Welcome to Malawi!

Country number six… welcome to Malawi!! We crossed the border at the small town of Songwe, enjoying a final chips and egg omelette (a delicacy of Tanzania and so tasty with pink-coloured chilli sauce) and a quick haggle with the money changers to get the best deal before crossing over into Malawi. Our campsite tonight is in a clearing that borders rice fields and as it is raining buckets at present, there is a small creek running through it. Riders are scurrying to get their tents pitched a bit better and trying to move them out of the water running through the area. Apparently, this is typical of what the rainy season is like in Malawi and it doesn’t usually finish until mid-April. As most of the riders were in camp early, a few of us got to explore a small village, some rice fields and taste a bit of the local moonshine (about 70%proof). The local village was out in force checking the camp out for the majority of the afternoon and the kids were a real delight even if the situation was a little reminiscent of Ethiopia. On the riding front…a monster climb at the start of the day to remind you that you had legs, then rolling hills until the border. The real bonus was the thick fog that settled in, keeping the temperature down and riders in long sleeve jerseys, arm warmers and spray jackets for most of the morning. Tomorrow the tour heads towards Lake Malawi and Chitimba Beach for our first rest day in our new country.