February 13, 2007
Gecko Getaway….
Headed out last Friday and I managed to make excuses and escape verk and arrive at Paul’s around 3pm - with each non-lake-residing wknd seeming something like a lost opportunity, I’m either going to end up being really creative with my reasons for disappearing (ie: “erm..... I’m meeting yet another tea producer for a game of golf” despite that producer never ever mentioning such an arrangement nor me knowing how to play golf) or I’ll just have to start being flat out honest (ie: “as no one ever achieves anything of note on Friday afternoon as far as business goes, I’m going to the lake now because I want to have as much time there as possible over the wknd and we can’t drive at night”).
Paul did the driving - always advisable where any situation involves me being the alternate possibility - nailed the whole drive in about 3 and half hours doing 100-120kmph on rainy season roads (medal worthy timing) - 10’000 mkwch fills a tank of petrol for there and back (270 mkwch = 1 GBP 140 mkwch = 1$) so that was split - we battled through a rain-storm of note on the way out but still managed to arrive at just past 6 tirtyish, racing the falling dusk to our destination.
The drive is fairly straight forward in terms of you get on the Zomba road and only really have two turns to make from that point onwards - however, it’s all the ojeni and unpredictable elements that make it a sharp journey - seeing other vehicles are a sparse occurance, so you can end up speeding too fast - when something springs up out of nowhere, accidents happen.
We saw the fresh fires of one incident as we headed through one of the smaller villages - a mini-bus had tried and failed to avoid one of the roadside kids and had then smashed into a corrola coming the opposite way - pieces of metal and blood all over the road - the kid with a half a blanket over him - snapshot of harsh reality you don’t shake from your eyes too easily - we reported it at the next police stop further on, but little could be done by then.
The other thing about the road over rainy season is that the flash floods coming down from the hills can take the road away - look at these shots from either side of one of the main bridges - this water is moving pretty quick and it’s just bubbling under the break of the bridge - half a metre more and there’s no surface to be seen:
Paul’s got the road in his fingers though - and signs such as brown water meaning fell in the last two hours are second nature to him - so when things aren’t looking too familiar up ahead, a drop in acceleration is the order of the day and steady as it goes becomes the motto.
Once we get further on past Mangoche we come to the almost 15km dirt track turning that takes you through the hills and bush to Chembe village at Cape McClear - no easy drive this part of the journey - but rewards for passing the test come in the form of cold beers and sunsets.
Before you know it you are laughing about pygmies late into the night while under the influence of Johnny Walker - which in turn leads to smuggest face competitions - all thoughts of the drive dissipated like the ice in the Whisky.
My turn to drive next though - don’t wish me luck - wish me the lack of needing luck in the first place.
In the end - if it’s the journey there and the road is out - that breaks your plans at the first hurdle.
But if it’s the return journey back - you just turn around, head back to Gecko and the wknd carries on.
Spo | February 13, 2007
Comments on Gecko Getaway….
damn, man.
you are living life, aren’t you?
the highs and the lows right within hours of each other. life is so ordinary here.
Posted by eric on 02/13 at 10:22 PM
Comment on Gecko Getaway….