I was very glad for the travel day, time to chat with folk in the van or to veg out and stare out the window. Our goal was to get a cultural museum called the Mau Mission by 10 AM so we could get a tour in before lunch. The museum was excellent and we learned about the traditions about the three tribes in Malawi. It was good to do this at the end of our trip after we had traveled around the country seeing different villages and because of getting to know our driver, Luzu who is from the north. They tour was for a little over an hour and then we adjourned to the museum shop where we bought souvenirs.
We left around 11:30 and began the climb up the mountain where we had a picnic lunch on the mountain with a spectacular view. Some teenage boys stopped, trying to sell us some carved wooden toys they had made. We gave them most of our leftovers. Oh, the road. The beginning of the road was not paved, many of the roads in Malawi are not paved. Anyway, there was one really awful stretch with big ruts and broken down van with a cracked windshield. Our wonderful Luzu got around the broken down van with about six inches to spare from the rather significant ditch on our left. Shortly after this stretch, the road was nicely paved with a nice water diversion system in place. Our lunch spot was on the paved stretch.
The mountains and the rock formations in this area where beautiful. I managed to get some shots from the van as we were driving by. I'll post them when I get home.
We got to Dadza and bought more gas. For such a large an heavy van, the tank is small, about 40 liters, so fill ups are more frequent.
Our next stop was Luzu's compound outside Lilongwe. He raises chickens, 900. Five hundred layers, and four hundred broilers. The broilers (white) are about one month old and will be sold in four weeks. He keeps the layers for two years and then sells them. He also has some free range chickens, and two roosters. I got a photo of one very cocky rooster. It was wonderful to meet Luzu's wife, twelve year old daughter and nieces and nephews. In addition to his chicken business, both he and his wife work full time. They are the salt of the earth.
We got to Wendels a little after 5PM. Ate dinner about 7 PM.
Tomorrow Luzu is picking us up at 8:15. We have one stop in the morning. Back to KASO. Tomorrow is our last day. Thursday I fly home. Thirty hours in airplanes or in airports. My cousin says that I should think of myself as a package being delivered.
The photo below with the statue is taken in the one room at the museum at Mau Museum where photogarphy is allowed. The sculpture fascinated me and I wanted a picture of it, so I am sharing it with you. The others are taken on the road from Blantyre to Lilongwe, mostly on the mountain road to the highway to Dedza.
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