24thJune Tete, Mozambique

24^th June. Tete Mozambique.

Lack of diesel caused us a bit of inconvenience but managed to get 20 litres at a servo which was enough to get us to Blantyre then across the border to the closest servo at Tete. The camp site here is run down and there have been 5 Sth African vehicles pulled up then drive away looking for somewhere else but geez, we’ve had a damn sight worse. I think they expect the same standard elsewhere as they have at home. Their vehicles seem to be fitted out with all the mods and cons but still demand a power supply when they stop. Even the crowd we met in Qualimane on their way to Germany demanded power for their fridges despite only staying the one night. There were cables everywhere. Again at Liwonde NP two couples pulled up in their bakkies and trailers, there were no plugs on the camping ground but it wasn’t long before they had a 50 metre length of cable going to the kitchen. Solar panels are not big yet in SA. Yet we went for 11 months through Asia & Africa without plugging in once. The bonus here is being on the edge of the Zambezi River with an amazing suspension bridge 400 metres up stream. There is a continuous flow of traffic across it but too far away to be a nuisance. As the evening progresses some drums have started playing across the river, very apt.

The diversion to Blantyre was a waste of time as all we did was get into traffic jams around servos that had a bit of fuel and some shopping. The traffic jams were not policed and it proved impossible to even drive past the servo. The cars were all over the road with one cop trying to restore order. It was a fiasco. We ended up diverting through unpaved back streets filled with people and rubbish.

Crossing into Mozambique proved more difficult than last time and cost us a further $75 each just to get a two day transit visa. After filling out the extra forms Joan was taken into an office where she was photographed and finger printed as was I after her. So back into Mozambique where potholes and fuel tankers heading to the border are the order of the day. Seems like the Malawian government has paid its bill at last.

Tomorrow we cross into Zimbabwe where we hope to spend a couple of weeks

The two photos following are at Cape Maclear where we spent a night.