out of touch...

hello my friends.

haven't posted lately. when that happens, it's either i don't have access to the internet or the cost of hooking up is outrageous.

it's been so long i had to review my last posting.

but to be brief, i did make it to malawi (in fact i'm currently in lusaka, zambia). it took 48 hours to get there, including a hell ride in the back of an open pick up truck. that ride from mocuba, mozambique to milange at the malawian border, took 5 hrs. it was 3 hrs. in the dark of night with rain coming down.

i thought i was in steven spielberg's Amistad, with my 20 other passengers.

from there i headed to cape maclear on the shores of lake malawi.

my immediate impressions of malawi: crowded, lots of coffin builders, seems to be better off than the mozambicans, and, man, they seem to be happy.

there was no internet access in cape maclear. i spent 5 days there just chilling out after the bus ride from hell. it's so beautiful there...

from there i made it to lilongwe, the capital of malawi.

i completely messed up my rendezvous date with the s.s. liemba on lake tanganika (sp). i had to hoof it back to lake malawi for more r&r. i'm not perfect yet, but i'm getting good at chillin'.

just yesterday i made it to lusaka after one of the most convoluted route/transport itineraries i've ever encountered.

there are numerous stories to tell and people to mention.

i'll save those till next time. plus, a big announcement.

but, to keep everyone abreast of the upcoming itinerary. i should be in northern tanzania by the beginning of next week. inshallah, of course...