Day 72 Saturday March 23 Lilongwe to Chipata

by Henry

Today’s ride is 154 km, 934 m total ascent, 30°C maximum. 


Vervet monkey on the Woodlands campsite/hotel property. They are very quick to steal any food you leave unattended.


On the road out of Lilongwe, this microbus passed me. I have not seen a single Taco Bell in all of Africa.


In Malawi, bike transportation is very common as most Individuals cannot afford a motorbike. Children never fail to materialize at the roadside to greet us. Sadly, in Malawi, the greeting is as often “how are you?“ as it is “give me money” - often both with a hand outstretched.


Sugarcane is frequently sold at roadside stands like this. You can buy the whole cane, or a portion thereof. We see kids and adults chewing on sugarcane, with the peelings and inedible fibrous parts all over the road. This is unfortunately how they obtain a significant portion of their calories. It is not healthy for their teeth and likely contributes to Type 2 diabetes.


A board with local wholesale prices for agricultural commodities.


Last view of Malawi, before crossing the border into Zambia.


The Malawi to Zambia border crossing was the most efficient we’ve experienced so far. It only took a few minutes to obtain our exit and entry stamps. No visa was required to enter Zambia.


Once into Zambia, the road quality improved dramatically, with very smooth tarmac, and an actual shoulder. Bicycle taxis are ready to be employed at the roadside. 


In the town of Chipata, we rode by a library. I took this picture in honor of Priscilla.


At Mama Rula’s Campsite and Lodge, they set up a nice fire for us after dinner.

This completes riding day #45, which happens to be the exact number of days we pedaled in 2019 to get across the USA from Washington, DC to Anacortes, Washington. We have an additional 32 riding days before we reach Cape Town.

Unfortunately, Malawi is one of the most underdeveloped countries, and is blighted with extreme poverty, poor and deteriorating infrastructure, a high birth mortality rate, and educational challenges. There is a very high underemployment and unemployment rate. Although English is the official language, very few speak it to any degree. Chichewa is spoken widely by everyone across the country. Each village locale also has their regional dialect.