Reflections about our adventure

---

Being as I have several hours to wait in Nairobi International Airport following my short flight from Malawi I thought I would write down some notes about my time in Malawi, the country that is correctly labelled 'The Warm Heart of Africa'. It was difficult to keep this blog updated whilst we were at the volunteer house as the internet connection was unreliable and sporadic. Frustratingly it often cut-out mid attempt and so I thought I would write down my account of events when the internet was more reliable. Fortunately I have found an internet 'hotspot' at the airport close to gate 3 (just in case anyone reading this blog ever finds themselves with time to fill here head down to some seats near gates 3 and 4!!) and have updated my status on facebook and chatted to people at home and back at the house in Malawi.

I left the volunteer house (or bungalow to be exact) at 6am this morning. Should have left at 5am to allow plenty of time to get to the airport some 200km away, but the driver was late! This is something you need to get used to pretty quickly in Malawi - no one seems to stick to times and everyone operates an hour or so outside of the times previously agreed!

Malambe Cottage in Nkope Village had been home to me, Clare and three other volunteers for the previous 3 weeks. Unfortunately I chose to leave a week early due to the sudden death of my grandma and for this reason I found myself leaving the house alone at sunrise today for the drive through the mountains to the airport in the capital Lilongwe. I wasn't alone when I left though - a small group of local people had gathered to say bye bye and I got a wood-carving present from the staff at the house.

Because I was leaving outside of the dates previously arranged I had to travel in a private car with a driver I had never met. This was arranged by the project coordinator and I was reassured that the company, Sputnik Cars, was reliable and trustworthy. It cost me an additional $170 to travel this way to the airport, but this was a small price to pay to know I would be able to attend my grandma's funeral on Monday. If I'm honest, I was slightly apprehensive about the trip beforehand because I was totally at the driver's mercy and hoped that he would take me straight to the airport! Getting in a car with a stranger and all that. I needn't have worried - George (the driver) was a lovely man, about 25 years old with decent English. His first question alarmed me somewhat though - he asked me how fast I would like him to drive! I just told him to go safely as I made sure my seatbelt was securely fastened!

If conversation is slow with someone in Malawi I have learnt 2 things - first ask about their family and then tell them about yours. George was married and had a 3 month old son called Charles. He had already decided he wasn't having anymore children because he wanted to be able to provide as much as possible for Charles without another child being in the equation. He asked about my family and was pleased when I said I too only have one child and that I totally agreed with him about children costing a fortune!

When that subject was exhausted and silence prevailed I asked a trusted question I have grown to rely on when speaking with boys and men in Malawi - "do you like football?" I found that this was always a good way to pass an hour or so and it didn't fail me with George. George was a Gooner (for all you none football fans that means he is an Arsenal fan!) and we chatted for a good while about past and present Arsenal players. I told George how I had watched MUFC beat Arsenal at Old Trafford in the semi-final of the Champions League in 2009. He listened in awe as I told him about my trips to Old Trafford to watch Utd. He was very knowledgeable and said he tried to watch English football as often as he could on a big TV in Lilongwe where he lived. One of his greatest wishes was to own an Arsenal football shirt.

As we drove from Npoke towards the airport the scenery was unbelievable. The mountains were spectacular in the early morning light and as we climbed higher into them a combination of morning mist and smoke from the many fires that had been started caused an incredible grey blanket over the fields and small villages. The landscape changed the further into the mountains we went and the small houses and dwellings were few and far between. The road was in remarkable condition - well maintained and smooth. People still walked on both sides or rode bicycles as they went about their daily routines. Women carried huge quantities of grasses on thier heads and male workers were on their way to cut grass and wood complete with home-made axes and other tools.

We also saw carts being pulled by oxen or donkeys. That was the first time I had seen animals pulling carts in Malawi and was the first sighting of donkeys during the whole trip. I also saw huge piles of oranges and watermelons for sale at the side of the road, and meat carcasses hanging on crudely built market stalls by the side of the road. Fires were lit to get people warmed up before the sun kicked in and as we got closer to Lilongwe I noticed that people had coats on - something I had not seen at Nkope.

Police road blocks are quite common in Malawi. George had to pull over 3 times duing our trip and had to show the police his driving licence and the car fire extinguisher - something which is a legal requirement in Malawi. George was a good driver and we made it to the airport in about 3.5 hours. As we arrived in Lilongwe we pulled up at a petrol station so that I could pay George's boss the $170 I owed for the ride. Like George, he was a very friendly man who wished me a safe journey home.

When we got to the airport I gave George a tip and a present for baby Charles from my daughter Holly. Before I left for Malawi Holly gave me 2 of her treasured Eeyore teddies which she has had since she was a little girl. She gave me strict instructions only to give them to special people who would look after them for her. The first one was given to a young girl in Nkope called Cleopatra and because it was pretty difficult to hand anything out to individual children in Malawi I had been unable to find another recipent for the 2nd Eeyore. He was in my bag ready to go back to the UK. However, being as George had been really nice to me during our short journey together I decided that he could have the 2nd Eeyore for baby Charles. When I got out of the car to pay the boss I got Eeyore out of my bag and gave it to George for Charles. He was absolutely delighted and incredibly grateful - apparantly Charles didn't own a teddy. Thanks to Holly he does now!!

I left George at Lilongwe airport and made my way to the check-in desk. I was apprehensive again because I had changed my flight date over the phone in Nkope. When I had decided I was going home early I rang Kenya Airways in Nairobi and asked that I be booked onto a different flight. The lady was very accommodating and sorted the details out really quickly, even sending me a confirmation email, but I remained slighty worried right up until I actually checked in at Lilongwe. Again I needn't have worried - the check-in was smooth and took less tht 2 minutes. My bag was checked in and I was told I would see it again at Heathrow with no need for me to bother about it until then. The funny thing was I had to take the bag round the back of the building to the tarmac and open it up in front of 2 airport staff. They then went through the bag to make sure there was nothing suspicious in it - apparantly there is no facility for scanning the bags at this airport so they are all done manually! My bag was then left with a small pile of others passenger luggage ready to be loaded onto the 12pm flight to Nairobi.

Inside Lilongwe airport my passport was checked and I went through to the small waiting area which had 3 shops and a small cafe. Only one of the shops was open so I had to spend my remaining kwatcha in there. I bought a hand-carved bicycle as a momento - something to remind me of the many times Clare and I went to work on the back of one. Paying for the bike was another experience - I ended up bartering for it as they didn't have any change in the shop (apparantly I was the first customer of the day) and so I ended up with 2 bottles of piri-piri sauce and some peanuts so they didn't have to give me any change!

After that the passengers for Nairobi were taken to another waiting room and frisked by security guards before boarding the flight incredibly early - some 90 minutes before it was due to take off. Interestingly there were no other planes at the airport at this time, even though this was Malawi's main international airport. I wondered how the staff there would fare if they visited Heathrow!!

The flight to Nairobi was smooth and uneventful. For once the in-flight meal was tasty - vegetarian noodles with a feta salad and orange pudding. I also had a large glass of Baileys and toasted Grandma as we flew over Malawi. I was sat next to a young girl from India who had been in Malawi visiting her father. She had a similar wait as I did at Nairobi for her connection to India. Our plane was flown by a lady captain and our 90 minute journey took us over Lake Malawi where clear skies meant we had an incredible view of the Lake and the mountains of Mozambique. As we headed into Nairobi it was raining and thick grey clouds made our descent rather bumpy. On leaving the plane though it was still very humid, just like it had been when I left Malawi earlier in the day.

Nairobi International Airport is a busy place - a gateway to the rest of Africa and beyond, it was a hive of activity. My Kenya Airways flight to Heathrow doesn't leave here until 23.45hrs so I have some time left to wonder around and take it all in. Travelling on my own is quite empowering and so far I haven't felt threatend or concerned about being alone. It's actually quite a big terminal with some half decent shops where I can pick up some last minute souvenirs and grab a bite to eat.

I will leave it for now and write more about my experiences in Malawi when I get home. One thing I have noticed whilst I have been at this airport is that there is a huge collection of handsome men here - more than in your average airport I reckon!! Also a tip for travellers who find themselves at this airport at dusk - put DEET on. I have already got 3 decent bites this evening from invisible mosquitos somewhere in this airport. Am pleased now I splashed out on the Yellow Fever jab!!

On that note I will sign off for now and will resume the blog once I am back ot home. I hope at least one person is finding my ranting interesting!!

Bye for now from Nairobi x

---

Photos

003
George, the car and Eeyore

004
Lilongwe International Airport

005
No planes!!