Malawi and its terrible buses

Malawi

Luckily we stayed 5 nights in Tukuya as moving on has almost killed us. Michael and Donald put us on the minibus to the border and said goodbye. Unfortunately the bus never moved perhaps because the driver was more interested in getting close to Youngmi. Other buses were leaving so we jumped on one and were away. It stopped 2kms from the border and we had to walk this or go on the back of a motorbike. We walked and managed to shed the group of money changers we started with. Border no problem and we were told to get a shared taxi for 45kms to Karonga. This is the taxi says one guy. It looks like a minbus says Youngmi. No its a taxi and goes direct to Karonga. We got in and the bus started stopping for more and more passengers. Daves head hit the roof with every bump.

Karonga hot and rough. We avoided the minbus and got a bigger coaster bus to Mzusu. Forever stopping for passengers and police checks until 10kms from Mzuzu and just before dark it ran out of petrol. Youngmi takes command and abandons the bus,flags down a minibus and we are off. The town is packed with people including lots trying to get home from work. We stop in the town centre and about 500 people try to get into a 15 seat bus. The driver puts us in the front and takes us to a hotel with 50 other passengers squeezed in the back. Hotel is $150 a night. Reception guy calls another hotel then a taxi. When the taxi arrives he is driving it. Hello do you recognize me? Drives us 4km down a dark dirt track to a hotel with no electricity. We refuse to get out and he takes to a good place in town. Meet a Japanese student in the restaurant who is in Malawi to study witch doctors. He shows us film of people shaking with devils inside them. Dave becomes convinced he is a witch doctor and starts shaking.

Good sleep then walk to bus station. A big bus is going to Lilongwe 330kms away. We are told it will take 5 hours from when the bus leaves. Perfect. We get on at 9.45 but the bus takes till 11.15 to get completely full that is with about 20 people standing. A well at least we have a seat. Off we go and then stop stop stop for more passengers then some at the back want to get out and have to climb over everyone. Some are nimble enough to leave through the windows. Mountains very beautiful and we stop for a pee. As Dave is getting back on he sees the driver looking at the smoke coming from the engine. We manage another km then bang and stop. Everyone gets out and the driver and his mate find some tools and disappear under the bus. Only one hour later they have the bus going again. At first they try to make up time by speedy through the mountains but the passengers scream at them and manage to slow them. Still loads of stops to find more passengers and for police checks. We were told the police checks are due to the month end as each police dept has a budget for fines and if they haven't met budget they are troublesome.
It is one hour from dark as we reach Kasunga and we are 150kms from Lilongwe. Enough. We get out through the door not the window go the hotel and it is full! Luckily there is one other hotel in town and we stay a night there.

Hotel tells us we will get a bus outside at any time. At 9.30 with a heavy heart we look for a bus. A first mini bus stops but we decline as it is full. The second stops and it is full, about 23 people and lots of bags in 15 seats. We are not full says the driver and pushes us in. The conductor has his head sideways between a bag and the roof. For over 4hours we stop everywhere to squeeze people in and out. The passengers scream as the back door has come open and their luggage is strewn all over the road. We have our rucksacks on our knees.The luggage is collected but one bag is missing. We drive back down the road until we find it guarded by a local cyclist. At one point the conductor and three people get off. We drive through a police checkpoint and then wait down the road. A passenger says we had too many people for the checkpoint and then the conductor and three passengers get back on.

The grand climax occurs when we stop for a passenger when it appears every inch of the bus is full. The conductor lies under the seats in the tiniest space for about 15 mins until someone gets off then emerges smiling. This was the only time he didn't collect fares. We are knackered when we arrive but luckily find a korean hotel. City looks really poor at first site but we have time now to recover.