Kande Beach, Malawi to Tukuyu, Tanzania.

Dawn at Kande Beach.

Up with the dawn again… some vacation this is 😉  The up-side was that the dawn sky was beautiful and the morning breeze bracing. We got our stuff packed and out of our beach bungalow and over to Malaika where we found poor old Yappe. The party-types had worn him out last night and he was flopped down in the sand with his head almost in the embers of the campfire.

Too much party for Yappe.

This was one of those brutal 12+ hours-in-the-truck transition days. However, the narrow twisting roads over the mountains leading out of Malawi were quite “entertaining” and provided some great views of Lake Malawi.

Road is narrow and twisty.

Tanker didn’t quite make the curve.

Great view of Lake Malawi.

We did manage to make it safely to the Malawi-Tanzania border; we filled out our exit forms, trudged over to the Tanzania side, purchased our Visas, and voila! We were now in Tanzania and headed towards the town of Tukuyu in the tea growing region of the country.

Malawi Border Control.

We arrived on the grounds of the Landmark Hotel (http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g1549794-d1549126-Reviews-Landmark_Hotel-Tukuyu.html) just after the sun had set. Tukuyu is approximately 1500 metres (4800 feet) above sea level and it was cool, damp, and cloudy. We were to camp on the grounds but with one look at the threatening skies, everyone chose to upgrade to a room at $50 USD. The room was spartan but quite large and featured DSTV and its own balcony. The highlight though, was the shower – lots of HOT water and plenty of pressure! It felt absolutely incredible to be able to stand under unlimited hot water and feel days of travel-grime literally sluicing off your body.

When the call for dinner came, we walked around Malaika to find that Brett, Will, and Ebron had outdone themselves – they had set up the dinner table complete with tablecloths and lit candles. Shortly after dinner, a light but chilling drizzle started (kinda made me miss home – NOT!). So, I finished off the evening with a Commacho Perfecto #2 out by the main entrance; a short, full-bodied cigar with woodsy notes and a dark chocolate finish… just the cigar for when you have a full belly and are looking forward to a warm, comfy bed.

Candle-lit dinner in Tukuyu.