Check out this little video we put together…Just to give you an idea of the kind of terrain we covered in 18 days!

Its not like we have made some kind of breakthrough in the field of psychological research by saying that your perception of a distance, or more accurately, how long it seems to cover that distance, is affected by your state of mind before you set out but this has become more and more apparent to us as we have progressed through Southern Africa. We drove over 1700 km from Lusaka to Lake Malawi and back; 25 hours of car time in order to hit the third check point. Before we started the Put Foot Rally a 6 hour trip to Durban was a mind slog but when you get your head around bigger distances it is amazing how quickly the 6 hour mark comes and goes. Kevin the Rally car has now traveled over 7000 km since he set out from Johannesburg and our perception of distance has completely been altered by this Put Foot Rally 2013!

We only had a day and half to enjoy Lake Malawi! Was it worth it? Was it worth all the pain and discomfort of sitting in a citi golf for 25 hours. Was it worth the frayed nerves that come with night time driving on pot holed and livestock covered roads? The answer is a unanimous “YES”. You just have to check out the pictures from this post to see why. Unforgettable memories that have almost been made more special by what distances we have had to overcome…

It also didn’t hurt knowing that when we got back to Lusaka we would have a hot shower and luxurious Protea Hotel bed to climb into…We love you Protea Hospitality Group!

the light at the end of the tunnel

Our final and 4th stage has very kindly been sponsored by:

KFP

After an incredible day and half in Monkey bay we made our way over to Senga bay (about a 2 hour drive) to make the next check point. As we have learnt, the Put Foot guys don’t hold back at the check points and the food and party that is laid on is always madly awesome. Malawi was no exception and the “Lumo” themed party was loads of fun! check out some pics (of quality that declines in converse proportion to the amount of alcohol that was consumed).

our porch has a 180 deg lake view!

Lumo themed party set up

Booze and fire…always smart

Later that night

even later on

RealFin

On our first stop in Lusaka we said goodbye to Amanda, the sensible one. She had to get back to varsity and work. We made a few rules to keep safe on the trip, like no night driving. African roads are full of people, animals,crazy truck drivers and bicycles. Not 4 hours after her flight left we drove for about three hours in the dark to get to Chipata. It was the the scariest, most pot holed stretch of road we have ever encountered. Once we arrived in Chipata we then discussed making use of the 24 hr border and getting an extra day on Lake Malawi! Luckily we decided against it, but the quality of decision making and quality of living has definitely decreased since Amanda left! From dodgy roadside motels to Russian sausages from street vendors, we definitely miss the sensible female influence.

The sensible one is the one in the middle – just to be clear

The sensible one is the one on the left – just to be clear

The sensible one is on the right this time – just to be clear

Drake Fund Advisors

This post does not need many words…the following pictures should give you some vague idea of our insanely special Lake Malawi is:

Boat trip out to the island

Boooya

Local Fisherman doing their thing

Like an aquarium – only its a lake

Fresh water tropical fish – are you for real real

Fish everywhere – EVERYWHERE!

Snorkel Snorkel

Better for in the water

RealFin

Good bye Zambia (for now) and hello Magical Malawi. In the very short distance we have traveled after leaving Zambia yesterday morning, Malawi has managed to bathe us in her charms! The roads are good, more open, the landscape is beautiful and even the police check points seem nicer somehow (the police are more like information kiosks where they stop you to simply ask how you are doing and point you in the direction of your destination). The roads wind down the pass from Lilongwe to Monkey Bay on the lake making the drive way more interesting and fun. Baobabs and hilly outcrops dot the countryside…its awesome – I already love this place!

The pass down to Monkey Bay From Lilongwe

Baobabs…Everywhere!

Like I said…Baobabs

A massive thank you to Realtime Financial Solutions for sponsoring our stage 03 through Malawi

RealFin

Protea Hotel Ryalls in Blantyre Malawi has just confirmed our accommodation! Protea Hotels, in general, have been amazing and we are now covered for more than a weeks worth of accommodation! This is an amazing contribution to our cause and ability to raise funds and awareness for Abraham Kriel!

Protea Hotel Ryalls