Public transport

I've been off traveling for the last week or so. I went from Lilongwe to Blantyre to Nsanje (detouring through Chikwawa) then back up to Monkey Bay (via Blantyre, Zomba, Mangochi) and then caught a car back to Lilongwe. I've never been more appreciative of shocks and soft seats as I was in the truck back to Lilongwe which took 3 hours and would have been around 8 on public transit (or more). It was all great, but I'll tell you about the places when I get home. The most entertaining is the transport.

When I was leaving Nsanje to travel N I went with McJustice (Malawian friend) to see what time the first buses would leave in the morning. They started at 2am. Well, good thing we checked because they came to wake him up at 2 to see if I was ready and then again at 3:30 when the next one left. Of course I had no idea because I was on the other side of the lodge. They were so frustrated that I was not ready by 3:30 that they told him they would not come back. Tragic really because the walk to the bus station is a strenuous 3 minutes. I'm sure he was relieved.

We walked over @ just after 4am in the calm... peace... quiet that you would expect at 4am. Then after boarding the minibus, the driver proceeded to drive around town honking repetatively and reving the engine, while a guy in back yelled out the window "Blantyre! Blantyre!" I was cringing at first, but then I found it very comical. I laughed to myself of course because no one else found this out of place. I'm sure the poor people who had intended to sleep in were now thrilled to be jolted from their sleep, as if going to Blantyre had not occured to them until now... 4am. What a great time to recruit. Anyways, we finally left at 4:50.

My favorite transit story actually happend a few weeks ago. I was going to look at a friends plot just outside of Lilongwe. He told me he would meet me at the bus depot, a short car ride from the turnoff to Salima. The trip was pretty normal, except that at some point we turned off onto this dirt road and started driving into these villages. That wasn't in the directions, but I didn't think too much of it because I'd never been to his place before - who knows, maybe he knew a short-cut.

Soon enough the car stopped and the driver came around to open my door. I didn't realize this was my stop, but he would have had to open the door for me anyways because there was no longer a handle on the inside. In fact, it wasn't supposed to be my stop. On asking where the bus depot was I got a confident gesture towards the building I was now in front of - an orphanage. I sensed a language barrier... my Chichewa is too limited for these types of situations (in addition to most situation). I repeated "bus depot" with questioning emphasis. He pointed again matter-of-factly at the building, and not deterred at all by my confusion got in the car and drove off.

I really felt like I was in a movie. I was in a small village somewhere in Malawi. People who didn't speak English were staring at me - a bit out of place - and I was hoping that I would not have to hike back out to the road. This is not necessarily something to be concerned about. I called my friend on my handy celtel cell phone, and read the orphanage sign which named the village and he said ok, he could be there soon. Great- no big deal. At this point of just hanging out, a man comes out of a nearby building and says, "Madam, you are a stranger in a strange place." That was true, and such a great line. He was actually a friend of my friend and showed me around.

Once I met with my friend we walked to his house. I found it cool that he grows 12 varieties of bananas - I tried 2 of them - and has 2 beehives... among other things. I'm pretty sure looking back, that the driver was likely pointing through the orphanage as if to say, "It's there. You know, the bus depot right over there - right behind the orphanage, down the trail, through the village, over the soil eroded ditch, and through the market." Maybe that's what he meant when he pointed at the orphanage, because in fact that is where it was. How obvious. What a great country.