Last night provided me with quite a spectacular electrical storm. The clouds were so low and thick I couldn't see bolts of lightning, just lots of flashes but it was enough to keep me awake. As this was all going on, I was creating the thunder myself. Something from dinner was fighting with my stomach and so in the middle of night as the rain threw it down I had to run to the toilet in complete darkness. The security guard was asleep and lying across the steps that led to the toilet. I didn't have a clue he was there obviously and so as I bounded up the steps I woke him up and in turn he almost cleared my stomach right there on the pavement. It's always nice to know that your security guard is awake and ready to stop any midnight toilet roll thief!!
I sat for quite a while in the bamboo and straw roofed toilet as the clouds flashed and the rain battered down. More proof that Africa is in fact Jurassic Park I thought. I was just waiting for the wind to blow the walls down and T-Rex to eat me in one go.
Mother nature's lightning and my thunder did eventually stop though and i got a bit of sleep before my alarm woke me at 6. I was pleased I had made the decision to keep the tent's waterproof skin on but had forgotten about my cycling shorts that I had left to dry on Nigel. They were soaked so that meant pulling out the fresh new and unworn ones. I've had two pairs since the start but only worn one pair this whole time. That's disgusting you may think, but who's laughing now? I now have a fresh padded bum section which feels like a perfectly plumped cushion compared to my other old, damp, paper thin mattrice ones, that I have worn holes in over the last 7 months.
The fresh shorts could be the answer to my saddle sore problems!! I walked down to breakfast feeling like a newborn Teletubbie and enjoyed another quality full English with David and Mark. We said our goodbyes and i got stuck into my first task of the day which was pushing Nigel back up the stinking steep hill.
I was initially worried about the wind direction but when I got back to the road it turned out that it was giving me a slight helping hand as it blew diagonally across me. After about 15km of coastal cycling I arrived at the bottom of the one and only big climb of the day. The 10km up took me an hour and a half and I have to say that it was one of the most enjoyable climbs I've ever done. On one side I overlooked the lake and its stunning beaches and the other side of the road overlooked thick green forest that covered undulating hills.
When I got to the top I had a gradual descent into Rhumpi which felt strange as I was cycling closely by a river but in the upstream direction. I didn't complain about it though, and the slight tailwind enabled me to maintain momentum for long periods before I needed to readjust my seating position. Yesterday my music threw a fit so today I had no music at all. I was initially dreading the constant bombardment of words shouted at me that I had no clue what they meant. As it happened, the road ran through large areas of just farmland and my Haribo people were less spread out and more centred around villages. This made them alot easier to digest and I could enjoy my long ride alot more.
I said to David yesterday that I thought that south Tanzania was one of the best scenic roads I've ever been on, he told me to not talk too soon before I gave Malawi a chance and today proved that he wasn't wrong!!! It was really beautiful and I'm sure I would've enjoyed it even more if I had been in his land rover because with 15 miles to go, I hit the wall again. It got tough and climbs felt never ending but as always, I told myself that it couldn't last forever and kept going.
When arrived at the outskirts of Mzuzu my first impressions were of drunk people. They had clearly been enjoying an all day Saturday session and it proved that Mzuzu was a much bigger town than I've been used to. Drunk people are not as easy to spot when you cycle through small villages because half the time they can't afford to drink and the rest of the time they stay inside.
I still had a good 5 miles before I got into the city centre and I was too tired and too late to look for a bank so I just looked for a reasonable place to stay. I found it after 3 attempts. The first, I entered the driveway of the motel and the curtains looked a state, I had a bad feeling aswell so I did a sharp u-turn before getting caught by anyone. The second was two expensive but they showed me to a cheaper third who's eventual deal clincher was a new bed and furniture that made the whole room smell of fresh pine. The thought of sleeping in DFS did it for me and on top of that, fanta was the same price as water.
I have turned into a raging fantaholic since starting this ride for 5 reasons. 1. The fanta orange flavour is much stronger out here than it is at home. 2. Blackcurrant flavour 3. Mango flavour 4. Passion flavour and 5. Pineapple flavour which on some occasions gets the nod over orange because it tastes like the clear Gummibears.
When I eventually got to my room and got Nigel in safely I was longing for a shower whether it was cold or hot. I didn't care about the temperature but today was definately an "imperial leather" day. When I stayed at a fancy hotel in Kenya they supplied me with two small bars of Imperial Leather. I took one with me for times when a plastic bar just wouldn't cut it and today was one of those days. I dug around my handlebar bag to find it, it had gone! Then I remembered that I used it at the overpriced campsite past Iringa and I even remembered carefully putting it back into its packet but leaving it on the bench!! Gutted I was, I just had to make do with a cheapskate bar that I got in Ethiopia instead, which produces about as much lather as a Lego brick.
I ordered food (chambo and rice) which I thought was rice and beef but when the plate arrived with a whole fish split open and looking at me I knew I had maybe got choma and chambo mixed up! I've mentioned before how they love to fry chickens here until their bones turn to dust, well fish are no different. How much of it is edible? What bit tastes good? I had absolutely no clue so I ended up eating the whole head. The eyes were actually very nice. When it came to the body, some fins went down and some were like eating finger nails so I didn't quite do the whole fish but there wasn't much left for the local cats to feed on that's for sure.
The lodge had advertised DSTv which is African "Sky" basically but they hadn't paid their bill so I had one Malawi channel to keep me company for the rest of the night. I was happy with my days ride though. I had teed myself up for a fairly short day then a rest day and then another long day which I think is better than 3 average cycling days. First things first tomorrow though, I need money!
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