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MALARIA, POTHOLES AND BULLETS (23)
MALARIA, POTHOLES AND BULLETS (23)
It's a high-risk malaria area ready to be visited again as part of our 3 to 4 year cycle. So every pregnant Mum and all the mothers with children under 5 years old receive Malaria Education and a high quality insecticide-treated mosquito net.
We make it to the end point of the Rio Save military convoy, thenduck north-east onto a dirt track that crosses the Busi River via a clapped-out ferry and across a beautiful floodplain over the Pungwe. From Beira, we 'Pothole' it all the way to the start of another bloody military convoy, this time from near Gorongosa to hopefully take us through the beautiful natural forests past Renamo's stronghold and down to Caia on the Zambezi.
The game is on! We juggle for position, dodging potholes and racing past eager bus, truck and bakkie drivers all whom, it seems, want to be directly behind the lead armored vehicle. And then, about an hour into our journey, the wildfire shooting starts. Machine gun and AK bullets spray the forest. Leaves and dust everywhere! Thick forest either side of the road I think what sitting ducks we are. We make it to Caia. No convoy from here and we break west to take the narrow track to Morrrumbala. The elephant grass higher than the Land Rover.Beautiful scenery. No Renamo here were told. All quite and peaceful from here on. We cross the Shire River on a hand-winched ferry and then headNorth up the Shire valley. Malawi here we come. But the late convoy start and the hassles on the convoy mean we can't make the border in time, so we pull off the road to not be too conspicuous, light a small fire, throw out a tent and bedrolls and sit back. It's the most beautiful starlit sky imaginable.... Will keep you posted.