Mutoko-Nyamapanda-Tete

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The road via Mutoko to the border at Nymapanda is a granite fest. Not to mention the odd bird that needed identification by the ever enthusiastic Greg. He spotted a river on the GPS and proclaimed it as the breakfast and birding spot. It didn’t disappoint. African Cuckoo, tick. It did however take us 8 hours to do the normal 4+ hour journey. That’s the beauty of no deadlines.

Lydia, a colleague at work had mentioned that her family have a school named after them near Mutoko. Mission complete. We found the school, took photos and even managed to connect with Lydia via what’s app to make her long for her homeland. The school was a hive of activity, neat as a pin, a credit to the Chitekwe family name.

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Crossing into Mozambique was relatively painless. It’s amazing how the whole vibe shifts with each border crossed. You didn’t get the same welcoming, friendly feeling in Mozambique. People were serious about their daily duties and not really into chit chat. Riverbeds are hubs for, market gardens, water collecting, clothes and body washing. In some places you could seemingly book, or create, an individual bathing pool. Spa style.

Charcoal is prime business North of the Limpopo. Each country has a trademark packing system. I still haven’t worked out why there is a need to overfill the bag, but it’s obviously key. Mozambique do a neat little round basket. Malawi a more funnel shape and so it goes on. If you need a lesson in packing and loading, these are the people to ask. Bicycles and the top of a woman’s head are fair game for who knows how many kgs of stuff.

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Finally we reached the great Zambezi river. Greg’s motivation for and additional 4 border crossings! It is pretty impressive. To comply with the need to cross the Zambezi we took the old bridge in, and out and then the new bridge bound for Malawi. Three Zambezi crossings, tick.

On Terry’s recommendation we were sure to be at Cafe Del Rio, on the banks of the Zambezi for sunset. Yet another weather conspiracy. No sunset, only clouds. Oh well, the setting was perfect, the food delicious and the Gin cold. We watched facinated as mokoro skippers navigated the Zambezi current. One man with a death wish paddled furiously with the lid of a container as his only paddle. Make em tuff in Africa.

Tete was a complete surprise. It’s a city not a town. There are huge fancy chain store supermarkets and 9 million scooter bike taxis vying for customers. Make shift bars and traders flow out onto the patchy streets. Everyone seems to be on the move.

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A few of life’s challenges in Mozambique. First a newly constructed toilet designed to test the user. How do you get inside? Either hang precariously to the screening wall and maneuver around it to the loo on the other side, or scale the 4+m high vertical wall.

The next photo is an example of how to load a truck…………..but tyre repairs are an engineering challenge. No problem just use some stone jacks.