I finally made it to Malawi! - Part 3 (The road to Zomba Plateau)

All right, I've been here 2 1/2 weeks and I'm almost done writing about the first 3-4 days!

As I said before, chance would have it that Kate had a 5 day weekend when I first got to Lilongwe.  So after a couple days of simply resting, relaxing, and getting my bearings, we headed to Zomba Plateau for a 2-3 day holiday! (side note-we'll see how many exclamation points are needed in this post; everything seems so exciting!)

We planned on driving south on the main road in Malawi (the M1), stopping at Dedza Pottery Lodge for a late breakfast, meeting three friends in Zomba, and then heading up to Zomba Forest Lodge.  This was going to be my first impression of the country outside of Lilongwe, and it was very beautiful.

Lush, mountainous, peaceful, great roads!  I had purposely not spent a lot of time researching Malawi, looking at pictures online, reading other blogs, etc.  I didn't want to come here with any expectations or preconceived notions about what the experience would be like based on others' perceptions.  Yet I still some had pretty lame stereotypes built up in my mind, and this didn't necessarily fit my picture.

The M1 is the main road in Malawi that runs north-south, being the main transit between Lilongwe (which is the political capital) and Blantyre (which is the economic capital).  It was a great road-smooth, most of it had a nice shoulder, very few potholes.  Kate informed me that many people assume the road is in such good shape because the President is traveling back and forth quite a bit on this stretch, and therefore extra care is taken to make sure it is in good condition.  Done.



After about 1 1/12 hours of driving (sensory overload) we arrived in the small town of Dedza.  Within this small town was a hidden gem: the Dedza Pottery Lodge.  http://www.dedzapottery.com/  It is a bit of a misnomer to call it hidden, as all of the expats in Malawi (as well as all of the travel books on Malawi) are keenly aware of the lodge, and most importantly the amazing restaurant there.  As such, Kate had planned on giving me a first class breakfast on our first road trip together in Malawi.

Kate and I briefly browsed the pottery, of which there a bunch of great stuff, but then got to business having a delicious breakfast.  Walking from the pottery lodge to the restaurant, we saw beautiful facilities, immaculately manicured grounds, really top-notch all the way.

Unexpectedly, we were the only patrons in the restaurant that morning (although it was 10:30 on a Sunday morning, so if not then....)  Even so, we had great service, and it felt like we were at some exclusive resort, our every need being catered to.  I had eggs, sausage, bacon, toast with jam, coffee and juice!  Lovely, and more exclamation points!!!! Peaceful, quiet, cheap (I think the whole breakfast cost us about 7,000 kwacha, which is about $16 USD).



 Back on the road, we headed south again.  As a quick aside, I don't want to paint a picture that Malawi is not a poor country, or that our experiences here aren't distinctly formed by the reality that we have the luxury of wealth that normal Malawians wouldn't dream of.  Are we doing what we are supposed to, by putting money into the local economy?  Are we spoiled brats living every day in a standard that is so far beyond most here?  Before I go off on too much of a tangent, these are questions I think about, everyday, particularly during my interactions with people here. Once I spend more time getting to know the country and the people here, I plan on writing more about the dichotomy we face living here.  Just not quite yet.

That being said, we do have the luxury to live the way we do in a country that is poor, with some calling it the poorest in the world.  Apparently, though, there is even some controversy about that particular distinction-
http://www.maravipost.com/national/opinions/muckracking/8278-badge-of-dishonour-,-world-bank-ranks-malawi-poorest-of-the-poor.html
 vs.
http://www.nyasatimes.com/2015/02/24/malawi-may-not-be-poorest-of-the-poor-in-2015-ranking-world-bank/

Either way, some people here do live in grass huts, living a barely there subsistence lifestyle, in a way that most of us probably think of when we think of people in "Africa."  There is clearly poverty here, some of it tragically dangerous for the people who live that reality.  The flip side is that Malawi, like many countries in Africa, has a strong and growing middle class, as well as an upper class elite that has no problem living a very nice lifestyle.

I keep coming back to that moment when I told people I was moving to Malawi (or as most would only refer to it, Africa!)  There may be some stereotypes we have that are probably correct with regard to specific places and people here. But mostly, we (Americans, myself included) tend to be a bit uneducated about this dynamic continent.  Just Google "stereotypes about Africa", and it's easy to see where I'm coming from. (Here's a good one that is worth the read -http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/time-to-rethink-our-stereotypes-of-africa-296306061.html ) Again, two sides to the coin of our adventures, and one that I expect to explore more as my own experience lends me perspective and context to really reflect on our place here, and hopefully the impact we can have.   Deep breath, back to the road trip!

Traffic was relatively light as it was the weekend, but one thing that was consistent were police checkpoints in the towns.  My natural aversion to authority piqued my interest (not to mention some skepticism), but our interactions could not have been more enjoyable.  More than anything, it seemed like the officers simply felt like breaking up their day by having a nice conversation.  Kate was even caught driving a bit fast through one of the towns (where 60km is the limit vs. 100km outside the towns, although that is a bit unclear to my foreign understanding), and after the officer reviewed her insurance documents and license, let her off with a warning.  Either way, a nice drive through the country of Malawi to destroy any preconceived notions about corrupt officials looking to prey on foreigners.

One other thing I noticed about driving through Malawi was all the corn.  It is called maize here, and if you ask about corn, people look at you like you're crazy.  Maize is the number one crop here, by far.  It is a staple of the diet here, and is the primary ingredient in nsima, a porridge that I have yet to try.  Kate has, and indicates I should not be in a huge hurry. Short of the mountains everywhere, you could almost convince me we were in Iowa- good looking corn!

Once we transitioned off the M1, the condition of the road certainly suffered, but all things considered was still pretty good. More potholes, less of a shoulder, but Kate did a great job taking care of Emma's suspension by driving like a boss!  Perhaps my favorite moment was when Kate quickly stopped the car in the middle of the highway, and pointed out this bad boy!  A chameleon!  For those of you who are on facebook or instagram, you may have seen this guy already, but I think he deserves a second look!  I wish I would have taken a picture that gave him some scale, but my estimate is that from head to toe (tail), he was probably a good 10-12 inches!

And I am a liar.  There will be a Part 4 to this initial post.  I am tired of writing today, and want to head outside for a nice walk with Lucy.  Zomba Plateau and Zomba Forest Lodge are next up.  A professor in law school (who will remain unnamed as he gave  me one of my worst marks) always critiqued my writing with the exclamation, "Precision!", as in, I lack it.  Consistent with my insight into the quote from last post about omitting needless words (and really consistent with anyone who knows my personality and ability to talk and talk and talk and talk - or is that inability to keep my mouth shut?), I will continue to be aware that there is a goal here.  That goal is to, again, enjoy the process, enjoy every day that is our adventure, and hopefully make some progress in areas where I lack.  Hopefully, this picture (that Kate probably doesn't know I took ) will bring you back for Part 4.  Only 18 exclamation points in this post! (19)