We are now in Lilongwe, Malawi

Hi! We've made it to Lilongwe, Malawi! And what a journey it has been... In order to save a lot of money we decided to take a bus rather then a flight to Malawi. When we bought the tickets we were told that the trip would be around 36 hours!!! AAHHHH! But we thought...Hey, what a great way to see the country side of Tanzania and travel with the local African people! So...we left Dar Es Salaam on Saturday morning at 6:00 AM and just finally made it to Lilongwe today! - Monday at 6:30 AM! It took us 48.5 hours from Dar! - INSANE! We are sooo exhausted! It only cost $60 each, but what a long trip... We had to keep our bags where our feet should have been so the whole trip we were completely crammed into our seats. When we arrived at the Malawi border at 12:00 AM on Sunday morning we were told that we would be spending the night there. Everyone on the bus knew this except for us so we were unable to find lodging and ended up sleeping on the bus while it was parked in the street. This was scarey, but there were a couple of other people on the bus with us, including a little boy, and they made us feel safe. We were the only white people so it was a great experience of being with the locals, but soooooooo exhausting. We ended up having to sit at the border of Tanzania and Malawi for 12 hours so that customs could go through all of the locals bags because a lot of them bring stuff into Malawi to sell... Anyway, we are exhausted, but are having a great time seeing African life! There were a couple of people that looked out for us on the bus to make sure that we weren't getting ripped off. Africa is truly a beautiful country and the people are very kind!


--- Also, just a footnote. The locals apparently don't know how to use their "indoor voices" ... on the second night we'd be cruising along in the bus at let's say 2:00 in the morning, while everyone is asleep, and one guy at the back of the bus would have someting to say to the another guy at the front of the bus. There was no passing of notes or waiting for a stop. Why not just yell across the bus..... which would lead to a retort from someone else, at full volume, and then a response from the driver on the topic...and anyone else that had an opinion (i.e. everyone). And hey, while we're at it, why not play the same CD over and over again at full volume. The best time to listen to loud music is 2:00 - 4:30 AM. Also, don't worry about the little 4 year old kid asleep at the back of the bus, he's got his rooster (yes a real live rooster) with him, with the rooster legs clenched between his little hands. None of this talking or loud music will disturb them, this is completely normal.

Tomorrow we catch another bus to Blantyre, Malawi which is where the Joshua Orphan Care Center is. They say this bus ride is only 4 hours...we'll see! We can't wait to meet the kids!

With Love,
T&L

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