I wore my sunglasses as I drove. Zalala Beach wasn’t far. The last light of the day was filtering through the coconut plantation in flickers of soft orange. With the sun setting, we were driving hard to find a place to sleep. The road through the palms was long, narrow, and straight as an arrow, … More Zalala Beach – the most disappointing beach in Mozambique?
Early in the morning we crossed the leafy, jungle border at Thornwood/Milange into Mozambique. Stamping out of Malawi took mere moments, but entering Mozambique was a much more thorough process. The visas took an hour to process as the police quizzed us, eager to see our yellow fever vaccination cards, and know where we were going to stay (we had no … More Driving In Africa Without GPS
I want to start by talking about how absolutely amazing the African bottle recycling system is. My bottle of Fanta was noticeably worn down and re-used many many times. The label was faded and the glass had been ground down in certain places, by a million tiny scratches, a result of grinding against other bottles being shipped … More Finding hidden mountains in Malawi
I had no idea what to expect from Malawi. It was just a last minute route change driving south from Tanzania that took us there. So, we decided to find the local beer first. We stopped at a roadside bottle shop. The guy behind the counter dressed rather like a cool dude; he wore sunglasses … More Our experiences road tripping through Malawi
The Songwe border crossing into Malawi was easy as pie (no paperwork issues, and no touts trying to earn money by guiding us through the border), and we made it through in a matter of minutes. The border guards reminded us to stick to the speed limit, so we did.
There is a very interesting snake park outside Mikumi National Park, called the Genesis snake park. It houses several highly deadly snakes (and other reptiles) and some questionable enclosures that don’t appear entirely secure. We received the royal treatment when we visited, a stopover on our long road trip. A friendly Tanzanian man with a … More The Genesis Snake Park at Mikumi, Tanzania
In the back alleys and dogleg streets of Stone Town, locals were sweeping their doorsteps with brittle stick broomsticks and opening up their shops. There were T-shirt and souvenir shops, as you might find anywhere in the world, but that wasn’t the kind of souvenir we were hoping to find. But then, around the corner and appearing … More Buying Antiques in Zanzibar Curio Shop
We were going to sleep in the Dhow Palace Hotel, a 5-star hotel in Zanzibar, and a massive change from camping near lions and frying baked beans on campfires. We looked like a mess. Despite our beards, board shorts, unwashed singlets, and Crocs that didn’t fit our feet, they were happy to give us keys … More The Dhow Palace in Zanzibar – A luxury hotel on a rough camping trip
The three scooters parked in front of us looked rough. If we sat on them, I imagined we’d collapse into a clanging pile of rusted engine parts and bald, eroded rubber tyres. But we were wearing the biggest grins i’d ever seen. We had poorly-fitting helmets, no riding experience and brake pads as effective as kitchen sponges. What … More Scooter crashes, police roadblocks and flea bites – a crazy riding day on Zanzibar
The city streets of Stone Town were calling. Zanzibar’s beautiful port city looked like a place frozen in time – many streets were so narrow that cars could not squeeze through, and they were rarely built in straight lines, making this city a veritable labyrinth. But something in particular was catching our eye. The incredible … More Zanzibar Doors – A Closer Look at Stone Town’s Wooden Masterpieces
StickyMangoRice 