In and Around Blantyre (30 January-3 February)

Missionary Peter Martin needed to travel to Blantyre to meet with some national

pastors. I took this opportunity to travel along and visit my sister-in-law’s family. The

drive takes about five hours. It is a good road, but there is only two-way traffic, and the

shoulders are filled with pedestrians, bicyclists, and men pushing their over-laden

bicycles. One also needs to slow to 50 km/h when passing through the towns. It makes

for a bit of an obstacle course.

     We arrived at Beautiful Saviour Lutheran Church around 4:45 PM, and Manuel,

Andyrose’s brother, was there to meet me. The Fernandes’ live near the church. Mrs.

Fernandes works in the new National Bank building, so the following day, she gave me

a tour. I have rarely been inside such an elegant building in the USA. Behind the

security desk was a large aquarium filled with fish endemic to Lake Malawi.

The next day, we all headed to Mulanje for an excursion at the country’s highest

mountain. Before we left Blantyre, we stopped at a butchery for some biltong (Malawian

beef jerky). Along the road we saw the result of an accident that had occurred some

hours before. A National Bus coach had crashed into a minibus. The minibus was a

mangled mess. Later, we learned that the coach driver had swerved to avoid hitting a

drunk man wandering on the road and had hit the minibus as a result. Two people died

instantly, and three further died in the hospital.

     In the town of Mulanje, we stopped at the market to buy pineapple, for which the

area is famous. They are said to be larger and better tasting than anywhere else. I

think they are also less expensive. Thanks to Mrs. Fernandes’ mad bargaining skills,

we were able to purchase six large pineapple for 500 kwatcha, which, depending on the

exchange, is about $2.00- $3.00.

     At the base of Mt. Mulanje is Hotel Kara O’mula where we stopped for drinks and

lunch. It is a quite happily situated hotel with regular rooms and, also, rooms in

bungalows built in the style of village huts. Manuel and I spent some time hiking a few

of the trails. There are tea plantations that stretch in a sea of green, interwoven with a

grid of trails, from the mountain down to the valley. We spent some time rock jumping

along the stream that trickled from the mountain peak. I imagine one could climb quite

a way up the mountain, simply by following that stream. There are expeditions to the

top of Mulanje that require a minimum of two days. However, the porters are able to

complete the round-trip in two and a half hours when they compete in the Porters’

Marathon, held each year.

    That evening, Elizabeth cooked for us a wonderful meal of Chambo which included

the head and tail fin. Though the fish was quite tasty, I did not do as good of a job

cleaning my plate as I should have. Later that evening, Elizabeth took us to the

National Bank Club, which is similar to a golf club but is exclusively for staff of National

Bank. In the clubhouse, we enjoyed watching Ghana and Guinea play to a draw at the

Africa Cup of Nations, being held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

     On Thursday, we drove to Zomba, the capital of Malawi from its independence in

1966 until 1975, when it was decided that the capital should be more centrally located

and was moved to Lilongwe. We had been spoiled the day before by the excellent

quality of the road to Mulanje. The road to Zomba, on the other hand, was a

catastrophe.  Between swerving to avoid the bicyclists and pedestrians on the sides of the road and maneuvering around the potholes, I felt I was participating in “Pole Position.”  I was just glad I wasn’t the one driving.

     The city of Zomba is located at the base of the Zomba Plateau.  We drove up a winding mountain road to the hotel Ku Chawe.  Because it had been rainy, the receptionist recommended we not attempt the drive to the top of the plateau.  Manuel and I decided we could rent bicycles and could ride/ push them to the top and then ride them down.  Fortunately for us, it began to rain while we were still deciding what to do.  Since the path would be a muddy mess, the bicycling option was out.  Instead, we opted to hike.  While it was still raining, Manuel hired a guide for MK1000 (about $5) for the two of us, talked down from MK2500 a person.

     Though it was still sprinkling a bit, Manuel and I started out with the guide who set quite the pace.  He often makes three round trips a day (7km each way).  We were walking at a rate one usually takes on flat ground.  After about an hour of hiking through a forested area, spotting baboons along the way, we came to the open meadow-like plateau.  We then took a “shortcut” through some tall grass, up some slippery rocks, and came to Chingwe’s Hole.  It is a sinkhole that locals claim reaches all the way down to the Rift Valley, some 1200 meters below.  Legend also has it that “undesirables” of society were thrown down the hole.  After asking the guide about this, he assured us that there were “only” lepers thrown down the hole. 

     From Chingwe’s Hole, the view is breathtaking.  One can see all the way to Lake Malawi in the northwest and into the Shire River Valley to the west and southwest.  We wandered a bit further to a gorge that seemingly drops all the way to the valley floor.  I don’t believe photos could do any of it justice.  The hike back down the mountain to Hotel Ku Chawe was quite uneventful.  The rains had made the dirt paths quite slippery, so we saved our words and concentrated on staying upright.  Fortunately for us, there were no casualties.

     The next few hours were spent driving back down to Zomba town, eating lunch/ dinner in a local restaurant, and visiting a friend of the Fernandes’ for a few minutes.  It was dark by the time we left Zomba to drive the 64 km back to Blantyre.  64 km may not sound like a large distance, but when the road was as bad and as narrow as it was, and there was no shoulder, it made for a harrowing ride.  It was also dark, and one should not be driving in rural areas in Malawi at night.  Despite all the potholes, we covered the distance in good time. 

     The next day was Friday, and it would be time for me to head back to Lilongwe once again.  Elizabeth cooked a wonderful traditional Malawian meal of nsima, pumpkin leaves cooked with groundnut (peanut) flour, and chicken.  Around 1:30 we headed to the church to meet up with Peter Martin and Mindy Holtz (wife of missionary John Holtz) and a church elder from Lilongwe.  Except for a wicked downpour about 90 km from Lilongwe, the 4 ½ hour ride back was pleasant but uneventful.