Utawaleza. It even sounds beautiful, rainbow in Chichewa. I really thought I would see a rainbow today. Even though it started so brightly at 6am, alas it became cloudy as we headed west into the higher mountains of Limbe. We drove through cloud pockets on our last tour of the deep south, but the stunning vistas that I remembered as we headed down the steep swerving road into Chikhwawa were completely obscured. However, it is a bit nerve wracking during the steep descent to see how easily it would be to accidentally fall off the cliff, through a loose turn of the wheel or to avoid a child jumping out of nowhere, perhaps it was for the best. Even so, I still thought I deserved a rainbow, which failed to materialize.
I kept my camera in my lap anyway waiting for stunning images to suddenly burst through the clouds and then as we hit the lower Shire valley, I hoped for intriguing shots to compose themselves in the flat boring landscape anchored by the highway to nowhere that no one is allowed to drive on but that is beloved by the local people for walking, cycling, and driving their cattle. The highway that is also known as ‘the future hope of Malawi!’
After our four and a half hour drive to the very, very tip of Malawi, we decided to treat ourselves and actually visit the much heralded inland Nsanje port, gateway to the future (everything is in the future here in Malawi). Goats and heavy earth moving equipment aside, it looks nothing like the photos featured in the serious faced president’s billboards announcing Malawi’s entrance into the twenty first century. One wonders where those photos were taken. Given the small crew working and the complete lack of water anywhere near the pier-to-be, it may be the 22nd century that the future will actually kick in.
After this brief respite from the car, we reluctantly climbed back in (also after meeting a self proclaimed wise man ambassador recently released from the Zomba Mental Hospital—the only one of its kind in the country—who was eloquently in search of funds for nourishment.) An uneventful three hours later found us in the bustling trading center of Chikhwawa with the man whose computer I had infected with a virus so terrible the he lost everything when his computer inevitably crashed. Guilt was doubled when I had to confess that after numerous hours at the task I have yet to be able to successfully download the promised free antivirus program shareware on to a CD. It really shouldn’t be this hard to do! All was forgiven however, because he had neglected—this one time only!—to back up his files which I gladly shared with him.
Today’s memorable sightings included: two(!) Obama ‘Yes we can!’ salus (the cloth that women wrap as skirts) and one salu that placed a huge eye on a woman’s butt, (So good!), a goat teetering on the very top of a tall ant hill, the tastiest leaves on the tree still out of reach, God is the way shopping center, a few miles without a person in sight, new Malawi flags—though only posted in places the President had visited today.
Two brisk hours later, when we were almost back home in Zomba, a thin watery stalk of rainbow appeared inexplicably and accompanied us until the sun set over the mountain.
I kept my camera in my lap anyway waiting for stunning images to suddenly burst through the clouds and then as we hit the lower Shire valley, I hoped for intriguing shots to compose themselves in the flat boring landscape anchored by the highway to nowhere that no one is allowed to drive on but that is beloved by the local people for walking, cycling, and driving their cattle. The highway that is also known as ‘the future hope of Malawi!’
After our four and a half hour drive to the very, very tip of Malawi, we decided to treat ourselves and actually visit the much heralded inland Nsanje port, gateway to the future (everything is in the future here in Malawi). Goats and heavy earth moving equipment aside, it looks nothing like the photos featured in the serious faced president’s billboards announcing Malawi’s entrance into the twenty first century. One wonders where those photos were taken. Given the small crew working and the complete lack of water anywhere near the pier-to-be, it may be the 22nd century that the future will actually kick in.
After this brief respite from the car, we reluctantly climbed back in (also after meeting a self proclaimed wise man ambassador recently released from the Zomba Mental Hospital—the only one of its kind in the country—who was eloquently in search of funds for nourishment.) An uneventful three hours later found us in the bustling trading center of Chikhwawa with the man whose computer I had infected with a virus so terrible the he lost everything when his computer inevitably crashed. Guilt was doubled when I had to confess that after numerous hours at the task I have yet to be able to successfully download the promised free antivirus program shareware on to a CD. It really shouldn’t be this hard to do! All was forgiven however, because he had neglected—this one time only!—to back up his files which I gladly shared with him.
Today’s memorable sightings included: two(!) Obama ‘Yes we can!’ salus (the cloth that women wrap as skirts) and one salu that placed a huge eye on a woman’s butt, (So good!), a goat teetering on the very top of a tall ant hill, the tastiest leaves on the tree still out of reach, God is the way shopping center, a few miles without a person in sight, new Malawi flags—though only posted in places the President had visited today.
Two brisk hours later, when we were almost back home in Zomba, a thin watery stalk of rainbow appeared inexplicably and accompanied us until the sun set over the mountain.
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