Logsplitter’s travels in his Grenadier.

[Logsplitter]

The President of Malawi is delivering by providing a totally unneeded vanity project of a six lane highway from the Parliament to the central business district. A roundabout would suffice but that doesn’t impress people and win votes In the meantime the people of Neno and many other poor areas don’t even have a tar road to reach them. The Neno all weather road is halfway completed in one direction but the contractors are pulling out through lack of payment

 

[bakepl]

The President of Malawi is delivering by providing a totally unneeded vanity project of a six lane highway from the Parliament to the central business district. A roundabout would suffice but that doesn’t impress people and win votes In the meantime the people of Neno and many other poor areas don’t even have a tar road to reach them. The Neno all weather road is halfway completed in one direction but the contractors are pulling out through lack of payment View attachment 7834821View attachment 7834822

Fantastic images thank you and really appreciate your comments. What a wonderful journey. Opened my eyes up for sure. Safe travels.

 

[MrMike]

That’s us. Where did they take that photo

Zambia is all is says, comments on the post were interesting- jealously and admiration to weight distribution.
Great trip BTW, love the photos and commentary

 

[DenisM]

The President of Malawi is delivering by providing a totally unneeded vanity project of a six lane highway from the Parliament to the central business district. A roundabout would suffice but that doesn’t impress people and win votes In the meantime the people of Neno and many other poor areas don’t even have a tar road to reach them. The Neno all weather road is halfway completed in one direction but the contractors are pulling out through lack of payment View attachment 7834821View attachment 7834822

On Australia's east coast, the Bruce Highway connects Brisbane to Cairns, some 1700km to the north. Apart from 2 lanes each direction of motorway standard for the first 180km, the remainder is mainly one lane each way with occasional overtaking lanes in either direction. It has a deserved reputation as a "kill zone" and has been a political football for decades. That being said, there is a sign on private property which causes my African refugee "kids" (who spent time in a Malawi refugee camp prior to arriving in Australia) to howl with laughter... obviously the land owner knew something! Thanks to @Logsplitter ---I shall wonder no more! [ (Annastacia) Palaszczuk is the current premier of the State of Queensland / (Scott) Morrison is a former Australian Prime minister]

This taken from a Google image

Safe travels Logsplitter!

 

[Logsplitter]

On Australia's east coast, the Bruce Highway connects Brisbane to Cairns, some 1700km to the north. Apart from 2 lanes each direction of motorway standard for the first 180km, the remainder is mainly one lane each way with occasional overtaking lanes in either direction. It has a deserved reputation as a "kill zone" and has been a political football for decades. That being said, there is a sign on private property which causes my African refugee "kids" (who spent time in a Malawi refugee camp prior to arriving in Australia) to howl with laughter... obviously the land owner knew something! Thanks to @Logsplitter ---I shall wonder no more! [ (Annastacia) Palaszczuk is the current premier of the State of Queensland / (Scott) Morrison is a former Australian Prime minister]

This taken from a Google image
View attachment 7834865

Safe travels Logsplitter!

Thanks mate. That’s real interesting.
you know Malawi is truly a beautiful place and not named the “warm heart of Africa” for nothing. The people are so welcoming and friendly yet mostly very poor. They have the most beautiful lake that is about 365 miles long. Totally under utilised for tourism. The potential for tourism is huge if the infrastructure and direct flights were in place. No great mineral reserves like its neighbours so reliant to a large extent on foreign aid.
It’s an easy country to travel around but road system is in a poor state especially after rains. Police and Army check points are generally doing a good job of cracking down on unlicensed and poorly maintained vehicles plus illegal trade in wildlife and cross border smuggling. Occasionaly you get unprofessional individuals asking for money or gifts but they are easily disarmed with the right words. We had one police officer at a remote road block who was so drunk he couldn’t put two words together
Most people are subsistence farmers so very poor and a hand to mouth existence and no tax revenues for the government.
We’ve helped some people there in setting up small business and in various skills inc a father and son who we helped with tools and training for carpentry and wood turning . A great success and they are doing real well now. Another family I built a dam and installed irrigation pipes for their dimba garden. Again they are doing real well and have now got five cows for milking so extra income with children going to secondary school.(primary education is free and secondary education is payed for ). Most kids don’t get a secondary education.
Attached some pictures of Thanguli who is a brilliant wood turner on a pole lathe and carpenter. All timber logged and sawn by hand using pit saws Also pictures of his son Kenneth who won a competition and so the contract to supply 100 church pews for the new Adventist Church in the district

 

[Krabby]

Thanks mate. That’s real interesting.
you know Malawi is truly a beautiful place and not named the “warm heart of Africa” for nothing. The people are so welcoming and friendly yet mostly very poor. They have the most beautiful lake that is about 365 miles long. Totally under utilised for tourism. The potential for tourism is huge if the infrastructure and direct flights were in place. No great mineral reserves like its neighbours so reliant to a large extent on foreign aid.
It’s an easy country to travel around but road system is in a poor state especially after rains. Police and Army check points are generally doing a good job of cracking down on unlicensed and poorly maintained vehicles plus illegal trade in wildlife and cross border smuggling. Occasionaly you get unprofessional individuals asking for money or gifts but they are easily disarmed with the right words. We had one police officer at a remote road block who was so drunk he couldn’t put two words together
Most people are subsistence farmers so very poor and a hand to mouth existence and no tax revenues for the government.
We’ve helped some people there in setting up small business and in various skills inc a father and son who we helped with tools and training for carpentry and wood turning . A great success and they are doing real well now. Another family I built a dam and installed irrigation pipes for their dimba garden. Again they are doing real well and have now got five cows for milking so extra income with children going to secondary school.(primary education is free and secondary education is payed for ). Most kids don’t get a secondary education.
Attached some pictures of Thanguli who is a brilliant wood turner on a pole lathe and carpenter. All timber logged and sawn by hand using pit saws Also pictures of his son Kenneth who won a competition and so the contract to supply 100 church pews for the new Adventist Church in the district View attachment 7834904View attachment 7834903

View attachment 7834898View attachment 7834896

The first image - where he is sitting in the church - is a wonderful portrait.

 

[Logsplitter]

Some jobs I had to do with Grenadier whilst on the road. The two rubber stops on the large rear door kept falling off so I fashioned some washers into the right shape from large penny washers. The back doors kept showing as a warning that they were open and at one point I couldn’t lock the vehicle so had to adjust the catches on the rear doors. That was a bit of trial and error to get that right. I have a plethora of warning lights inc a constant airbag red warning light and various bong noises at times but no update as yet so can live with that. Nothing wrong that would stop the vehicle moving.
Overall it’s a very comfortable long distance tourer and extremely good at overtaking convoys of articulated lorries on the long Malawian and Zambian hills and competent off road although as said before the back protection plate is doing a grand job so could do with a suspension lift at the rear for travelling loaded. It’s comfortable and squeak free apart from the back doors that the rubbers have started squeeking again so more adjustment needed. My fix for the small radiator is holding up for now. And the high/low and diff lock shift is smooth and easy, so making me wonder that the problem of stiff transfer box lever was there from new as much easier to shift now with new Bowden cables properly secured.
Batteries seem to be working fine with fridge now reattached to main battery instead of auxiliary connection on the smartpass which has been blanked off. Never seen battery level below 80% even after not moving the vehicle for three days and fridge set to 0c . On driving days battery soon up to 100%.

 

[Logsplitter]

Thankyou.
Not a single power tool used

The first image - where he is sitting in the church - is a wonderful portrait.

everything done by hand

 

[Logsplitter]

Some more little jobs done whilst en route. Extra reflective stickers added as the police in Zambia insist on them even though you have a new vehicle with good lights and reflectors. It’s a bit of a scam but if you don’t have them then you will get hassled at check points. I also added an extra car charger inc two usb points in the left hand/passenger footwell. Very simple job and I just used wago connectors to join the wires.

 

[parb]

I had to add those same stickers to my motorcycle trailer in the US after a cop gave me a hard time... the trailer had led lights with reflectors but that wasn't good enough.

And I miss africa! The namib naukluft desert. Okavango delta, journeys through mocambique. Zambesi River shrimp cooked over fire. Oh, the memories!

 

[Logsplitter]

Grenadier travels in Malawi after leaving Neno included visiting various places along Lake Malawi before revisiting friends in Lilongwe before re entering Zambia.
Grenadier performing well just the front radiator fix whilst at Senga Bay and still holding up well.
Many police road blocks we are just stopped to chat about the vehicle which attracts a lot of attention everywhere we go. The main roads are tar roads with many pot holed sections which the suspension copes with well. I did have to adjust both back door and bonnet catches at various points as a warning going over bumps to say back doors open and twice I couldn’t lock the vehicle until I adjusted bonnet catches and back door catches. Corrugated dirt roads certainly shake things up!

Attached some pictures of life at lake Malawi and of course few Grenadier shots.

 

[Logsplitter]

On the shores of lake Malawi
And pictures of how the locals transport fish. That’s what windscreen wipers and door handles are really made for

 

[ECrider]

On the shores of lake Malawi
And pictures of how the locals transport fish. That’s what windscreen wipers and door handles are really made for View attachment 7835721View attachment 7835720View attachment 7835719View attachment 7835718View attachment 7835717View attachment 7835716View attachment 7835714View attachment 7835715

Very nice. You've cleaned the car!
I also spot a Cobb bbq

 

[Logsplitter]

Travelling back through Zambia we first travelled to South Luangwa National Park where we camped on the banks of the river. A beautiful setting we’ve visited a few times over the years. A great setting, no fences and the wildlife just wanders through camp. We then checked into a very posh lodge courtesy of Robin Pope safaris where we had three nights and they supplied us with internet so we could join our dear friends funeral remotely, as did many others from around the world. A lovely service and something we will never forget. The elephants came down to drink at the waterhole at the end of the service which was very befitting as Celia loved elephants .
Driving back through Zambia we stuck to the main roads as rainy season had started making many dirt roads difficult and very slow going. En route to Victoria falls/Livingstone we travelled to Lochinvar National Park. Little visited and terrible dirt road to get there with deep mud and huge holes in the track. Bird life was amazing when we got there. We visited the game rangers camp where one then hung onto the side of the vehicle and showed us to a very remote and beautiful camp spot. Birdlife and huge herds of Kafue Letchwe all around.
Next stop Victoria Falls/Mosi o Tunya that are not quite as spectacular this time of year as the first rains have only just started but still an amazing spectacle .
After Zambia we re entered Botswana via the Kasangula bridge
pictures from South Luangwa

 

[Logsplitter]

Very nice. You've cleaned the car!
I also spot a Cobb bbq

Cobb cookers are the best if you have room. With a handful of charcoal briquettes we can cook roast diners, pizzas , bread and much more. A great bit of kit but bulky.

 

[ECrider]

Cobb cookers are the best if you have room. With a handful of charcoal briquettes we can cook roast diners, pizzas , bread and much more. A great bit of kit but bulky.

yep, we have a couple. one here in the garage an another overseas. good for boating/camping etc

 

[rovie]

On the shores of lake Malawi
And pictures of how the locals transport fish. That’s what windscreen wipers and door handles are really made for View attachment 7835721View attachment 7835720View attachment 7835719View attachment 7835718View attachment 7835717View attachment 7835716View attachment 7835714View attachment 7835715

Hi @Logsplitter as usual, great report and beautiful pictures. Thanks for that! I wish you all the best for the future and take care of yourselves. And I'm already looking forward to the next information. They enrich our forum immensely.

 

[MrMike]

How is the roof rack holding up @Logsplitter ? I also pointed a guy your way as he is intending to venture into Africa (albeit for the first time overland) in his Grenadier he'll be asking lots of questions.

 

[Logsplitter]

Lochinvar National Park

 

[ECrider]

Lochinvar National Park View attachment 7835752View attachment 7835753View attachment 7835754View attachment 7835758View attachment 7835756View attachment 7835759View attachment 7835761View attachment 7835760View attachment 7835768View attachment 7835765View attachment 7835763

stunning photos Logsplitter

good job you got the sidesteps for the man to ride shotgun, he'd have to hang off my rear ladder due to rocksliders!