Have you read Song of Myself?

No? Well. Go out a read it.

Snippets from my journal:

Dirt roads pretty much the whole way today, following the Shire down. The river was to our left, the railroad was to our right, and for some distance the M-1 was in such bad condition that we rode on the footpaths alongside it, which was actually a very nice change with all the zig-zagging and lack of open space ahead of you. Plus I got to sneak up on cows and goats.
There is plenty of end of the Earth feeling here.
This is where my trip really begins, where I slip into vacation/traveling mode and that thought alone already makes me happy.
We checked into Nsanje Discovery Lodge (only 600 kwacha for the two of us! Although Dan doesn't get a bed... but still! $2 each! With electricity AND running water!) and then we took showers (dusty. as. hell.) and went over to the restaurant where our waiter spoke only Portuguese. We were sitting in this pretty open airy turquoise restaurant, both doors open with a perfect breeze coming in ruffling the crazy rainbow colorful plastic crap hanging down from the walls drinking a cold beer and it suddenly felt very exotic, very latino, and I became very happy.


The border crossing was one of the most chill ever. When we asked the immigration officer if we could exchange money in the town of Vila Nova da Frontera, he said "Black market, just near," and then pointed us in the right direction. Now that's a helpful border official! And there is this cavernous old building, which must have been left over from when the Portuguese pulled out in the seventies. It had that grimy, weedy opulence that reminds me of Bokor Hill Fort in Cambodia.


After two and a half days of dirt roads, tarmac is a gift from the biking gods. We flew. The sun went under the horizon and the sky went pink and purple, I yelled that I love Mozambique and then after a little hill I saw the sign for this place, M'phingwe Camp.
This place in unreal. It feels like Yellowstone or something. We have a little chalet that is clean and cheapish and perfect. It's about 2kms down a great dirt track in a beautiful singing forest. They have hot water and an awesome menu, and I saw my breath at night.