First Impressions

     After a very long but also uneventful trip, I landed at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, Malawi.  According to Bradt's travel guide, Lilongwe is, "the blandest capital in Africa."  That, of course, remains to be seen, since I had only just arrived.  My friend Kari, who is a nurse for the Lutheran Mobile Clinic (aka Central African Medical Mission), was there at the airport to greet me and drop me in the ambulance at the house she shares with the other "sister" from the LMC.  I managed to stay awake for the next few hours by consuming a couple cappuccini, meeting a few of the missionaries, driving through Old Towne Lilongwe and enjoying an Indian meal- a typical start for a mzungu in Malawi.
     It is much greener here than I thought it would be.  Since it is the rainy season, it rains most days, but for a short period of time, which takes the edge off the heat and humidity.  My first "welcome to Africa" moment occurred as we were approaching the runway for the landing.  I saw lots of green, a boy washing in the river, but didn't see a runway.  I was mentally preparing myself for a landing on a green field when we touched town on the runway (actual tarmac).
     The main roads here are paved (called tarmac) and are in quite good condition.  Turning off those roads, however, one encounters dirt, holes, and, in this rainy season, loads of mud.  It's a good thing the Toyota Land Cruiser ambulance has four-wheel drive.