I headed out of kusungu not really knowing where i was aiming for . Jenda was about 85 km up the road but i did not really expect to get thier in one day . I met lots of people onthe raod early on and the day went pretty well . I did not really worry about km and just kept going and going . at about 4 pm I realised that all farms and people had disappeard and i was running through an indigenous froest area that was not populated at all . I made a snap decision and decided to call it a day and bailed off the road into the deep thick bush .
I hide in a clump of really dense bush for a while and cooked supper and made coffe , I decided thati would not put my tent up unitl it was almost dark as that way i could aviod being spotted by any passerby's . i got a bit of a scare when a car pulled off the road almost at the exact same spot when i had left the road . They hung around for about 10 minutes but it seems it was justfor a strech and the call of nature .
Just before i setup my tent I noticed thatthe spot i had chosen was right next to a hornets nest but it wa to late to move . I setup and the deep grass under my tent gave some nice cushioning which i quitye enjoyed . I slept like a log , it was the firsttime i had camped where i was not worried about people becuase i would have heard anyone from a mile away .
I still feel full of flu and the cut on my leg is not looking so good , strange stuff oozing out of it but this did not stop me setting off early for Jenda ., which turned out to only be another 7 km up the road .
I did not stick around in Jenda but did meet a driver named Richard who told the correct distances to the next towns and all towns along the way . I pushed on to Livari as i had an offer from George to stay at the Luwawa forest camp . I made it to Livari inth enick of time as the heavens openedas soon as i got thier .
I spent th enight at the Luwawa forest camp and i t was great , I used the sauna and had some beers with George , laura nad Danny . It is an adventurers paradise .
I set of fth enext morning with the aim of making some good km's , how werong i was .
the day turned into a nightmare of a day . I was sick as a dog . sore throat , sore glands , hot and cold , the terrian was a monster too with massive hills that just went on and on for ever . After 8 hours i had only managed about 38 km and the rain came down . I saw a church so made a dash for the door way which was a bit sheltered .
So to use the correct terminology , I took refuge from the storm in the house of God . i decide to use teh time to cook up a meal of onions and tomatos with some toppers mince and nshima.
All was going well and i was busy collecti8ng water using my umbrella when i saw that the lady in th ehouse near by was watching me . Ithought i was going to be in trouble for cooking on the steps ofthe church . She dissappeared inside and reappeared shorty with a man , who turn out to be the Rev Samson Chipela , . his first words to me was " welcome" . he then suggest that he open the church and let me cook inside as it was quite misseralbe and cold outside .
He also said that i should not cook my own Nshina(pap) as they had just finished thier meal and had some left .
i was then presented with a pot of Nshima and some veg , grace was said by the rev and then I left to eat . A while later he returned and told me that he had discussed with his wife and it was to late in the day for me to continue on my journey so they thought i should stay in the church office forthe night . I was truly humbled by the genrosity that was extended by him .
I had a beautiful sleep in the church offic e, the normal pains I have been suffering at night in my feet were notthier , This could have been as a result of the huge anount of parecetomol i had taken for my flu but all the same it was a great nights sleep .
Th enext day I decidei would push the 77km to Mzuzu and my rest day .
the day started well and wet , so wet in fact that i used my umbrella for teh proper purpose for a change .
I had a vewry quite day on the road except fpor a 2okm stretch where a chap joined me . What ever i said to him he just repeated back to me , if i ran , he ran . I f i walked , he walked . he was really strange but in a harmless and irritating way . eventually I out ran him after about 2o km and was relieved to see the end of him .
I got to Mzuzu eventually and have spent most my rest day at hospitals and doctors getting injections and antibiotics . tomorrow I push on again
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