Village on the Beach

Sunday 18th

At the moment sitting in a Beach Lodge "Cool Running' overlooking Lake Malawi at Senga Bay but no it's not a  nice sunset. We in the middle of a electrical storm absolutely tipping , deafening  on the tin roof with lightening  all around. We were lucky as we had just finished our meal. There are six of us here from VSO for a conference tomorrow. The staff have bolted everything down and disappeared, were also having a power cut, the only other people are the campers in their vans locked away. And what worst they have closed the bar it's yet 8.

The last few day days has been bad for power cuts. On Saturday we only had power between 14:00 and 15:00 before returning at 20:00. Most days there is a scheduled 5 hour period when you will not have power ( different timing each day). This is because the Electricity Company cannot generate enough power, so every area has to have blackouts.

So you always have to charge your phone/laptop/torches when you can as for cooking as everything is electric the idea is that you buy a charcoal bbq which is fine for the meat but then you ned to cook rice/pasta on it as well so takes an art.

We also get water cuts not many so you also have to be prepared and have enough water available for sinks and to cook.

For shopping in the city there are plenty of supermarkets selling most things but not the range as in the UK.

Plenty of Beef , Chicken and Goat, very rare you find Lamb or Pork. Fish you can find in certain places but not a choice.

Vegetables you can get Tomatoes, Potatoes, Cabbage, Beans, Carrots and thats about it.  Plenty of fruit Bananas, mango, paw paw, oranges and apples. So for eating we can cook most things.

When eating out there is plenty of bbq chicken and meat or stewed meat served with rice/chips or a mash of maize which is very popular. Price ranges for the main meal from £1 to £5.  Tonight as were on the lake for the first time I had a 'butter fish' it's a large fish about the size of a salon but white it was good. that was with chips and cabbage for about £4. Most places don't do starters or deserts!  There are always sellers selling samosas and donuts. 

Senga bay is a long beach with several lodges but is a working living stretch, lots of fishing but the locals all go to the beach to wash themselves and their clothes. back from the beach is a mass of huts most have some animals then there is a maze of narrow streets  not wide enough for cars, the locals don't have cars anyway. They walk everyware or catch the mini buses or ride a cycle.

Below a selection of photos this week.

The kids are football mad. On the Sunday they told me the Liverpool score from saturdays game and the scorers!

The last one was a trip to an island with a local fishing boat where they cooked for us some Butter Fish on a made up fire on the rocks.

A Little Car

Sunday 11th Nov.

Work this week has been very frustrating, promised meetings keep disappearing there is a very laid back approach to work here there is no initiate or sense, it's not that their unintelligent quite the opposite, just things get done in their own time and pace. Seems no structure to anything.  We had been warned that this would be the case.

Only key recognition at work late last week was  that in the morning a man comes around and now gives me a cup of hot water so I can make a coffee. That is progress believe it or not.

The Phillipinos in Lilongwe seen to keep expanding. Last night went to a birthday with next door. We all had to take food. But the couple having the party are religious so no alcohol allowed. However the Phillipinos love karaoke  they have a full projector and a program that literally had at least a thousand songs to choose from to sing too. They were singing all the time totally mad on it.

On Saturday I picked up my little car well I say little it still fits 5. So had my insurance, mot, registration and tax but not the number plates, too long a story to ask why not, but told not a problem to drive as the official supplier had our request.

So on Sunday we decieded to drive the 70 miles to the Lake. Good start we got lost, there are no road signs and maps are quite literally wrong. But then we got stopped by the police and fined £6 for not having correct number plates but at least they then put us on a connecting road to get us back in the direction we needed, however it was one of there c-class roads i.e. mud track so have a very slow bumpy ride for 20 mins. So finally got to Isaac's ( Ugandan) place who lives close to the lake, an hour late. He has been given a large 3 bedroomed bungalow to himself but unfortunatley no other volunteers live close by so is very much by himself and finding that hard.

This was for Herman and I our first trip out of Lilongwe so it was really nice to start seeing the open countryside and all the roadside villages. Lots of straw roofed shacks/houses. The land is undulating dried out brush but cultivated in many pockets where there is water and having to cross mountain ranges, today only upto about 1800m.

The lake is special as it is fresh water and massive, The local use it heaverly, not just for fishing but all along the beaches the women were washing their clothes at the same time as messing about, swimming, playing football, activity everywhere. However it was hot may have only been say 32c but the sun was very stong, even for me we had to sit in the shade. The Lake was very warm about 28c so nice to get a swim.

Now back home and planning where to go next weekend before the rains start for 3 months.

A new Cooker

Saturday 3rd Nov

Now been in our house one week and lots of things need doing to it. It was like a run down student accommodation.

The kitchen had been neglected by previous volunteers a simple bit of diy has transformed it plus the big thing yesterday we acquired a real cooker out of the VSO wearhouse. Like all other volunteers we had been given a standard worktop two hot plates.

The cooker was full of dust and grime it has cleaned up really well. This is a real luxury and it works..

Also stripped off the sealant around the sink and worktop which was black with grime and mould and re sealed. What a difference.

Next was the curtains, which were all dangling down, all that was needed was to rehang them. Reggie came in and said core new curtains. Just simple things make a difference.

Most of the electrics are in a real state so off to buy some new fitting and replace the dangerous ones and some pans so we can cook.

The last two evenings we have been invited next door to Reggie and Dens house for a meal. Arthur is down from the north and Mike a new volunteer are staying with them, both Phillippino's. Their cooking is incredible. Egg fried rice, Soups, Beef in rice noodles, Pork stewed in soy sauce. Then they also produce puddings, apple crumble, rice pudding with fruit, strawberry something. Then this morning we were given some bread with pawpaw fruit in it. ( we have our own supply in the garden and banana's). Herman is loving this he has a huge appetite especially when it's oriental.

The city of Lilongwe is mostly modern but unmaintained with travel by the mini buses packed to the brim..

Our house is close to the New city centre where most of the commerce is i.e. Banks, Insurance are based not many shops here and very dead once the offices close. We then have the old town which is about 3 miles away though a nature sanctuary. Not very nice to travel at night so you need a car or taxi. Taxi's are expensive unless you get 4 or 5 to share.

I have found a car a Mitsubishi Colt 2005 for £3k it's a japanese import, now just waiting for money to be transferred from my UK bank account takes 12 days! Had fancied a Rav4 but very expensive for £4k you get an 18 year old with around 200k kils on it. whilst good for the tracks which there will be many of, at that age and milage they break down a lot.

Work is what I expected it to be. Basically zero, nobody knows what your supposed to do and very cold to us.

Everybody say it takes 2-3 weeks for the locals to accept you before they start opening up and telling you what they want.

I am based in the old town but on day one they had no idea why I was there. So we got transferred to the head office 15 mins from where we live. This is called Capital hill and is where all the government offices are, set of new building, build by the Chinese.

Everybody is cramped into small offices, so we have a chair to sit on but no desks. Well we don't need one as we have no work to do.

Worst is that nobody appears to drink tea or coffee and no where to get one!.

At 12 everybody has an hours lunch, there is a lunch hall 10 mins walk away. Selling Chicken or Beef with Rice or nsima for £1.50 , but no coffee. Most days we have finished in the office and gone to the VSO office in the centre where there are some basic shops.

On Wednesday night went to a place called 'The Shack'  it is  literally and the in place ( only) in the week to go. It has two Beach volleyball courts and a well organised league which VSO have a team. The place is full of volunteers from the many difference organisations around the world based here. People say the atmosphere is just like being on a beach in Thailand but without the sea.

Well that's it for this week, hopefully next weekend we will get out of Lilongwe and visit elsewhere.