The Malawian Minibus

It's easy to take holidays. All you need to do is pack your bags and jump on a bus. Catching up to the group again is a different story though!

After 4 full days relaxing and chilling out in Nkhata Bay I decide it's time to move, time to start slowly making my way towards Lilongwe, with the plan to take the road via the Lake (not the way we go with the bikes) and spend a couple of nights first at Senga Bay.

On the map and from talking to the locals it sounds easy enough. If I want to get up early, there's a bus that stops in Salima (near Senga Bay) which goes usually around 6am. The problem with this is that I would have to get up before the sun which kind of makes me feel like I'm not on holidays anymore, so I decide to take option B - Minibus from Nkhata Bay to Dwangwa, minibus Dwangwa to Nkhotakhota, minibus from Nkhotakhota to Salima, then minibus from Salima to Senga Bay.

I'm at the Nkhata Bay bus stop by 8am, and find the right bus to Dwangwa pretty easily. The driver is in no particular hurry even after the bus has enough people onboard for it to start moving. Then the minibus starts beeping and carrying on... eventually we make it to Chincheche, a town not really very far from Nkhata Bay and I get told to jump on a different bus because the one I was on is having problems!!! So I sit and wait at the bus stop and eventually another bus rocks up. A guy comes up and introduces himself to me. He tells me his name is John Howard even before I tell him where I come from. He's of course yet another Artist wanting to sell me some paintings. Because I don't want to be rude I look at his paintings - some of them are quite good but I don't need paintings. So then he tries to sell me some small wooden elephants instead. I also don't need elephants so I don't buy them either.

Another bus pulls up and I jump on board and eventually we're on the road again This one gets halfway to Dwangwa before it runs out of fuel. Time to jump on the next bus that comes by...

Eventually there's another bus, and we're back on the move... this time moving at a good pace and we make it to Dwangwa by 2pm and I begin to think that perhaps Senga Bay is too far for a day and perhaps Nkhotakhota is far enough.

The bus from Dwangwa to Nkhotakhota goes pretty smoothly and I get to Nkhotakhota by 4pm. I think I can make it to Salima before the sun goes down...

I also meet back up with a guy called Issa who I first met earlier that day in Chincheche. He managed to get a lift with someone else from Chincheche to Nkhotakhota and he's surprised that I've caught back up to him!!! He's a friendly guy, well educated and with a good sense of humour.

I get to sit right up the front of the minibus next to another young Malawian man. This guy asks me if I can help to get him sponsorship so that he can go to university to study social studies. He tells me that he's very keen to get a good education because he wants to be the next prime minister of Malawi because he doesn't think much of the current one and he thinks he could do a better job. He knows it will be easier for him to become prime minister if he has a good education. I apologise for not being able to help.

The bus is moving very slowly and I glance at the fuel gauge and notice that it is nearly empty... (that's actually an understatement - I'm wondering if the fuel gauge is working becuase it looks like it's completely empty and the light is on!).

I really prefer when I'm going somewhere I've never been before to get there while it's still light if it's at all possible and I begin to regret not calling it quits for the day back at Nkhotakhota...

Sure enough, the bus coughs and the engine stops. No fuel left. The driver sends the guy that collects the money on a bicycle down the road with a jerry can to get some fuel. It's starting to get dark.

We hang out in the bus for quite some time wondering how long it will take for the guy to come back with the petrol. Meanwhile the driver periodically tries to start the bus up again and move it forward 5 metres or so...

Then the driver gets out and goes walking down the road. Eventually another minibus pulls up behind us and we all pile on. This time I am sitting back next to my friend Issa. Issa comes from Salima and he was just in Chincheche for business. I ask him if he knows a cheapish place for me to spend the night in Salima when we get there because I have had enough for the day!

At 9pm just 200m from the bus station, the bus runs out of fuel (again!). Thankfully we're as good as there.

Issa tells me that all the hotels near the Salima bus station are quite expensive and he tells me he knows a cheaper one just up the road. He finds some bicycle taxis for us and someone else pedals me up the road. I feel bad because it must be heavy with me and my big bag on the back of the bike! I hoped that the guy pedalling me knows where he is going becuase it's dark and I am tired, alone and if he doesn't then I know this could get really dodgy! Issa doesn't strike me as a dodgy guy though (and I think I am getting pretty good at picking them!). Anyhow, I get to this really nice little basic hotel. 500 kwacha per night (about $2.50) and I get my own clean room, bed, mosquito net. Shared bathroom with no running water but that's no big deal. The people are friendly and they make me some goat and nsima (maize meal) for dinner. Yum yum.

Today I was going to make it the rest of the way to Senga Bay but it was raining like crazy outside and I decided that I quite like Salima. It's not a tourist town which means that no one hastles me like I would expect once I got to Senga Bay!!!

I am enjoying my last day of holidays today. Feet up, read some book, bit of internet... Tomorrow morning I will get another minibus to Lilongwe. Fingers crossed it will only take one and it won't run out of fuel!!! I'm feeling really excited about going back to work and seeing everyone again!!