Cycling The Globe

Distance: 111.2 km
Ride time: 6:00:14
Average: 18.5 km/h
Max speed: 38.5 km/h
Total: 47918 km

I felt like the random village where I woke up this morning was the heart of Malawi – or actually, let’s even call it the heart of Africa! I packed my bags and was on the road early, joining the locals on their bicycles on the way to work.

Being in a new country there are several things to pay extra attention to; Practical things such as the typical price for a room or a meal, but also more deeper things such as how people behave and react. There is no doubt that the people in Malawi are peaceful and respectful even though I certainly still get a lot of attention when I cycle through the villages. The kids still smile and wave, and sometimes yell “give me my money” with those exact words.

I also managed to get a new sim card although I had to cut it myself with a scissor to make it fit the micro-sim slot on my phone. The first attempt failed, but sim cards cost 50 cents so no big deal…

When you send clothes to Africa it might very well end up being sold at a market like this.

I spent the rest of the day rolling up highway M1. That might sound like a very busy road, but traffic in Malawi mainly consists of bicycles.

In Nkhamenya I found another local guest house and payed 2000 Kwacha. A 100% increase in price compared to last night, but at less than 3$ you can’t really complain. The room was a bit loud though, as there was a bar attached. They mostly played local rhythms, but when an international song came on it was typically Michael Jackson or Celine Dion.