Its 4 am and the conversation went something like this; " are we ready to go today"- " I am if you are" was the reply, and so that was it. 2 hrs later despite the rain wed shoved all the essential goods wed reckoned were necessary to keep us relatively sane for the next 6 months, into the back of our 3 year old Mitsubishi clubcab.

After good byes and photo calls to our 2 sets of tenants we were heading onto the highway in a northerly direction to the UK. Our intention was to chill out for a few days on the Barraruto archipelago off the Mozambique shore, guzzling seafood, soaking up the sunshine and sorting out the back of the bakkie.

That journey of 1500Km took us 3 days, passing over the tropic of Capricorn with its intense heat. On route we slept in a beehive hut in Swaziland where we fell asleep to the roar of lions calling nearby (what a wonderful sound on our first night), slept alongside a lake in a simple lodge( the owner insisted and only charged the going rate for a tent), traded T shirts for cashew nuts, and pineapples for mangoes.

Most of the journey was on tarmac, with only the last day a mass of potholes and sand tracks. There cant be many other places in the world where the people prom down the roadway and the vehicles use the bush track edges to drive on, to avoid breaking their axles in the monsterous pot holes. A memorable lunchbreak was spent under a cashew nut tree in intense heat eating portugese bread (freshened and warmed in the bakkies engine for 15 mins), dipped into local honey bought on the side of the road in a 750ml whisky bottle.

And so we adjusted to our new lifestyle. Up at the first daylight, to bed shortly after dusk. Time unimportant. Malaria tabs, switching off the diesel pump at night (to stop theft) and swopping the car battery to auxiliary (to conserve power) became our routine.

3 peaceful tranquil days on the shores of the azure waters of the Indian ocean. We unwound by taking a boat over to unspoilt and unihabited Paradise island, getting sunburnt (and how) and snorkeling around the coral. Rog identified several fish- spotted grunter, puffer, parrot, surgeon, tetra, stone,copper-I managed an angel fish and oysters!! There were many more tho. The sands were white, the water turquoise, clean and very warm.

Another venture was to drive 30kms on the beach up to the point where Tony Steppe has a house. Driving a bakky in the dunes was fun but playing resulted in getting really bogged down- and all our recovery gear was back at camp. Digging out in blistering heat was yet another steep learning curve! Our basic food provisions were boostered by large amounts of seafood. We watched the fishermen and crew drag huge nets up on the beach-full of squid, prawns, and many others. Again we bartered T shirts in exchange for a variety of protein. A beautiful turtle had got trapped in the nets, but pleasingly the boys let him go unharmed. Back at camp, as the sole inhabitants, we were given a house boy who cleaned the fish, washed up clothes and dishes and generally helped Rog to tinker with the bakkie, tools and tent.

Of course we did manage to do some work- all our collection of boxes were pulled out, sorted, cleaned of diesel (overflow spill), and repacked. Well, that was Rog job- I lay in the hammock reading and writing a diary!

I should describe our accommodation at some point- a roof top tent with bedding, electric light, fan, fridge, 2 gas burners, 1months supply of food, clothing to cover all elements and last us 6 months, travel books and reading material, mega sized medical kit, laptop, camera, Cds, dvds, 2 deckchairs, table, snorkeling gear, wetsuits, hammock, a variety of footwear from slops to walking boots (even slippers!) and even a spare tent for visitors (any offers?) Rog would also like me to mention his comfort zone; enough tools to set up a small store in the Sahara! Air jack bag, sand ladders, dual battery system, inverter, winch, snatch strap, 2 shovels, hot and cold water-tanks and pipes plumbed around the exhaust, 2 spare tyres, extra fuel tans and water containers.

I digress tho- feeling refreshed and comfortable with our little nest and with a fridge full of prawns and squid we set off maintaining our northerly direction and on to the next stage of our adventure-------------

A further km 1820 towards the equator and we are pitched up on crisp white sands overlooking the above island taking another well earned break. Again we are the sole occupants of this camp site, so will be washing clothes, truck and ourselves. So to reflect on the past few days? Well, we ended up chucking out almost all the seafood, as the fridge absolutely honked and didnt want to take chances!!

The terrain was quite harsh and desolate with predominantly appalling dirt roads. A lot of repair work was in place but it seems that has been so for years. We passed through teams of Chinese, South African and Italian engineers- all having an influence in different regions- I might be biased---but only the South Africans looked like they were getting anywhere. Of course they do have some incentive- they have purchased the Mozambicean gas and have piped it all the way back to RSA.

The whole of Mozambique is struggling with drought- very little fresh food (besides fish) is available- only mangoes, onions, cassava, portugese bread rolls and tomatoes are available in markets or outside the families small holding. We do have our own supply of tinned n dried food fortunately. We are also getting a dab hand at heating food in the engine- even to cooking fish in foil- it takes ½ hr by the way!

Our pit stops were a night in a game reserve- that might sound decadent but was definitely otherwise. The animals were eaten by the unpaid army over 10 years ago- so they have been very slow to re populate, and then the buildings had also fallen into disrepair, and despite a hefty entrance fee have not been refurbished. Having said that, we did enjoy ourselves-that evening we drove in a short thunderstorm and saw wart hogs, bush pigs and baboons galore-and a first for us both- an African civet cat- with spectacular clothing- drinking from a puddle about 2 metres from our headlights. Then just before crashing out an owl serenaded us and a praying mantis helped rog turn the pages of his magazine! The following morning we drove off into the swamps and ate breakfast watching some abundant birdlife- fish eagles, 3 types of stalks, 4 species of heron. Idyllic.

The following night was a little different, having crossed the mighty Zambezi by ferry we ended up in a town with no signs of a campsite. As it was dark we finally asked in a pension where we could camp- and ended up sleeping behind it with the servants (albeit we were in our rooftop tent). Wildlife here was in abundance- cockroaches and rats jostled for attention- but I feigned blindness to preserve my sanity.

A reason we are cleaning up here, is because we suffered another major diesel leak along the way. We had been told that a month ago there had been no fuel for 3 weeks- so decided to fill our tanks to max capacity whenever the chance arose (petrol pumps few and far apart). A policemans face was a picture when 3 mins after a fill up, he saw us hosing down the dusty road with fuel! Yup- a burst pipe- rog frantically tried to source the leak whilst I caught what I could in our bath/ washing bowl. Unfortunately the leak was right at the front of the bakkie which meant taking all our wordly goods out onto the roadside. No one wanted to help us huh. Hmmm- shall I also mention the heat is in excess of 40 degrees. So once again, having poured the remaining diesel back into the tank using a funnel made of paper (couldnt find the right equipment!) we set off with a canopy full of pungent oily fuel. O well!!

TUESDAY 29^TH NOV GURUE 28OO  S 15, 28 E 36,57

Resting peacefully with Allen and Ansie van der Merwe,  2 South African missionaries living on a tea plantation in the hills. (766 kms later).Despite all good intentions wed arrived in a town at dusk again, with nowhere to stay. In the absence of a camp site, and being too populated to sleep out in the bush, wed enquired at a motel for a room. The manager wouldnt have us as they reckoned it wasnt safe!!! At that we shot off out of town like a bullet, looking for a solution-hey presto- there was a big stone house amidst a tea plantation, and that was our answer. We were welcomed with open arms- even to eating and sleeping there.

But now to catch up with our diary;  The campsite at Lombo, opposite the Isle de Mocambique. We were again the sole residents on this campsite. That meant we were able to evacuate the bakkie again and clean up all traces of diesel and sand from both it and ourselves. Not entirely that easy with no hot water and even the cold had to be pulled up out of a well. Whilst rog worked I watched the fishermen and procured us some lobster for supper. A rather appalling discovery was that the fishing community next door all used the beach as a toilet- and in full view. The sands were full of crap wherever I put my feet!  3 quiet nights were spent there, whilst we did the tourist bit on the island itself. Apparently it was the original capital of mozambique- hard to believe as its now in ruins, despite housing hundreds of muslims, hindus and a few Christians. A local builder hunted us out to practice his English on, which helped us find out a little more of the local culture- very informative.

Sunday 27^th we drove off easterly, stocking up on food supplies in a South African supermarket (not Woolys Sarah!) on route. The roads were still all gravel and sand, but without huge potholes. We passed hardly any traffic- maybe only 6 vehicles all day, but lots of bicycles- reminiscent of rural China. Most enjoyable tho was the scenery- red sand, bright green foliage and really unusual limestone rock formations. We carried on until dusk, finding an old farm to pitch our tent up in. Using sign language the local workman seemed happy to accept a small food parcel from us as a thank you. This area is really remote and poor- little food is available with no job prospects for the majority. The routine was now preserving water, and filtering what was available from wells.  Japanese charitys have built pumps at waterholes to make life easier for the locals (and us); keeping cool with a fan and night and air con in the bakkie-how did you cope pam in the landy?; finally coping with the language barrier and the ridiculous money-millions of metica to a pound. Very confusing!

Monday 28^th we continued off into the interior of this beautiful country, looking for the roads to the mountains to walk for the day. Not that easy- after about 100kms and 3 hours we came unstuck at an unbuilt bridge- no way across the river, so back pedaled until we came to a large house. What appeared to be a farm was actually another mission- Brazilian-the missionaries kindly filled up our new unused drinking water container from their mountain spring. Perhaps I should mention that 2 hrs later we flew over a donga in the road, which threw the plastic container against sharp metal and---yup, instead of diesel in the back we were now flooded with water!! Yet more water supplies (for anything other than drinking) we obtained from wells- much to the enjoyment of the locals. The Mozambecans are really very gentle, humble and content. Whenever we stopped for a snack or drink, they would source us out,(bush telegraph rog calls it)  using us as a means to entertain their simple lives. No aggression whatsoever- just fascination. And so that is how we came to this mission- intending to walk a few hours in the 2^nd highest mountain in Mozambique. BUTthen came the rain, so am off to find the internet café.

WED 30^TH NOV  STILL IN GURUE

Allen and ancie made us feel so welcome and very much at home, that we stayed a 2^nd night-could have stayed for weeks-you seemed like life long friends-THANKYOU! For the tour of the town, picnic by the dam, trip round the tea plantations, a roast chicken dinner and an evening of telly,  not to mention discussions of what the correct time is in Mozambique (but does it really matter?) we shall not forget you or your kindness. It was a lesson that it is not only us to as campers, but to residents also that water and electricity are a premium. Hot water and electricity are only obtained using a diesel generator, pump and paraffin. We also learnt that most youngsters under 20 have received no education because of the war and as a consequence cant read or write. Anyway, we had a long way to go and reluctantly departed with bags of mangoes, pawpaws and even a replacement water container filled with the seasons first rain water, we set off towards Malawi. Wed decided on the tiniest exit and entry border crossing at entre lagos and were delighted with our choice. Looking in the official book, we were only the 4^th people that day- and the only vehicle at that, despite the lateness of the day. After bouncing across sand tracks all day (no mines-phew) with scarcely another vehicle in sight, we drove straight past the unmarked customs building!! Corrected by the locals (shouting n pointing), once in the correct place we found the bureaucrats on both sides were courteous and hassle free- quite unexpected. Recommended.  And so it was that we found ourselves slipping and sliding amongst sand tracks in the first of the rains, finally hitting the town of Liwonde at dusk. Yet again we found no camping sites, so stayed in a hotel on the banks of the shire river listening to heavy tropical rain from the comfort of a mattress and satellite tv!