Part Six - Lilongwe, Malawi

Location: Lilongwe, Mid Malawi, eastern Africa
Languages: English
Population: 800 000
Prices: Cheap! (except petrol)
Attractions: Lilongwe wildlife center
Info: Lilongwe located in mid Malawi region, named after the river Lilongwe, is the capital and the largest city of Malawi. Lilongwe has a long history, since it started out as a small fishing village hundreds if not thousands of years ago. 1974 it was made the capital, despite Blantyre being the most developed and commercial city in Malawi.
SA Recommends: Get out of Lilongwe and go to Lake Malawi, as soon as possible. (Don't forget to withdraw enough cash, working ATMs are scarce in the more rural areas

2.12 13:54 GMT+1

Good morning Lilongwe! It's surreal for a Finn to think that it's December, yet sun is shining from almost cloudless sky, everything is green and the temperature is almost 30C. A lot of things are different here in Malawi. What catches your eye first as a European is of course the beautiful nature and the warm weather, but in truth, the things here are not that great for the locals. Economy is on a brink of a downfall while the nation struggles with lots of diseases and overpopulation. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in Africa and the healthcare system is amongst one of the worst in the world. Local entrepreneurs (mostly farmers) struggle to get by and the multinational western companies only interested in harvesting profits are to be thanked for that. The local police seems to control the citizens quite eagerly, as on our 120km bus trip, we were pulled over three times. First of these stops led to a complete inspection of the vehicle and the identification documents of all passengers. Second time when we stopped for a police road block, our driver apparently got a bit impatient and slipped some money for the police, which granted us a free pass on the looming vehicle inspection this time.

There are some programs for improving things in Malawi and the healthcare is one of the things that have been improving lately, yet things don't look very promising as the economic downhill seems to be getting worse. Yet all of this hasn't managed to wipe off the smile from the faces of the people. Most of the people we meet during our first day, turn out to be as joyful and friendly as some of the Zambians we met, the small things in life are appreciated. Many Finns have made a job out of being depressed because of all their adversities. They love to complain how the free money they get from the government (for doing absolutely jack shit) is not enough, how our government is greedy and corrupt and how our healthcare is bad. All these Finns should definitely be shipped to Malawi for a three week intensive course to learn some life lessons from Malawians. Just to see how things are when they're actually bad and how to still enjoy life.

Our arrival to the capital city was quite interesting. It was the first city so far where a pack of aggressive and over enthusiastic taxi drivers didn't come to harass us immediately after we stepped out of the bus. We had to actually find a place to stay for our selves (usually the Taxi drivers always have a place in mind). The Austrian lady from Chipata said there's a nice and cheap place right next to the bus station, but it was nowhere to be seen. We ended up dragging our backpacks and walking around the city for about thirty minutes without any results, until we asked help from some local guys hanging around a gas station. Twenty minutes and 1000MK later we found ourselves in a lodge for backpackers.

For a hostel, our new place has quite an interesting business model. Music coming from the backyard bar was extremely loud which was alright at first, but when it kept going until the 5:30am, it started to get on my nerves. Usually offering a possibility to sleep is the only thing that the cheapest hostels offer, but here they didn't seem tho think it's a priority. I guess it would've been nice to join the fun and socialize with some other travelers, but after a long day with the taxi's, minibuses and border formalities, I just wanted to sleep. Luckily the morning here in Mufasa Lodge was silent and peaceful, which allowed us to catch at least couple of hours of sleep.

Our German friend who is still part of our exhibition for at least a few more days, has to figure out some visa-stuff in the embassy, so we're going to have to stick around for a couple of days in Lilongwe, even though my soul already longs to the paradisaical beaches along the Lake Malawi. But it's all fine since the food is good, people are nice and prices are cheap even here in the capital city and the backpackers we're staying at is quite comfortable, albeit being a bit too lively for my taste.

We had some discussions about our next destination, since two of us are heading north and one of us is heading south. We decided on Cape McClear, since our host from Chipata recommended it, saying it has the best beaches in Malawi.

Next Destination: Cape McClear, Malawi