Bridging The Continents

Location: Malawi Summary: Today, April 14th, I headed north in Malawi to explore more of the country before I need to leave. Julie is occupied with her conference and interviews, so I set off on my own. My first destination was Mzuzu, about 350 kilometers away. The road was mostly in good condition, though large stretches are still under construction — meaning I often drove on temporary roads and...

Location: Malawi Summary: Today, April 13th, a Monday, I took it easy for most of the day before heading to the conference center. My goal was to interview Dr. Seke Kayuni along with Julie Jacobson from Britain, who works with BridgesToDevelopment.org, about WHO's designated 21 neglected tropical diseases. Getting there was easy since it's not far from where I'm staying. Even though the conference...

Location: Malawi Summary: Today, April 12th, 2026, was a very special day. I picked up Julie Jacobson at the Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, Malawi. Julie, who also lives on Vashon Island, is deeply involved with BridgesToDevelopment.org, which addresses the 21 neglected tropical diseases as nominated by the World Health Organization. She flew in to attend a WHO conference in Lilongwe, e...

Location: Malawi Summary: Today on April 11th, I left Liwonde and headed toward Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi. Since I had stayed in town rather than at the Kutschaer place, it was easier to get going in the morning. Liwonde sits along the Shire River, and while there are hippos and crocodiles in the area, I couldn't see them from where I was staying. I did enjoy a lovely breakfast looking...

Location: Malawi Summary: Today on April 10th, I headed to Liwonde National Park in Malawi after a great breakfast. My Garmin directed me to the south entrance, and I needed four-wheel drive to cross a river just before the park. The park entrance has two gates with electrified fencing and ground wires to keep animals from escaping. Entry cost about 65,000 Kwacha (under $40) for the car and myself...

Location: Malawi Summary: Today I left Blantyre after sorting out my car information and headed toward Liwonde National Park, hoping to do a game drive the next day. The roads were decent with occasional potholes — just enough to keep you on your toes. Along the way, I had a wonderful surprise: I spotted the Ekoa stove facility, which originated from the Burn Design Lab and is primarily manufactur...

Location: Malawi Summary: Today I set out in Blantyre, Malawi, to gather important information about my Toyota and what my options are for potentially selling or importing it. I started by visiting a Toyota dealer, where the receptionist quickly connected me with a knowledgeable technician. My first priority was determining the exact manufacturing year of my car, since US import regulations depend...

Location: Malawi Summary: Today I made my way to Blantyre, Malawi. I had changed my original plans to head north right away because I now have an engagement on Sunday the 12th to meet someone at the airport in Lilongwe, the capital. This gave me time to visit Blantyre and sort out a few things. The drive wasn't too long, which I appreciated because it meant I arrived in the early to mid-afternoon...

Location: Malawi Summary: Today was an exciting and intense day as I drove from Tete, Mozambique, to cross into Malawi — hopefully my last country with the car. The road to the Zobue border, the N304, was a paved road that had never been maintained, making it full of terrible potholes. Honestly, a well-maintained sand road would have been better. Along the way, I picked up a lady with five little...

Location: Mozambique Summary: Today on April 5th, I left Guru and headed for Tete, Mozambique — a fair distance to cover. While having a bite on the main street, I struck up a conversation with a container truck driver who was doing the Beira to Lilongwe route via Tete. He shared that he carries enough fuel for the return trip, using between 850 to 1,050 liters depending on whether he's hauling a...

Location: Mozambique Summary: Today on April 4th, I explored Chimoyo, which turned out to be a pleasant town with a lovely square, vivacious paintings and murals, and an interesting market. After that, I set off toward Tete, but at nearly 400 kilometers away, it was too far for a single day's drive. Finding accommodation along the route proved challenging as nothing was showing up on my maps. The...

Location: Mozambique Summary: Today I had an early start, joining the scientists for a 7 o'clock breakfast near the hotel. Three of them went to the river to ask the police about doing volume tests, but after two hours they found out it wasn't permitted despite having other permits. They took it in stride and waited for their second vehicle to arrive. I decided to head out on my own toward a mango...

Location: Mozambique Summary: Today, April 2nd, I decided not to stay another night at my accommodation and instead explored the town before heading out. I drove to the beach and witnessed something amazing — it was low tide and a long line of people were standing in the water, pulling in fishing nets that had been set out by boat. It was quite a sight. I also stumbled upon the Kilimanjaro Hotel a...

Location: Mozambique Summary: Today was April 1st, 2026, and I was trying to leave Tofu in Mozambique. When I tried to start my car around 10 o'clock, the battery was completely dead. I have three batteries in my vehicle, and one was new from the Netherlands, but a beeping sound I'd been hearing turned out to be a low battery indicator. Sasha helped by asking a neighbor who had a jump-start box, b...

Location: Mozambique Summary: Today was March 31st, and I had been hoping to take another whale shark boat trip so I could capture some photos from a different angle. Unfortunately, high tides influenced by the moon and incoming rain clouds meant the owners cancelled the trip. So that plan literally fell in the water. Instead, I ended up at the Brunching Whale, a little coffee place in Tofo, where...

Location: Mozambique Summary: On March 30th, I had quite the adventure in Mozambique! I signed up for a 2-hour boat trip to try to spot whale sharks — the biggest sharks in the world, with some spotted at 9 meters in this area. I'm not typically a fan of being on the water since I get seasick, but I figured I better seize the opportunity. Sasha and Chris joined as well, since Sasha does whale shar...

Location: Mozambique Summary: On March 29th, a Sunday, I left Xai-Xai and made my way to Tofu in Mozambique. The journey turned out to be quite interesting. Along the way, I stopped at the Önnham River for a bite to eat, where I met a couple from Singapore who had bought a Land Cruiser in Germany, shipped it to Cape Town, and were now wandering through southern Africa without a fixed plan. It's al...

Location: Mozambique Summary: Today I left Maputo after spending a bit of time exploring the city. Following Rick's suggestion, I visited the Tunduru Gardens near Independence Place, which made for a nice walk. I was really impressed by the Maputo-Katembe Bridge connecting southern Mozambique to the capital, so I decided to drive across it. Catembe itself didn't have much going on — no improved ro...

Location: Eswatini Summary: Today, Friday March 27th, I had an evening meeting planned with Rick, his wife Rachel, and daughter Claire. I first met Rick in Angola at the Flow Hotel — he works for the Canadian High Commission, which covers Angola and Eswatini from their base in Mozambique. Since I was only about 2 kilometers from their place, and Rick warned me that Friday afternoon traffic would b...

Location: Eswatini Summary: Today was March 26th, and I had about 300 kilometers ahead of me to reach Maputo in Mozambique. Knowing that border crossings take time, I opted for an early start and was grateful the restaurant accommodated me with an early breakfast, so I left close to 8 in the morning. I chose a longer route through a place called Piggs Peak because the name sounded intriguing and t...

Location: Eswatini: Summary: Today, March 25th, I left the Waterside Lodge and headed into town for breakfast — sausage rolls, or saucijzenbroodjes as the Dutch call them. My first destination was the Mahamba border crossing, where I entered Eswatini from South Africa. The process was simple: just passport stamps for leaving South Africa and entering Eswatini. I learned that Eswatini has its own c...

Location: Lesotho Summary: On March 24th, I had a cloudy but pleasant driving day. My Garmin suggested a southern route with more freeways, which seemed fine given the overcast skies. My other navigation systems proposed northern routes, but neither had particularly interesting features, so I went south. The estimated travel time seemed high, but it actually took much less time than indicated — ar...

Location: Lesotho Summary: Today, March 23rd, I wrapped up my stay and headed for the border crossing from Lesotho into South Africa. Leaving Lesotho was easy, but entering South Africa again proved a bit tricky since my original entry was on an emergency passport, which confused the border officials. We got it all sorted out eventually. The first town I passed through was Fouiesberg — a small, qu...

Location: Lesotho Summary: I woke up on March 22nd in a cold round brick hut with a grass roof in Lesotho. They had offered to light a fire the night before, but I declined since I was only up for about 15 minutes before bed. The place had a solar-powered ceiling light and a generator running from 6 to 10 in the evening — quite comfortable given the circumstances. The leader of the Dutch mission g...

Location - South Africa Summary: Today, March 21st, turned out to be one of the most special days of my journey. I've been making a point to keep my diesel tanks topped up — my Land Cruiser holds 180 liters across two tanks, and with concerns about diesel availability, I try to refuel about 60 liters after every day of significant driving. My first stop was in Heimveld at the Country Goat Cafe. Th...