movie scene #2 (tuesday)

(movie scene #1 was crashing through the police block: and then the adventure began)

Over to the lumber camp to see if we could hitch a ride out. (remember that public transport in Nyika is non-existant). They were more than willing for us to ride on the backs of the lumber trucks (this time not empty) so I’m not sure where we would be sitting or riding but I did know it would be dusty. We got a ride easily but they had to pump up the tires and then they were leaving. It then turned into having to change the tire…or four…or ??? so we went to another truck. Yes, we’re leaving now, just tightening the straps and then we’ll come by and pick you up (we were near the exit)…Then a pick up was driving out and told us to get in. Two oil barrels (empty tho the back was covered in oil/tar), 3 boys and 3 men in the back…we put down some cardboard, our bags on that and us on our bags and we left. Dropped 2 of the men not far out of camp and continued on. About 7k out of camp (the hill that we last walked up before getting our ride yesterday) the truck was going down and we felt a bump and then saw a tire go bouncing off to the left and front of the truck…yes, the tire had come off the back left and just like the movies bounced away as we rolled to a stop on the rim. One of the boys had leapt out of the back and I thought he was going after the tire though he was too small to be able to bring it back and in fact he didn’t go after the tire. I think he was afraid the truck was going to roll. He got a major yelling at by the man in the back. The driver got out of the truck just chuckling.

At least 2 hours and lots of banging on the rim to refit the tire and we were on our way again. (a truck coming in stopped and the guys on the back lifted our truck to get a log underneath it as we didn’t have a jack) (the truck that was having its tires changed came with some tools and stayed until we were up and running again but didn’t actually follow us out or pass us—good thing we didn’t wait for that one to leave). We then stopped every 30-45 minutes to check the tire and retightened the nuts. No other problems though so that was nice.

From Rumphi (6 hours after we left Chilenda) we continued on to Chitimba…got let off there at 6pm (dark) 10k from where we wanted to stay that night…the 10k is, of course, up a mountain and there were no cars around…but we waited and luck held one did go up and stop to give us a ride (well, rhona had to run after it to ask for the lift)…20 hairpin turns up the mountain…I’m not sure whether I would have preferred to see the steep drop on the side of the road or if going up in the dark was the way to do it…but we did make it to the surprise of everyone we have since told and who know how far we travelled. (yeah us—I think we’re crazy)