Transit

When I leave Africa, I'm certain that my most enduring memories will be of travel, most specific of travelling in chappas (or matapas, daladalas, whatever you call it), the small mini-vans which provide cheap and (relatively) frequent transit throughout Africa.

The from inside a packed mini-van

The chappas are crowded, hot, slow (sometime dangerous) and every trip invariably involves some kind of dispute, ranging from the mundane issues of how much a Mzungo should pay for the trip, to how many people (and chickens) should be sitting in one row (this number is surprisingly large) to whether the chappa is actually going where it's supposed to (you often don't have this argument until you've already ended up somewhere you don't want to be).

As mentioned, travel can be dangerous, especially at night. These were just some of the accidents we passed on the road.

In spite of all this, independent travel in Africa would be impossible without them. They also give you good insight into the people and the places you are going to. Finally, once the ride is over and you're showered and rested, each journey takes on a nostalgic feel to it.

James terrifying some local kids to alleviate the boredom.

Anyway, it was in one of these chappas which we departed Inhambane and began our long journey up to Malawi, and finally to Nhkata bay on Lake Malawi. The journey itself would take a around 5 - 6 days of travel spread over 8 days and was tiring to say the least. Even with a rest day in Vilankulos, the final beach town before we headed to Malawi, it was a hard slog. The journey was also complicated by James' bag being stolen at the bus station in Lilongwe and the subsequent wasted day in Lilongwe (courtesy of the incompetent staff at the Lilongwe police station).

The view from Inhambane peer.

The beach at Vilankulos.

As i mentioned though, in hindsight this is all a blur and the truth is we did see a view of Mozamabique and Malawi which was unique and interesting, so it's not all bad. Luckily this puts most of the hard travelling behind us, we'll have a few more mammoth efforts, but these should be one or two days at most. So onwards we go, next stop Nhkata bay on Lake Malawi which by all reports is absolutely amazing!