It's fair to say this week has been harder on the legs than the previous. After some R&R and low mileage days, we started the week with some tough days still on the banks of Lake Malawi.
Persistent head winds and 30 degree temperatures put us on the back foot and we both had days where we were feeling nauseous and struggled throughout. Thankfully, these didn't occur on the same day, so we were each able to spend more time at the front blocking the wind for the poorly one. Despite these challenges, we were able to enjoy the beautiful spots we found ourselves at the end of each day, and as had been the way throughout our time in Malawi, each provided us with something different.
Our first night after leaving Chintheche we stayed at Ngala Beach Lodge, which was a beautiful spot with a super infinity pool looking out to views of the mountains and the lake. We cooked ourselves dinner this night, and were able to dine under an extraordinary night sky full with the stars.
The next day was a tough one for Charlie, and it was a battle through to lunch at Nkhotakota. Lunch came, a simple combination of vegetables and the Malawian staple Nsima (a stodgy base made from maize flour and water) and two soft drinks each, and the final push towards our nights accomodation. After a 5km trek off the main road, we found ourselves at Fish Eagle Bay Lodge where we had some delicious food to end the day and stayed in a cool little mud hut.
The next day it was Naomi's turn to struggle, with dizziness taking over from when she first woke up. We decided to give cycling a try, and somehow managed to push through nearly 130km in the heat to arrive at Senga Bay by 4pm after a quick lunch stop in a shed in Salima. Senga Bay had the clearest water across Lake Malawi and was the perfect way to rinse off the inch of sweat and dirt we had accumulated through the day.
Leaving Lake Malawi was tough, but Zambia was calling so with one final swim we said goodbye and headed west. The ride to Lilongwe was one that we had dreaded as it was shaped up as being long, uphill and hot. Thankfully, the hills weren't too steep and the clouds protected us from the midday sun. It was still long though (as it's name would suggest). We made it to the capital and saw a gleaming sign of Western civilization - KFC. We couldn't say no so tucked into some of the Colonels finest for lunch.
Lilongwe didn't have too much more for us, so the next day we pushed on. We planned to stay at the town just before the border, but covered ground much more quickly than expected, free from head winds and with flat roads. We lunched at our planned destination and decided that Zambia that day seemed like a good idea. With a 40km cycle and a border crossing done, we found some kwacha and SIM cards in Chipata, Zambia with 145km covered for the day.
We now have a long stretch along "The Great East Road" to Lusaka, Zambia capital. From what we have read, it will be rolling hills, quiet roads and not too much to do so we plan to push through it without too much rest.
