Journey West, Malawi.
27th January 2012, 3am
At 0300, all the alarms in my room went on; minutes later I heard the horn of taxi guy outside my house! I was all set for my journey West into Malawi! By 0330, I was at the railway station to board my train to Cuamba; about 350km West of Nampula. I was shocked to see a long queue outside the platform; no seat numbers for this train unfortunately. It only meant that the earlier you are, better are your chances for a seat! Stood in that queue for a few minutes and the guards opened the gates by 0400. I then got a chance to ask one of the guards if I was standing in the right place! Fortunately I wasn't in the right place! The second class compartments were on the other side and there was no queue!
Hopped on to the train, found myself a seat next to a window and after an hour of waiting we were on our way! It was a 350km journey but was going to take 12 hours!!! Every 10 minutes the train stopped to pick up more people at small villages! There was no station/platform or anything like that! People were just standing next to the tracks and when the train stopped, people threw their bags into the train and quickly hopped into the train! Meanwhile the vendors flocked around all the windows trying to sell food grown around that region! Every stop had different fruit or vegetable! They sold tomatoes, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, sugarcanes, mangoes, bananas, pineapples and so on! I got myself a whole sugarcane at one of the stops and spent most of my journey chewing on it! At 1730, I finally reached Cuamba. Immediately after I got off, I hopped on to a minibus going to Mandimba; border town. The road was a nightmare! 150km took over 5 hours! Found myself a place to sleep as soon as I got off the bus and got to bed before midnight.
28th January 2012, 6am
Just outside the lodge I stayed, there were many guys waiting as soon as I got out! Each one had his own type of transport; bicycles with a seat at the back, motorbikes, cars and pick-up trucks. The border gate was quite a distance from the town. So I had to pick one of them to take me there. I couldn't resist trying out the bicycle taxi! It was slow and bumpy but was fun! Within minutes the immigration was done and I was on the other side the border. Boarded a minibus to Mangochi hoping that I could get a bus to Lilongwe from there. I was amazed to see the quality of roads in Malawi! Beautiful! Even in that crappy minibus, I didn't feel a thing! As we started getting down the mountain, I got a glimpse of the lake; Lake Malawi! It was a beautiful view but didn't last long as the driver seemed to be in a hurry (and it was downhill). From Mangochi, I continued to Liwonde to catch a bus to Lilongwe. By 1600, I was in Lilongwe and within hours I had gotten myself a place to stay. For less than $8, I had gotten a huge room with a satellite connected tv, air condition and a beautiful bathroom! I then got some dinner and called it night watching a football match!
29th January, 2012
I woke up early, got ready and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood before my meeting. I felt like I was in South Africa again! To start off, there were decent roads; they were clean and the traffic seemed organized. A lot of South African retail stores were present. As I was heading back to my room, found a huge group of craftsmen. Very friendly men; they all wanted me to buy from them! They all gave a ridiculous price to start off with and after bargaining you could have found yourself a good deal!
After my meeting, I got myself the famous Malawian tea and headed to the bus station to get back to Mandimba via Liwonde. After 2hours of waiting in the bus, we headed to Liwonde. The guy sitting next to me in the bus spoke pretty good English, so I kept him busy with all my questions about Malawi. As soon as I got off the bus in Liwonde found an overcrowded minibus headed to Mandimba. I was sitting on a small platform behind the driver's seat; facing the opposite direction of the rest of the passengers and squeezed between fruit bags and chicken(alive)! Decided to rest in Mandimba for the night and head to the border in the morning. I got a room for $1.5 and it was pretty good!
30th January, 2012
I was up before sunrise; all set to leave to Mozambique. Walked to the highway and within seconds I found a mini truck going to the border. I hopped on the back of it and we started climbing up hill. It was dawn, fresh wind blowing on my face and a breathtaking view of the Lake Malawi along with the mountains and plains; it felt like I was in Nat-Geo or Discovery channel!! The lake was mighty; extended all the way into the horizon; it looked like the ocean! The view was beautiful and I'm pretty sure it will remain in my memory for a long time!
Once we crossed the mountain, we couldn't see the lake anymore! The cold wind blowing on my face started to give me an ear ache! By 0730, I had crossed the border and entered Mozambique. I waited for an hour and a half before I could find my way to Cuamba! Unfortunately, it was only an empty 8 ton truck heading that way! I really didn't want to do this! The road was a nightmare and the sun was out! I spotted a few military tanks along the road left to rust. Apparently the war was quite intense in that region and there are quite some land mines in the region which haven't gone off yet! After 5 long hours of tiring travel, I arrived in Cuamba. I headed straight to the railway station to get my ticket to Nampula. I bought a second class ticket and minutes later I decided to try my luck with the trucks/cars going that way to avoid a stay over at Cuamba as the train was on only next morning at 0530! I returned my ticket and went to the highway! After 2 hours of waiting, I found nothing! So went back to the station, but now I had lost my second class ticket also! So traveling 3rd class this time! I walked all over the town; bought some vegetables and decided to have a salad for supper! Got a room to stay for the night and tried to get some rest for the night.
31st January, 2012; 3am
Again all the alarms went on at the same time! Within minutes I got ready and walked out of my room. I then spot the customs officer that was working at Mandimba border gate standing outside his room! He was also heading to Nampula on the same train and also in 3rd class! I was just glad there was another English speaking person on the train! We walked to the station and boarded the train! Fortunately the train was not as full as I thought it would be. We got ourselves window seats and the next thing I know we are 3 hours through our journey! We picked up lots of different types fruits and vegetables from vendors standing next to the train selling it through the windows! The vendors managed to sell everything cause it was in pretty huge bags and for a price next to nothing. The passengers bought these bags with an intention to sell it in Nampula which fetches them a good price!! My window unfortunately did not have a metal grill; so it ended up being a loading entrance. Midway through our journey the train, the train started to fill up; lots of people, chicken, fruits, vegetables and roots(cassava). I had my seat and my fruits; so kept myself busy eating and got as much sleep I could! After
long eleven hours, I reached Nampula! I couldn't wait to get a hot water shower and some decent food!
27th January 2012, 3am
At 0300, all the alarms in my room went on; minutes later I heard the horn of taxi guy outside my house! I was all set for my journey West into Malawi! By 0330, I was at the railway station to board my train to Cuamba; about 350km West of Nampula. I was shocked to see a long queue outside the platform; no seat numbers for this train unfortunately. It only meant that the earlier you are, better are your chances for a seat! Stood in that queue for a few minutes and the guards opened the gates by 0400. I then got a chance to ask one of the guards if I was standing in the right place! Fortunately I wasn't in the right place! The second class compartments were on the other side and there was no queue!
Hopped on to the train, found myself a seat next to a window and after an hour of waiting we were on our way! It was a 350km journey but was going to take 12 hours!!! Every 10 minutes the train stopped to pick up more people at small villages! There was no station/platform or anything like that! People were just standing next to the tracks and when the train stopped, people threw their bags into the train and quickly hopped into the train! Meanwhile the vendors flocked around all the windows trying to sell food grown around that region! Every stop had different fruit or vegetable! They sold tomatoes, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, sugarcanes, mangoes, bananas, pineapples and so on! I got myself a whole sugarcane at one of the stops and spent most of my journey chewing on it! At 1730, I finally reached Cuamba. Immediately after I got off, I hopped on to a minibus going to Mandimba; border town. The road was a nightmare! 150km took over 5 hours! Found myself a place to sleep as soon as I got off the bus and got to bed before midnight.
28th January 2012, 6am
Just outside the lodge I stayed, there were many guys waiting as soon as I got out! Each one had his own type of transport; bicycles with a seat at the back, motorbikes, cars and pick-up trucks. The border gate was quite a distance from the town. So I had to pick one of them to take me there. I couldn't resist trying out the bicycle taxi! It was slow and bumpy but was fun! Within minutes the immigration was done and I was on the other side the border. Boarded a minibus to Mangochi hoping that I could get a bus to Lilongwe from there. I was amazed to see the quality of roads in Malawi! Beautiful! Even in that crappy minibus, I didn't feel a thing! As we started getting down the mountain, I got a glimpse of the lake; Lake Malawi! It was a beautiful view but didn't last long as the driver seemed to be in a hurry (and it was downhill). From Mangochi, I continued to Liwonde to catch a bus to Lilongwe. By 1600, I was in Lilongwe and within hours I had gotten myself a place to stay. For less than $8, I had gotten a huge room with a satellite connected tv, air condition and a beautiful bathroom! I then got some dinner and called it night watching a football match!
29th January, 2012
I woke up early, got ready and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood before my meeting. I felt like I was in South Africa again! To start off, there were decent roads; they were clean and the traffic seemed organized. A lot of South African retail stores were present. As I was heading back to my room, found a huge group of craftsmen. Very friendly men; they all wanted me to buy from them! They all gave a ridiculous price to start off with and after bargaining you could have found yourself a good deal!
After my meeting, I got myself the famous Malawian tea and headed to the bus station to get back to Mandimba via Liwonde. After 2hours of waiting in the bus, we headed to Liwonde. The guy sitting next to me in the bus spoke pretty good English, so I kept him busy with all my questions about Malawi. As soon as I got off the bus in Liwonde found an overcrowded minibus headed to Mandimba. I was sitting on a small platform behind the driver's seat; facing the opposite direction of the rest of the passengers and squeezed between fruit bags and chicken(alive)! Decided to rest in Mandimba for the night and head to the border in the morning. I got a room for $1.5 and it was pretty good!
30th January, 2012
I was up before sunrise; all set to leave to Mozambique. Walked to the highway and within seconds I found a mini truck going to the border. I hopped on the back of it and we started climbing up hill. It was dawn, fresh wind blowing on my face and a breathtaking view of the Lake Malawi along with the mountains and plains; it felt like I was in Nat-Geo or Discovery channel!! The lake was mighty; extended all the way into the horizon; it looked like the ocean! The view was beautiful and I'm pretty sure it will remain in my memory for a long time!
Once we crossed the mountain, we couldn't see the lake anymore! The cold wind blowing on my face started to give me an ear ache! By 0730, I had crossed the border and entered Mozambique. I waited for an hour and a half before I could find my way to Cuamba! Unfortunately, it was only an empty 8 ton truck heading that way! I really didn't want to do this! The road was a nightmare and the sun was out! I spotted a few military tanks along the road left to rust. Apparently the war was quite intense in that region and there are quite some land mines in the region which haven't gone off yet! After 5 long hours of tiring travel, I arrived in Cuamba. I headed straight to the railway station to get my ticket to Nampula. I bought a second class ticket and minutes later I decided to try my luck with the trucks/cars going that way to avoid a stay over at Cuamba as the train was on only next morning at 0530! I returned my ticket and went to the highway! After 2 hours of waiting, I found nothing! So went back to the station, but now I had lost my second class ticket also! So traveling 3rd class this time! I walked all over the town; bought some vegetables and decided to have a salad for supper! Got a room to stay for the night and tried to get some rest for the night.
31st January, 2012; 3am
Again all the alarms went on at the same time! Within minutes I got ready and walked out of my room. I then spot the customs officer that was working at Mandimba border gate standing outside his room! He was also heading to Nampula on the same train and also in 3rd class! I was just glad there was another English speaking person on the train! We walked to the station and boarded the train! Fortunately the train was not as full as I thought it would be. We got ourselves window seats and the next thing I know we are 3 hours through our journey! We picked up lots of different types fruits and vegetables from vendors standing next to the train selling it through the windows! The vendors managed to sell everything cause it was in pretty huge bags and for a price next to nothing. The passengers bought these bags with an intention to sell it in Nampula which fetches them a good price!! My window unfortunately did not have a metal grill; so it ended up being a loading entrance. Midway through our journey the train, the train started to fill up; lots of people, chicken, fruits, vegetables and roots(cassava). I had my seat and my fruits; so kept myself busy eating and got as much sleep I could! After
long eleven hours, I reached Nampula! I couldn't wait to get a hot water shower and some decent food!
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