Hitchhiking

Chapter Ten

I had recently been mulling over the idea of hitchhiking. The rude minibus drivers in Malawi (you can read what happened here) were just the push I needed. My interest in hitchhiking started after I met a female traveler from Czechoslovakia that had just hitchhiked up Mozambique. I was in awe of her.

I felt like such a badass for roughing it as a minority on local transport. I hadn’t realized there was something even more hard core that I could be doing. I had just assumed that hitchhiking wouldn’t be safe so I hadn’t consider it as an option. Seeing a female solo traveler doing it and happy about her experiences gave me strength. She gave me some hitchhiking tips which I am now going to share with you.

Hitchhiking 101

1) Get out of the city. In the city the cars are moving around within it. Once you’re outside of it, on a road headed the direction you need to go, you’ll find a ride.

2) When you greet the car, tell them you’re volunteering and traveling without money. It’s important that they know that from the start.

3) Tell them where you’re going and ask if they can take you part of the way, any distance helps.

4) In Africa the signal for hitchhiking is to extend your arm and with your palm down and fingers straight, move your wrist up and down. The motion is like you’re patting a dog on the head. If you put your thumb out in the classic hitchhiking signal, people will also understand.

After hearing the rules, I asked her what she does for water. If you tell them you’re traveling without money, then you buy a water bottle at a gas station, it’s going to look suspicious. She actually travels with a ​watertogo ​bottle. She can get water anywhere and the filter makes it drinkable.

My hitchhiking inspiration had loads of positive experiences. She said people often bought her things like food or lodging. She had a book full of her “contacts” which were the friends she made from hitchhiking. Africans are typically pretty shocked to see a mzungu in their country. They love the opportunity to get to know one as they help them along their way.

Despite her glowing review, I was still hesitant. I come off as an extrovert because I’m not shy. However, I’m very aware that I’m actually an introvert. If I don’t have alone time to recharge I have to go on autopilot as a coping mechanism. Obviously, you can’t get into a strangers car and then retreat into your own world. Hitchhiking is a social thing and would require me to be all the way turned on.

My First Hitchhiking Experience

Leaving Karonga, I was high off of my escape from the minibus. My energy was up and suddenly hitchhiking seemed feasible. I walked along the road until I was out of the town. It took maybe fifteen minutes of walking before a car stopped. The moment they pulled over I was in shock. It actually worked! I ran over to the car, nervous and excited. I told them where I needed to go and they told me they could take me part of the way. It was a family of four. I was in the center of the back seat, high as a kite off of endorphins, as we rode along. What a thrill to get into a random car.

Hitchhiking is how I imagine fishing might be. You have your hook in the water and you wait and wait and wait and all of a sudden you get a tug and it’s game time! The family took me 20 miles or so before they turned off of the main road. They dropped me off in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. At first I saw no cars and I felt worried. I didn’t have enough water to walk to the next town.

Finally a car came. It was one of those cars that have a side business of giving people rides. He charged me 1,000K. Kind of against the principles of hitchhiking but the area was too remote to be choosy. He dropped me off at the turnoff for Chilumba. I saw the tiny fishing village on the map and decided to stay there for the night. It was still a 2 mile walk to the town at the end of the peninsula. I tried to get a ride but very few cars were turning that way. Having already walked a mile, I was giving my shoulders a break and sitting under a tree when a car pulled over.

A New Friend

That’s how I met Pioko, a Malawian that lived in Washington D.C. for twelve years. Having spent so much time in The States, we were able to connect over little things like peppermint mocha holiday drinks from Starbucks and his CVS brand of floss. Pioko gave me a ride to Chilumba and we were soon good friends. He invited me over for lunch and eventually to stay in his spare room for a few days. I met his sister, two nieces, and the baby of one of the nieces. They all lived together.

Discovering Chilumba

His house was a quick walk from the lake and it was such an enchanting place. Mango trees lined the beach. Nobody pays for mangos in Chilumba. Just make sure you have your floss because they are full of fibers. Cows live on the beach and I kid you not, a rainbow came out while I was swimming.

Pioko invited me to a local soccer game. His nieces made delicious meals. While driving around with him the car would constantly stop as he would introduced me to another cousin of his. Pioko is beloved in his village and I can see why, he is a stand up guy.

One day I swam out to some rocks in the lake and was lying out upon them. I heard giggles and looked up to see three tiny naked girls on the rock beside me. They started singing which of course made me dance. This tickled them pink and the singing continued. They didn’t speak English but the music connected us. Later, I went to the shore and they followed me. They brought me a mango and we all stood under the tree, treating ourselves to nature’s gift.

I spent a few magical days in Chilumba before continuing my journey to Lilongwe. Pioko encouraged me to take a minibus for the rest of my journey as the road went up a mountain full of baboons. Luckily, he knew a guy and made sure the driver was going to leave soon and that he charged me a fair price. I was happy that I gave hitchhiking a shot and the benefits were way more than I could have ever imagined.