres which made Malawi a distant memory.
Unfortunately we had left a bottle of expensive sunscreen on the dive boat and Geoff had to swim about 1 km round trip in rough seas to get it at his wife's request!! He was most disappointed to find out on his return that she was so absorbed in her book she hardly noticed he had gone and hadn't checked to see if he had drowned or not!!
We did a Spice Tour on the way back to Stonetown which was very interesting and it was good to see from what plants all the common spices were derived.
Stonetown was very crowded and bustling, a complete contrast to the easygoing north. We went to the night market to sample the local seafood and had a runin with one of the local "Pargasi" (Ticks in Swahili). He basically was trying to shaft us over something we bought and after a bit of confrontation gave us our money back. However wee wifey ticked him off again as we left and she told other tourists to be wary of him. He heard this and started shouting things like I will kill your husband etc etc. We didn't think too much of that until half an hour later when he followed us to another hotel bar a long way away from the market. We taxi-ed back that night and slunk down in our seats when we passed him on the was back so he didn't see us.
Understandably the next morning we were a bit shy about wandering through the narrow streets and alleys in case our friend appeared. We
Room with a view
Our tent on the banks of the Luangwa river. At night hippos and elephants would be all around us. still had time for some shoe shopping though and had a look through a few other stores but we didn't do it justice at all.
The ferry ride back wasn't as bad and we were kept entertained by "The Gods Must be Crazy I and II".
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