Day 1. Thu 10th August
Lilongwe
As it turns out moving my toiletries was a good thing - maybe even
worth losing my knife for - as SAA have managed to lose my luggage.
However I am assured that if I return tomorrow at 13:00 it will be
there.
As luck would have it I meet a very nice man called Dr. David Keetch on the plane, and he
and
his colleague are being picked up and agree to give me a lift in
Lilongwe, which saves me arguing with the swarm of taxi drivers that
immediately surround every incoming passenger. They are going to the
Capital Hotel, so they drop me there and get one of the staff to
arrange a taxi to the Kiboko for 1000 Kwacha (£4 - it would
have
cost MK3000 from the airport). The taxi driver seems OK so I arrange
for him to take me back to the airport tomorrow, and he agrees to
MK5000 for the round trip. He is also happy to stop off at the back of
the PTC (Peoples Trading Centre) where all the money changers hang out.
Their dollar rate is only marginally better than the bank's, but it's
quicker, and more fun, doing it on the black market, than
queuing for hours in Stanbic Bank.
Unfortunately due to space and weight restrictions I have travelled in
my boots and packed my sandals. I really don't want to spend 24 hours
in my boots, so after checking in at the Kiboko
Town Hotel
I set off to look for a pair of cheap sandals. Stupidly I ask one of
the traders swarming around the curio market where I can get some -
I've not got my Malawi head on properly yet. Of course, he shoots off
to get me a pair and returns with something totally unsuitable. I end
up paying another guy MK1500 (far too much) for a pair of bright yellow
plastic objects that are far too small. Then another trader offers to
do a straight swap for a larger pair of bright green ones. It's not
clear whether he wants the yellow ones for himself or whether he thinks
he's in with a chance of making some money. I accept the swap, and sure
enough he wants money too, but I'm getting back into the way of life
now, and hurry off with a cheery wave, leaving him somewhat
disappointed. These traders are amazing - not only do both of them
remember me and my sandals when I return to Lilongwe two weeks later,
but some of them even remember me from last year (and I didn't even
have a beard then!)
I grab a much needed shower and repair to Don Brioni's for the evening,
to renew my acquaintance with Brian, his Malawian wife Hope, his chief
barman "Q", the beautiful Joanna and the rest of his staff. It is at
this point that I hear the news about the thwarted attempts to place
liquid bombs on several planes heading from the UK to the USA the
previous night. If I had flown one day later I would have been
embroiled in the whole mess of delayed flights and extreme security
restrictions, and would probably have lost more than just my swiss army
knife. I also, very briefly, meet Richard Msowoya, the Minister of
State for Disaster Relief and Poverty, and manage to give PAW a very
quick plug, but he has a table booked and disappears to eat. Honestly,
if you want to meet anyone who is anyone in Malawi all you need to do
is hang around either in Doogles or in Don Brioni's
