Circumnavigation

After 3 days at a conference center in Lilongwe for field staff training, yesterday morning I was itching to stretch my legs. So, I woke up far earlier than any reasonable human being should, disinfected enough water to fill my nalgene, slurped down a hot beverage made with equal parts instant coffee and brown cane sugar  and set off. Where? No Idea -but I decided that my mission for the day was to climb a tree.

( Readers note-  Blantyre is great because its sprawled over a bunch of foothills in a ring of small mountains, so you cant really get that lost since all you have to do is look up at the nearest mountian and you can figure out where you are. Its an astoundingly use useful feature for a country where urban planning does not exist)

            3 hours later, having walked through town to Chichiri- the location of the only bookstore with besides the Born-Again-Christian’s Guide to Life-  followed a run-down railroad track to Ndirande because I wanted to see where where it went, ran into three village bank clients and one loan officer, each demanding what the hell I was doing, I found myself at Wenela bus depot. I was hoping to catch a bus to Chikwawa and tromp around in the sugar cane fields, but it had just left and since there is no actual minibus schedule (they only leave when they are completely full) there was no telling when the next one would leave or if I could get back later. Damn.

Feeling slightly deflated, I stumbled around a corner.. and into an oasis:  Doogles Bar and Lodge- a shady courtyard bar with a swimming pool and a lazy yellow lab….  mmm yep, time for a drink.

     Over my Hunter's Hard Cider, I discovered that Doogles is a local South African hangout spot and I met a mister Jounnik Nicolau, and crazy Greek-South African guy who runs a Turkish coffee shop in town. Go figure.

            Eventually, I left and made my way back through town to Mandela House, an old colonial tobacco estate with an amazing art gallery and garden cafe, where I climbed a huge mango tree overlooking Blantyre market and ate miniature bananas and chocolate toffee. Mission Accomplished.