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16/12/2010
5.15 rise today seen as we HAD to attempt getting to the top and all the way down the mountain before dark. We filled up our bottles and cleaned our teeth with the clear running water from one of the mountain's many rivers.
Joined by the German and his guide, we marched to the summit at 3002 feet in under two hours from Chisepu. Simon our guide thought it would take near four! The views were great, but the relief of achieving the feat of reaching the summit of a mountain, without preparation, is something else.
There was some Brazilian or something written on a plaque at the top and one word was VALE. Obviously someone knew I was coming....
Getting back down the mountain proved to be the hardest thing about the whole three days surprisingly. Slipping through narrow rocks, underneath them, over water, inbetween branches, trees and bushes, balancing on rocks (or not sometimes!), it was all testing stuff. And with the steepest of rock faces being wet, it was a whole new battle.
We all had a few heart-in-mouth moments (although it wasn't too dangerous) almost plunging into a roll down some of the rocks which would have been very painful.
Eventually, back at the camp, it was peanut butter sandwich time. We were given some fish head and nsima (maize-like doughy rice) but passed on that! Yesterday it was a nice tomato relish with rice!
The Germans knees were hurting so I gave him some paracetomol and he left before us. We payed 770/800kw each for the services of the hut (government-owned) in comparison to the 1100 for the privately-owned one the previous night (700 is like 3quid, 1100 is fiver in Brit money).
Jack and I took off with Simon, catching up the German and overtaking him in no time, smashing out the miles trying to avoid the upcoming thunderstorm and get to the base of the mountain! We encountered a small snake on the way.
The downhill walking killed me. My knees and blisters took an absolute pounding. I'd have rather been going uphill and out of breath regularly rather than damaging my knees! I was in so much agony.
The sun had made an appearance so the body came out again as we walked down a more standard track, weaving down the side of the mountain. Needed a few breaks because of the pain in the knees before reaching the staggeringly beautiful (how do you like that description?!) Likhubula waterfall.
I removed my nikes and soothed myself in the cool water. Locals were jumping off rocks but I decided I would probably break a leg if I tried. Jack wanted to go in but didn't want to wet his shorts and chafe his legs....
The constant thunder had finally found us with some rain but we had reached the village of Likhubula in four hours (predicted time was 5 and a half). We caught a minibus round the mountain back to Mulanje village. The driver was a disaster, driving on the wrong side of the road, driving in the bushes, avoiding bumps in the road, he was swerving everywhere, chatting to passengers behind him with his head looking back, chatting to passers-by, literally, worse than you women....Oops, can I write that or will I get in trouble like Andy Gray?!
We paid the info place and the guide, caught bike taxi to pick up our bags and resided back in the crazy cheap Mulanje Motel. My guy riding the bike overtook Jack's, loads of locals and then made these Europeans look silly by hammering past them, with a 14 stone monster hanging off him!
Chicken curry, chips, rice and some fanta and coke tasted probably the best it will ever will.
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