Blomba Part 2

Well, we arrived in Blantyre anyway without further incident, thank God.

I think it’s a real mark of how accustomed I am becoming to less-than-luxurious conditions, that when I arrived at our lodge and saw that my room had both electricity and an ensuite, I nearly cried tears of joy! It was dirty and not exactly the Hilton, but heavens above, it had electricity! The joys!!

We settled in, anyway, and the following day we set off in the morning to have a look around Blantyre. Apparently the people who conduct most of the project research in Blantyre are volunteers who only get a lunch allowance, so they work at their normal jobs in the morning and then do the interviews, etc., in the afternoon. So while we waited for them, we got to look around Blantyre. It’s really a very nice city, and in many ways it’s much more developed than Lilongwe. It’s more or less the business and commercial heart of Malawi, more so than the capital. It certainly has much more of a “Western” feel to it in some aspects, what with the big shopping centres and car dealerships and restaurants. I kind of liked that at the time – it was nice in a way to go somewhere where my surroundings were a tad more familiar, in appearance at least.

And I found some makeup! Huzzah!! I can never find makeup in Malawi, it’s all in varying shades of mahogany – for obvious reasons... so, not wanting to look like I’ve fallen face first into a vat of melted chocolate – greedy pig that I am – I wanted something just a touch closer to my natural shade.

People, there was a Revlon shop. A REVLON SHOP!! The tears of joy nearly returned, I practically jumped on the poor bewildered shop assistant! I don’t care what it costs, GIVE ME THE MAKEUP.

So, delighted with myself after this small triumph, I set about my work with the others that afternoon, interviewing households as per normal about rent and basic need costs. It was interesting, and we managed to collect a fair volume of information, so that was fantastic! It didn’t take very long, and soon enough we were off to Zomba, about an hour and a half’s drive from Blantyre. It’s supposed to be a city, but to be truthful it’s more like a town, I don’t know that its size really merits being called a city... it’s is absolutely stunning though. It’s kind of nestled among the feet of the mountains, surrounded by forest and lush terrain.

The vistas we got en route were incredible. I thought it wouldn’t get any better or more picturesque, when we arrived at the lodge we were staying in. It was quite a few hundred feet up the mountain, and as we arrived we drove past papaya trees and cornflowers and palms (I think!). I took so many photos there – we woke up in the morning and the hills and mountains were covered with mist, it was like something out of a film. So beautiful – my only regret is that I really don’t think my photos do it justice, my having only a humble, amateur camera!

I have to say I found Zomba even more interesting than Blantyre, despite its having limited shopping prospects, LOL! We spent the morning interviewing households again, and I got on very well with one of the guys who was doing the research also, a local guy who was hoping to study to be a doctor. He was really nice, we’ll call him N. We went about Zomba interviewing and doing our thang (LOL!!), then we took a spin up – I think – the highest mountain in the area, you could drive right up to the summit almost, where there was a very nice hotel! We had a walk around the hotels’ gardens, and what did we see there only a group of small baboons having a gander? Seriously, I kid you not, there were baboons! I was beside myself! They were hysterical to watch, they’re so cheeky though! Thankfully, however, they were placid and not at all dangerous like the larger baboons can be.

I thought things couldn’t possibly improve on monkeys! They did though – we were just about to get back in the car when who arrives at the hotel only Rita Dominic! Who is Rita Dominic, I hear you ask? Well, she’s only the most famous Nollywood star in Africa! That’s right people, Africa has its own Hollywood, and Nollywood is to Africa what Bollywood is to India. She was very pale, I thought that was a bit funny... but she was very nice, she waved at us and exchanged a few pleasantries. It was gas that we met her when we did, because myself and the other 2 who had come with me had bought tickets to go to an event in Blantyre – a reggae gig featuring the Black Missionaries and Lucius Banda, where she was to be guest of honour. We ended up unable to see her at the event in question because of the crowds, so it was hilarious we met her when we did, and nearly 2 hours away from Blantyre. I mean, what are the chances, in all fairness? Which brings me neatly onto my next post...

:-)