Convoys, Diesel, and Sense of Direction...

Gorgongosa Campsite

Dawn came early after our night out in Vilankulos... but it was well worth it check out some local music. Leaving the cool ocean breeze was tough, but there was much to see and Malawi was calling. It was a long drive to Gorongosa National Park, and due to the political unrest we had to catch up to a military convoy by 9am. We were running late.... but we made the checkpoint around 9:30 – late but were waved through behind a tank. Nerve wracking, but just 1Km into this convoy, we are waved around – then dodge a few large trucks, and that's it. No more military all the way to Gorongosa – no worries! Gorongosa is a lovely and clean campsite with a cute camp dog. :)

Next morning – off to Malawi! Crossing the border was a breeze – only after waiting on a "ferry" to be fixed (aka metal barge on wires...) - but it was a fun checkpoint with many children again wanting to sing and dance :)  It's pitch dark and 18 hours later we are nearly to Blantyre and the Landie comes to a puttering halt. We are out of gas. Two “24 hour filling stations” happened to be closed. Luckily we were at a police checkpoint, and they happened to arrest someone selling diesel illegally a few days back that lived nearby. So we send the South African to track him down... 2 hours later – by midnight – he trudges back with a can full of diesel. A trooper! We arrive in Blantyre by 1am, and hit the sack – real bed #2! Zomba Plateau is our first stop after stocking up in the big city. We arrive late again, and must wander through the mountain in the dark searching for the Trout Camp. Wrong road #1, wrong road #2... back up, turn around, don't fall off the cliff.... and then finally we see a sign and a man appears out of nowhere to point the way. It was a bit creepy at night, but we awake to a jungle paradise. A forest hike revealed lots of deforestation in the surrounding area – depressing but it was nice to see there was a small piece of jungle remaining, and you could drink straight from the cool stream. Delicious. But there is more to see, so off we go! Next stop? Liwonde National Park for more wildlife!

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