The drive to Blantyre was about 4.5 hours through rolling hills and beautiful scenery.. It never gets tiring. Blantyre has a much different terrain than Lilongwe and kind of looks like a town you'd find in the hills somewhere in West Virginia. Plus, they have KFC.
We stayed in a nice little lodge that had "air con" as well as 4 cable TV stations... Our first night there, we had what was quite possibly the worst dinner I've had in my life at a local Chinese restaurant. Service was good , but the food was no where near Chinese tasting. And my beer tasted as if it had been on a fishing boat.
We were up every morning at 6 am getting ready for a two day event that had around 160 events...They would stop after about 20 events or so and give out medals for the previous events..
During one of the breaks, they decided to have some local boys jump in the "big pool" for the first time.. Well, they probably should have checked to see if they could swim, because one of the young men struggled and had a hard time holding on to the lane lines and had to be helped by an adult who jumped into the pool to help.. It was so strange.
The swimming galas are somewhat surreal.. The only difference between a gala here and one at home is location... There are mostly expatriate families who participate in the events.. Which is good for us, because we see lots of friends and acquaintances, but you never really feel as if you are witnessing anything Malawian..
We finished up the meet about 130 on Sunday, grabbed some "take away " from KFC and hit the road.. The goal- get home before the sun set... You do not want to be on the road in the dark so we set a good pace and made it to the edge of the city just as the sun was going down. Again, not to be disappointed , the scenery throughout this country was stunning and we took in one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. Which was a plus. We also were able to witness the President's caravan and all police force in the country were stationed on the highway, forcing pedestrians/ drivers/ bicyclists to pull over and make room for the convoy... People waited up to 30 minutes for the Presidents' crew to drive through the countryside at about a 150MPH clip. I wanted to get a video, but it is illegal here to take photos of military/ political personnel and I was under the surveillance by a local policeman.
By the way, we picked up 2 speeding tickets on the way down to Blantyre as I was driving too fast through a 50KM area(this is not true).. I had no way of knowing how they knew I was driving too fast.. I think they just see you are a foreigner, wave you to pull over and kindly tell you to pay 5000 Kwacha.. On the highway, just like home there are speed traps where you have to slow down through residential / village areas... Just as you pass through the town there is usually 4 or 5 officers there , standing in the middle of the road, waving drivers through or telling them to pull over.. The first time we were pulled over, I felt like I could make an argument about the ticket, then realized it wasn't worth it.. The officer asked me where I was headed, with classic African charm told me "You are in a hurry and were speeding.. You must pay the fine of 5000Kwacha"... So i decided it was best to just pay the fee.. I had to park the car, walk across the highway to a small parked car.. In the car was a woman with a receipt booklet and an envelope full of cash.. I gave her the money, she gave me a receipt and we were on our way.. about 30 minutes later, we were greeted by another officer, named Andrew .. I asked him if he would let us pass since we were born with the same name. He didn't think that was a good idea.
It was a great weekend that felt "normal." Michelle was off work, the kids were surrounded by friends and we had KFC.. What more could you ask for?? As we were driving home, Michelle said something to the effect of... this was one of those weekends where you feel content.. Where you know your time here is temporary, where you'll never get to know the people or the culture see everyday in this beautiful place, and are grateful for the experience.. You are grateful for the time here, for the blessing of getting a glimpse of it and seeing a part of this world. It is an amazing place and we are grateful for our time here..
Sidenote- I have said this before , but as the swim season comes to an end, I am so proud of my kids.. I don't say it too much, but they have done so well with this experience.. This includes our son Jacob , who has been left to his own devices back home. Everyone has risen to the occasion and has done exceptionally well. Kate, who was pulled away from her great school and great friends back home, has taken the experience by the reigns and done well.. yes,, she has a countdown app on her ipod for the day when we return home, but has really embraced her time here.. She admits, she will really miss this place and the friends she has made.. She even told her coaches that she is glad her dad made her swim this year... Maybe it is healthy to live vicariously through your kids and make them do things you wish you would have done when you were younger??? I am grateful to all of them.. this could have been a disaster , but it has turned into a great year for them..... We have 4 months left, but they will fly by .. As we move closer to spring break, we are starting to plan a few more treks through Malawi.. This time, we will hit the tea estates and the ominous Mt. Mulaje.. We will probably hit the southern coast of the lake as well, and may try to take in some game viewing.. Let's hope our purple rimmed 20 year old truck can make the trip..
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| This photo was taken right before Michelle screamed at the kids to put on their seat belts. |
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| Almost home. |
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| Kate during her 50m freestyle event. |
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| battery shop we parked in front of waiting for the President .. |
