Part Ten - Zanzibar, Tanzania

Location: Zanzibar, 80km from the east coast of Africa
Languages: Swahili
Population: 1 070 000
Prices: Accommodation expensive, otherwise cheap
Attractions: The beaches, Stone Village
Info: A large semi autonomous island 80km off the coast of Tanzania. Eastern side is a very popular and touristy beach resort, while the northern and eastern areas are still quite unspoiled albeit a few backpacker lodges.
SA Recommends: Northern Zanzibar (not so many tourists, perfect beaches)

12.12.12 23:30 GMT+3

Our trip from Mbeya to Dar was unimaginably exhausting, yet the travelling part wasn't over. Our goal was to reach Zanzibar during the day, which we were (surprisingly enough) able to accomplish. We took a ferry from Dar to Zanzibar without problems (it was an hour late, but I guess here it's just kind of a given), we even managed to catch some sleep aboard the ferry.

From the harbour it was supposed to be an hour drive to our destination. That most definitely would've been too much to ask, so we weren't even surprised when we ran into some engine trouble and had a flat tyre on the road... TIA. After couple of hours in a minibus, we finally arrived to the northern end of the island. Zanzibar seems quite a nice place. It's a mixture of religions and cultures, all living in coexistence and harmony. Architecture is nice and the narrow streets give the cities a unique look.

After spending the last 3 days on buses, minibuses, taxies and a ferry, anywhere would feel like the best place on earth. But it doesn't hurt that we're in Zanzibar. Perfect white beaches with sunbathing girls, refreshing ocean breeze, beautiful palm trees, the most delicious fresh fruits you can find, cold drinks... Not even the daily power failures are going to ruin my mood. This is how it should always be. This is serenity. This is Zanzibar.

Over 6000km from Cape Town, we finally reached our final destination. We found ourselves a nice room near to the beach and for the next week, I ain't going to lift a finger. That includes this blog. I'm going to let the pictures do the talking.

Zanzibar over and out.

Next Destination: Tampere, Finland

Part Nine - Mbeya -> Dar Es Salaam

Trip: Mbeya, Tanzania - Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Distance: 800km
SA Recommends: Take the train if possible

10.12.12 22:45 GMT+3

Our arrival to Mbeya was quite interesting. We were only planning on staying there one night before taking the train, so we didn't really do any research on the place. We didn't even have a name of a hostel/lodge in mind. We only found out on the bus to Mbeya, that it is actually a huge city, which made us kind of nervous, we were expecting a small town where everyone knows the few backpacker lodges the town has to offer by name and where you can walk all the distances. Turns out it's a city of 2 million people, where no one speaks English.

Luckily there was a really friendly local guy Issa in the bus, who spoke a few words of English and took us to a bead and breakfast and functioned as our interpreter since the owner didn't seem to speak English one bit. The cool thing about our new Tanzanian friend was that he didn't seem to be in it for the money like 90% of the helpful Samaritans you meet in Africa. We even shared a meal with Issa afterwards and even though our communication wasn't working seamlessly, he turned out to be really good hearted person.

The place where we ended up is also quite interesting. It is the only hostel we've been to so far, where there are no tourists whatsoever, only locals (excluding us). It wasn't very glorious, but it was cheap and there was a bed so it qualified for us.
Knowing how "well" the Malawian public transportation network works, we were expecting to spend at least two days on the trip from Nkhata Bay to the border and from the border to Mbeya, instead we arrived there on the Monday evening already. Our original plan was to catch a train from Mbeya to Dar on Wednesday but since we were so much ahead of our schedule, we decided rather to try our luck with the bus. We heard that the train might take two days to reach Dar and the bus should only take 12 hours so we might save a couple of days by taking the bus.

12.12.12 23:30 GMT+3

I've sat about 8000km in African buses during this trip so far, so I thought I had seen it all. Another 800km in a Tanzanian bus should be a piece of cake...
Or so we thought. Well, it was our last bus ride on this journey so I guess it would've been kind of boring if it hadn't turned out as infernal and unforgettable as it did.

If we thought the bus ride from Lilongwe to Nkhata Bay was a pain in the ass, we knew even less than nothing.

The bus was supposed to leave at 11:00 yet the bus was nowhere to be seen. Even the guy selling the tickets seemed kind of jumpy, since he wasn't able to get through to the drivers cell phone. Half an hour later the bus arrived and we rushed into the bus. Even though the bus was already 30 minutes late, the driver decided to wait for more customers, hour and a half later we finally left the station. Well, it was kind of a tradition in these African buses, that we had already eaten all our food and drank hald our water before the bus started to move, kind of like how in movies you always eat all the popcorns during the previews.

According to the schedule the bus was supposed to arrive to Dar Es Salaam around 23:00, but we knew that African buses tend to be few hours late, so we weren't really worried... Until around 17 o'clock (the supposed half way point) we saw a road sign saying "Dar Es Salaam 507km". We made a bet about when we would arrive in Dar Es Salaam. Our legs and backs were extremely sore because of the seats and nonexistent leg room. I  jokingly suggested we wouldn't arrive until five in the morning, turns out, I missed by three hours.

Dar, Finally

Around 8:00 the next day, after we had been sitting in the bus for more than 20 hours, we finally arrived to our destination, 9 hours late. I was able to fall a sleep for a few times, but only for a few minutes and I could barely keep my eyes open. But it was morning, so we decided to head straight to Zanzibar. We were only planning on staying in Dar for the night anyways and the night was over.

Next Destination: Zanzibar, Tanzania

Part Eight - Nkhata Bay, Malawi

Location: Nkhata Bay, Northern Malawi, eastern Africa
Languages: English, Tonga
Population: 15000
Prices: Cheap! Except petrol
Attractions: Lake Malawi, Mayoka Village
Info: Popular 'backpacker-paradise' on the northeastern shore of Lake Malawi
SA Recommends:
Mayoka Village (Nice place to meet other travelers. Though better to stay clear, if you're looking for a quiet place)

 8.12.12 17:30 GMT+1

If we thought the bus trip from Lilongwe to Monkey Bay was a pain in the ass, we knew nothing. I've never seen bus so overbooked. The seats were all full, some had more than one person sitting on them and the isle was packed as well, at least there were no chickens. We came to the bus a bit late, so we had to stand for the first four hours. After we finally arrived to our first stop Lilongwe, we were simply too exhausted to continue to Mzuzu and we decided to sleep one night in Lilongwe and go for the morning bus to Nkhata Bay instead. At this point our German friend unfortunately had to part ways with us as he left to Mozambique (Somehow we seem to attract Germans though, during our resting stop in Lilongwe we met a German couple who joined us for our trip to Nkhata Bay) so it was just the two of us Finns again.
After another uncomfortable 12 hours in a bus, we finally arrived to Nkhata Bay and just like in Cape Maclear it felt amazing to leave hectic Lilongwe behind and step out of the infernal Malawian national bus and relax at Lake Malawi. Again, we only traveled about 300km, but the local buses stop every fifteen minutes to buy vegetables from the street vendors and to drop people off and pick more up (which takes forever, since the buses are just ridiculously packed).

10.12.12 00:12 GMT+1

We thought that Nkhata Bay, Malawi would be one of the least well known and touristy targets along our route but we were wrong. Turns out Nkhata Bay is quite lively traveler commune with huge backpacker lodges right next to each other. We chose to stay in Mayoka Village, which was located right next to Lake Malawi. Sometimes I prefer to stay in more quiet and remote hostels, but every now and then it's nice to come to a place where you can swap stories with other travelers and maybe find some intel on your next destination. This was definitely one of those times and it was nice to meet a bunch of travelers with interesting stories from around the world. We even met three Finns (the last time I randomly encountered someone from Finland, was more than 3 months ago) who were doing quite respectable road trip from Nordkapp to Cape Town and had some quite interesting anecdotes from along the way. We also met couple of German guys, who were coming from Tanzania and gave us some tips about where to go in Zanzibar. Word of mouth is often the best source of information while traveling, since many of the African lodges/backpackers don't really have an internet presence and books aren't always helpful since things change around here a lot. After all we came to Mayoka village based on recommendations from other travelers we met in Zambia and Malawi.

We had a great time in Mayoka Village. But there isn't really a lot to write about. Much like in Cape Maclear, we spent our days doing absolutely minimum humanly possible (which, I reckon, is a really good way to have a great time). First day we spent mostly sleeping and recovering from yesterdays bus ride (as ridiculous as it may sound, sitting in a bus for a day really takes its toll on you) and since the climate in Nkhata Bay resembles Finnish sauna, we didn't have any energy for activities on our second day either (unless you count playing Bao, which at times can be quite exhausting for your brains).

Once again, would've been nice to stay longer, but our plan is to catch a train from Mbeya to Dar Es Salaam on Wednesday morning so we have to leave Mayoka Village the next morning. Number one thing I learned from this trip so far is to make a rough estimation of how much time you will need, and then double it. There's never enough time when traveling.

Next Destination: Mbeya, Tanzania

Part Seven - Cape Maclear, Malawi

Location: Cape Maclear, Southern Malawi, eastern Africa
Languages: English
Population: 1000-2000
Prices: Cheap! Except petrol
Attractions: Lake Malawi
Info: Probably the most beautiful place at Lake Malawi, near Monkey Bay. Slowly gaining more popularity amongst tourists and backpackers. Several nice lodges and hostels located inside a small African village, giving the place a unique feeling.
SA Recommends: Mufasa Lodge (cheap, peaceful, good food, beautiful scenery)

6.12 12:16 GMT+1

It was a struggle to get to Cape Maclear, but it was most definitely worth the horrible bus ride. The buses in Malawi really make you appreciate the public transportation system in Finland. This time it took 8 hours sitting in the bus to get to the Monkey Bay, even though it's only 250km (you have to get into the bus 2 hours before departure to secure yourself a seat, unless you really like standing in a bus). After arriving to Monkey Bay, we found out that the only ATM in the town does not work with our Visa-cards. Only option was to take a taxi to the nearest Standard Bank, which was half an hour away. Our streak of amazing luck continued and the next ATM was closed. Well, we had no other choises than to drive to the next ATM which didn't work with our cards either. Now the only option was to drive to the next city, Mangochi, where there should definitely be a working ATM. Our taxi driver was was getting the feeling we might not be able to pay the ride so he was getting restless, and so were we.
Finally in Mangochi we find a working ATM, are able to pay the driver and head back towards Monkey Bay. As it turns out, taxi's are quite expensive in Malawi because of the petrol shortage which is why all the petrol is sold in black market. But we don't care, we are at Cape Maclear and our expensive nightmare is finally over. We arrive to our destination only to find out that the lodge we were supposed to stay in is no more and in its place, there's a Mufasa lodge. I didn't have the best experience with the Mufasa lodge in Lilongwe but we decided to stay there regardless and we are lucky we did. We couldn't have hoped for a better place to stay and relax in.

The next couple of days were extremely uneventful, which was exactly what I wanted. We spent our days eating, sleeping, chilling at the beach, reading books in a hammock and playing local extremely addictive board game, Bao.

On our third day we ran out of money again, even though everything was extremely reasonably priced. We decided it would be too much of a hassle to go to Mangochi and come back to Cape Maclear again, so we cut our losses and decided to head straight back to Lilongwe. I was really sad to leave serene Cape Maclear and our wonderful host J, but there is still lot of places for us to see and it was time to move on.

Next Destination: Nkhata Bay

Part Six - Lilongwe, Malawi

Location: Lilongwe, Mid Malawi, eastern Africa
Languages: English
Population: 800 000
Prices: Cheap! (except petrol)
Attractions: Lilongwe wildlife center
Info: Lilongwe located in mid Malawi region, named after the river Lilongwe, is the capital and the largest city of Malawi. Lilongwe has a long history, since it started out as a small fishing village hundreds if not thousands of years ago. 1974 it was made the capital, despite Blantyre being the most developed and commercial city in Malawi.
SA Recommends: Get out of Lilongwe and go to Lake Malawi, as soon as possible. (Don't forget to withdraw enough cash, working ATMs are scarce in the more rural areas

2.12 13:54 GMT+1

Good morning Lilongwe! It's surreal for a Finn to think that it's December, yet sun is shining from almost cloudless sky, everything is green and the temperature is almost 30C. A lot of things are different here in Malawi. What catches your eye first as a European is of course the beautiful nature and the warm weather, but in truth, the things here are not that great for the locals. Economy is on a brink of a downfall while the nation struggles with lots of diseases and overpopulation. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in Africa and the healthcare system is amongst one of the worst in the world. Local entrepreneurs (mostly farmers) struggle to get by and the multinational western companies only interested in harvesting profits are to be thanked for that. The local police seems to control the citizens quite eagerly, as on our 120km bus trip, we were pulled over three times. First of these stops led to a complete inspection of the vehicle and the identification documents of all passengers. Second time when we stopped for a police road block, our driver apparently got a bit impatient and slipped some money for the police, which granted us a free pass on the looming vehicle inspection this time.

There are some programs for improving things in Malawi and the healthcare is one of the things that have been improving lately, yet things don't look very promising as the economic downhill seems to be getting worse. Yet all of this hasn't managed to wipe off the smile from the faces of the people. Most of the people we meet during our first day, turn out to be as joyful and friendly as some of the Zambians we met, the small things in life are appreciated. Many Finns have made a job out of being depressed because of all their adversities. They love to complain how the free money they get from the government (for doing absolutely jack shit) is not enough, how our government is greedy and corrupt and how our healthcare is bad. All these Finns should definitely be shipped to Malawi for a three week intensive course to learn some life lessons from Malawians. Just to see how things are when they're actually bad and how to still enjoy life.

Our arrival to the capital city was quite interesting. It was the first city so far where a pack of aggressive and over enthusiastic taxi drivers didn't come to harass us immediately after we stepped out of the bus. We had to actually find a place to stay for our selves (usually the Taxi drivers always have a place in mind). The Austrian lady from Chipata said there's a nice and cheap place right next to the bus station, but it was nowhere to be seen. We ended up dragging our backpacks and walking around the city for about thirty minutes without any results, until we asked help from some local guys hanging around a gas station. Twenty minutes and 1000MK later we found ourselves in a lodge for backpackers.

For a hostel, our new place has quite an interesting business model. Music coming from the backyard bar was extremely loud which was alright at first, but when it kept going until the 5:30am, it started to get on my nerves. Usually offering a possibility to sleep is the only thing that the cheapest hostels offer, but here they didn't seem tho think it's a priority. I guess it would've been nice to join the fun and socialize with some other travelers, but after a long day with the taxi's, minibuses and border formalities, I just wanted to sleep. Luckily the morning here in Mufasa Lodge was silent and peaceful, which allowed us to catch at least couple of hours of sleep.

Our German friend who is still part of our exhibition for at least a few more days, has to figure out some visa-stuff in the embassy, so we're going to have to stick around for a couple of days in Lilongwe, even though my soul already longs to the paradisaical beaches along the Lake Malawi. But it's all fine since the food is good, people are nice and prices are cheap even here in the capital city and the backpackers we're staying at is quite comfortable, albeit being a bit too lively for my taste.

We had some discussions about our next destination, since two of us are heading north and one of us is heading south. We decided on Cape McClear, since our host from Chipata recommended it, saying it has the best beaches in Malawi.

Next Destination: Cape McClear, Malawi

Part Five - Chipata, Zambia

Location: Chipata, eastern Zambia near Malawi border
Languages: English, Nyanja
Population: 300 000
Prices: Services cheap, goods cheap or european prices
Attractions: South Luangwa National Park (125km out of the city)
Info: Chipata is an important gateway city for the traffic between Malawi and Zambia. Located near the border and good connections to the capitals of both countries. The nearby South Luangwa National Park also brings in some tourism during the high season.
SA Recommends:
 South Luangwa National Park,
Daves Hill View (best prices for accommodation. Peaceful and has the best view)

29.11 19:07 GMT+1

Once again a long and exhausting bus ride. Though I have to say, this was probably the most interesting bus ride I've ever had. First the bus was thirty minutes late so some local pastor started to preach via the incredibly loud PA-system that was about to burst our ears. After the preacher said 'amen' and my ears said 'thank you' we started heading towards Chipata. Even though we had half the leg room you get on Ryan Air planes and the bus was over booked as usual, the eight hour trip was surprisingly swift and fun. The scenery was spectacular the whole way, untouched nature acre after acre. Chipata is long way from Lusaka and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to notice that we're getting closer to the eastern coast. One of the first things that caught our ears when we got out of the bus, was the Islamic call to prayer from a nearby minaret.

Chipata is a town of 300 000 people, but it's quite relaxed, peaceful and definitely a refreshing change after dusty and chaotic Lusaka. Our taxi driver tried to convince us that he knows a nice cheap place for travelers like us and took us to some really expensive BnB of his friends. Luckily he caved in in the end and brought us to this three times cheaper traveler commune. It's off season in Chipata this time of the year, so we were the only backpackers in our accommodation. Couldn't see many tourists in the Town either and that's exactly the way I like it, serene. Our place is on a hill few kilometers from the center with a nice view over the whole town. You really can't beat sitting on a porch, belly full of nshima, watching the moon rise from behind the mountains near Chipata while listening to really catchy tunes sung by some African family in our neighborhood. And in the morning we were of course woken up by a rooster. Being away from everything I know feels so good. I have never before felt as
comfortable as I feel now that I got out of my 'comfort zone'.

30.11 23:57 GMT+1

Today we went to Mfuwe, a small village of five thousand located inside South Luangwa National Park known for its abundance of wildlife and beautiful nature. In the village, our driver brings us to a luxurious lodge full of rich middle aged safari hat and khaki vest wearing tourists, not really our scene, but luckily the lodge offers some safaris. After all what would a trip across African continent be without at least one safari. We head out to the national park with a couple of local guides and manage to see tons of different animals, I'll never get tired of seeing elephants. People saying South Luangwas nature is rich, aren't exaggerating, we saw elephants, zebras, impalas, a buffalo, a giraffe, a porcupine, a hyena... and the list goes on. We were expecting to have to stay in Mfuwe for one night, but all we could find was these luxurious tourist lodges, so we were extremely happy to hear that our man Mwansa, can take us back to Chipata in the evening. The car ride back was an adventure of its own since the african roads get quite chaotic during the night, but we got home safe and sound and saved a lot of time we otherwise would've spent struggling with transportation. Now we can head to our next destination day earlier than expected.

Back at our place we met an old Austrian lady, who had sold all her belongings couple of years back and plans on living the rest of her live as a nomad. She had spent a year in India and was now traveling around Africa. She gave some amazing insights about Tanzania and Malawi, which is where were heading next.  Zambia has been treating us extremely well, but regardless I'm extremely excited about going to Malawi, the first country on our tour where I've never been before. Urban legend says that everyone entering Malawi, will get either malaria or yellow fever, but the picture perfect beaches at Lake Malawi make it a risk worth taking.

Next destination: Lilongwe, Malawi