Yes, here we are, from Blantyre this time, Malawi, where we stay in the Kabula Lodge just outside town. Today was another bordercrossing in Africa and I confessed to Lisa that nothing can compare to this, at least according to my experience. To make it clear, I will take yo, step by step thorugh the process.
We arrived at the Mozambican side and pulled up to the gate. Wrong, I was summoned back. Sorry, mistake. Immediately 20 men surrounded our car but we closed the door and walked to the building. There the people were very correct and friendly. Exit card, stamps, Temporary Import papers of the car and we were ready to go. Then the hyena’s attacked again outside. Change money and because we needed it, I did this and was fooled again. Mozambique has now three strikes and is out; I never go back there again. They are a bunch of robbers.
We drove up to the Malawian border about 3 km away and were send to a building. Park the car and walk in. We forgot to wash our hands which seems to be required when you come from Mozambique. Fill in entry card, no visum in our passport. Why not? Because we did not know when we would arrive. Costed US$150 and they had no change from US$160. No receipt by the way.
Then up to the import permit. Fill in forms, hand over passport and then to the cashier to pay US$20 and 10000 MWK (12 euro). Back to get stamps and get a Third Party Liability Insurance. This is required here at the border. Costed 35000 MWK which is a lot for 14 days (42 euro). Then up to somebody else who stamped again and we could leave for Malawi here we stopped just after the border to get cash. ATM’s work here although 100 euro is the maximum.
In Malawi we were not robbed by its inhabitants but the visa’s, road tax and insurance were expensive.
After about 1 km we were stopped by a policeman who looked exactly like the commissionair from ‘Death in Paradise’. He even talked like that. After that I was stopped at least ten times with always the same questions. Where are you from, where are you going and what is in the back of that car.
It took a while before I had a local SIM card and then another hour before it actually worked. Because we had no internet, I looked in the Lonely Planet and found this lodge. Tomorrow Monkey Bay we think
How is Malawi? Totally different from Mozambique. The people look different, the women are nice to look at in their beautiful clothes. The police is really English but correct (until now). The roads are windy but reasonable. There are hills and it is not so hot like in Mozambique. It is crowded here. There are a lot of people
Pfff, en dat vind je onthaasten en ontstressen??? Jij liever dan ik, zou er knettergek van worden, doe mij maar Cuba of Costa Rica ?
Veel plezier, daar!