Bye Bye Poprad

Well I finally left Zambia.  Zambia's last gift to me was a case of malaria that kept me in Lusaka a week longer than I had planned but what can you do.  It meant I got to go to my friends "kitchen party" a Zambian tradition if you are about to be married.  Basically the men get to hang out at a bar and get drunk with the husband to be while the wife to be is secluded in a room and given instruction on how to please her husband.  Then the men show up and and lead the husband to teh wife to be.  She is coverd completely in a citenge and the men have to thow money on the ground until the matron, who is in charge of the whole affair, says that it is enough and then the husband to be unveils his bride and gives her flowers.  Then the men go back to the bar and get more drunk. 

 

I accidently let my Zambia visa expire, which was a hassel but fortunately got worked out with a modecem of drama.  I rode thru Malawi to Zomba, where an organization called Africycle is based.  They are doing some pretty cool stuff.  IMporting used bikes from canada and selling them in Malawi.  Better bikes at a competetive price.  And the project becomes profitable and self sustaining rather quickly, inside a year or two anyway.  Zomba turned out to be an awesome town too.  I thought I was tired of cycling and I didn't have enough time left to cycle to Maputo for the wedding anyway so I donated the parts off my bike to Africycle and shipped my frame home.  3 day later on a 7hr long ride on an over croweded minibus to Chimoio, Mozambique I was really wishing for my bike back.  But I'm sure I'll foget all about that when I'm relaxing on teh beach in a day or two.  I just hope the poprad makes it accross the ocean home. 

 

Paul