Cycling through Southern Africa

Last year I followed a couple as they cycled their way through Africa raising money for CAMFED, a charity supporting education for girls in Africa. Not only is their trip fun to read about but their updates are very handy for anyone attempting to either cycle in Africa, or simply to find out more about what it's like traveling through these countries. After a 6 month break in India, Amaya and Eric are back in the saddle. They've spent the last couple of months cycling from South Africa, through Swaziland, Mozambique and Malawi. Here are some excerpts from their experiences:

In the morning it was on to Swaziland, past more caramel-colored highveld farmland and then it to the imposing forested mountains of the Kingdom. Near nightfall we made our way to the local police headquarters in Bhunia with an aim to pitch our tent in their compound. The officer in charge was seated below regal portraits of the king and the she-elephant, as his co-ruler and mother is known.

[In Mozambique] There really were broad tree-lined streets, and outdoor cafes, a bustling port where dhows ferry passengers across the bay and a colorful mercado municipal where, for a pittance, we feasted on a huge plate of calamari and salad.

[In Malawi] The traffic consisted of a small army of muscular men on rickety bicycles who were ferrying precarious loads of charcoal from their villages in the bush into the market at Blantyre some 70 odd kilometers away. The guys had a much tougher time than we did and spent far more time pushing than pedaling.

Eric and Amaya have now cycled over 40,926 (25,578 miles) in Africa. Their monthly updates can be found on their web site.

_{Image top-right is of boys selling mice kebabs in Mozambique
Image middle-left is Amaya on a typical road in Malawi -- © 2006- 2008 Amaya Williams and Eric Schambion}