Day 42 – Mbeya to Sangilo Sactuary near Karonga, Malawi

Sangilo Sanctuary Our rooms - Malawi

View from the Beach

Sinead now accepts the Lake

We got off to a reasonably early start also knowing that we were going to get back our lost hour once we got to Malawi.

The journey down through the Southern Highlands and the Tukuyu area was without incident and although we were stopped by the Police four or five times we managed to avoid the dreaded hairdryer that they use for speed traps.

We travelled back through Mbeya and we were glad it was a Sunday as it was a lot quieter than the day before. The one hour to the border is a myth and it took us close on 2 hours to do the 111kms. The 2 hours at the border was also a myth as we were cleared and ready to go in 45 minutes, perhaps we were lucky, but that was the end of our luck as it took over 2 more hours to cross into Malawi.

They were digging up half of the Malawi entry road and the other half was occupied by the tandem truck that was waiting to be loaded with the rubble that was being dug up. I asked security if we could go through the exit gate and got an adamant No! We had to wait for the trucks in front of us to go over the weigh bridge and then there was 4 second hand vehicles imported from China and Japan via the Emirates and the customs official was checking engine and chassis numbers against the documentation and on some they could not find the numbers, what a farce. I even went to see my new friend at the Road Toll office a Mr. Mc Bum, (he says he is not of Scots descent) but he could do nothing so we went over a couple of hours later patiently!! Awaiting our turn. The only charge at this border was US$51 road toll.

The lack of vehicles on the road was a bit of a mystery, but we were not complaining, they do not have “hair dryers” (Speed Traps) they do have police road blocks who with one exception waved us through. The exception wanted to see our Insurance, which was found to be in order (COMESA) and this is after an insurance con man selling insurance at the border told us that Malawi no longer accepted the COMESA insurance, seems the Nigerians are not the only ones in the conning game.

We get to Sangilo Sanctuary our over night stop at 03h00pm and it is rustic but nice, right on the edge of Lake Malawi, but some of these Eco Lodges take power saving to the limit and after dusk you can only read by torch light, the last I remember of that night was Denise reading with a headlight on.