The wonders of Zomba Plateau

After our spell on the 'Lake' we spent a few days in lilongwe, the capital, again to carry on writing up the case studies and interviews. Also, to buy reading material from a wonderful secondhand bookshop we found, to use the internet and try to sort out our visas for Zambia so we could leave Malawi for a couple of days as we were advised to re-enter for another 30 days without taking out the temporary residents permit which would cost a fortune. We decided to find cheap lodge in Lilongwe, to be shown into the executive suite (at the same price) with an enormous room with wood floors (unheard of out here), a very large bed and a walk -in modern shower. So much for going down market! The Zambian visa proved a farce as the Zambian High Commission wanted to charge us extortionate rates which were out of date. (Very strange) so we decided to try our luck at the border.

We then went to Zomba, a large town in the south, for a few days as we needed some excercise and Zomba plateau has great mountain walks according to the guidebook. We searched the town to rent a cottage up on the plaeau, following a variety of people as they led us around many church and theological college buildings in search of the holder of the keys to a cottage. We finally ended up going to a convent in a girls school where a nun agreed to us renting their cottage on the plateau very cheaply and presented the keys to us in an ancient little tin holding it in both hands, as nuns do. After a night in a very basic lodge in the town (a sort of Cell block H) we drove up the long winding road wondering what we were in for. The cottage was right on the edge of the escarpment with a vast panoramic view of the valley below. We sat on the veranda as the sun went down spellbound by the scene before us. Zomba town was spread out in the green vegetation right below us, with a small range of mountains dotted with forests beyond. There were smaller mountains in several directions many with perfect mountain peaks. A large mountain range loomed on the horizon with other mountains dotted around. The colours ranged from deep green to rocky greys to pink skies with misty eery shapes in the distance. The sky was vast as usual with the light on a few clouds adding to the drama of the view. As we were pretty high in the mountains it was rather cold, which was a bit of a blow, until a man came in and made a log fire for us. Very cosy, so thank you nuns. The following morning we got up early to find a magical sight with the cloud circling the mountain peaks below us giving the whole scene an astounding beauty. Another sight we shall not forget. We found a guide called Whisky who although 21 was still attending primary school! He took us on two really good walks, the first day to see the views from the escarpment and the second to the highest peak and then to another special site of interest, a 300m deep hole.

The following day we dropped the car in the compound of the friends where he works for the foreign office in Lilongwe so that we could travel to Zambia for our visa to be renewed in Malawi. Of course little goes as planned here. The immigration people at the border refused to accept our plan saying we must stay in Zambia for at least a week which would have scuppered our work schedule. Then, after taking us to one side offered to sort it all out for the cost of the Zambian visas without us needing to go into Zambia at all. It was an offer we couldn't refuse. It clearly didn't bear asking questions and our passports were handed back to us duly stamped up as we waited 100 metres down the road. H'mm, not something we would have wanted to be involved in if we had a choice. It all felt a bit set up.

Then back to work with Jane interviewing more women and children in an area north of Lilongwe, again many stories of poverty and resilience.

A colleague of Jane's from Barnardo's is arriving next Tuesday for two weeks to help with the interviews and writing the report. We're looking forward to seeing her and expect that we won't update the blog now until we leave Malawi in 3/4 weeks time.