Dark days for Young Travellers

Trip Start Sep 17, 2007
1
240
272
Trip End Oct 08, 2008


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Malawi  ,
Saturday, August 16, 2008

I was trying to think of a parallel to explain how it feels to lose my backpack.  It hasn't left my side for 11 months.  In the bottom I keep my journal, pens, and a couple papers in a plastic bag.  On top of that goes the book I'm reading at the moment.  The camera bag, of course, with all the associated hardware.  On top goes food and water for the next bus ride.  My hat, too.  In the small pocket I keep my lens, compass (surprisingly useful), and various other things like watch, flashlights, sunscreen, etc.  Basically, it has everything I need on a day-to-day basis. 

Now, we travel without a guidebook and without a camera.  As if to mock us, or perhaps cheer us up (depending on your mood), the ride down through southern Tanzania is very beautiful.  We pass wonderful stands of silvery baobob trees, rolling hills.  The next morning, when we take a minibus to the border, we pass through misty tea plantations.  The border passes quickly (I feel bad for Gregor and Daria because they have to pay $100 each to get into Malawi and we get in free).  The "frequent minibuses" leaving from the Malawi side don't appear to be so frequent, so we get talked into a taxi for the hop to Karonga.  Here, Gregor and Daria continue on while we stop to get some money and see if there is anything else we might find.  I carry our laundry bag with some water and oranges as a substitute backpack.  Erin speaks of her reluctance to "play the game anymore."  The friendly guy that sort of conned us on the minibus that morning, the persistent black market moneychangers, negotiating for taxis.  We aren't in the best of moods.

Unable to find much in Karonga, "the biggest town north of Mzuzu," we continue on to Rumphi.  This drive is also beautiful, as we drive along wonderful Lake Malawi.  We can see small villages with dugout canoes lying on the beach.  To our right rises the Nyika Plateau.  There are way too many people on our bus, and we have to climb over them all with our luggage when we get off at the Rumphi turn-off.  Then we change again to a smaller minibus and cram in with other like-minded locals.  The door looks like it might fall off and most of the windows are made of tape, but it chugs into Rumphi, our final destination for the day.

It was quite refreshing to not have to deal with a single hotel-tout coming off the bus (tourists don't come here much).  I was tempted to take the $3 room at the nearest hotel but Erin opted for the $6 with bathroom.  That proved to be a good idea. 

We looked around and managed to buy a couple of mildly useful things.  We picked up a cheap shoulder bag and Erin bought a rather interesting hat.  We tried a $2 watch off the street and although it is excellent at telling time, the alarm can't be heard even if you're awake.  We need to find an alarm clock to get us up in the morning.  By dinner Erin was complaining of aches and we retired early. 

It only got worse throughout the night.  She woke up with diarrhea and high fever.  We stayed in Rumphi (and got our use of the toilet) that day.  Erin was miserable and I had trouble being the cheerful one.  A mugging and food poisoning in two days?  How is that helpful at all? 

Someday we'll look back on all this as a good story.  Until then, these are the dark days.

~Travis
Print this entry Lilongwe hotels