Day 8: To Zomba

I don’t believe that I have mentioned the blackouts are not infrequent here in Malawi. Up to and including today, we have had five or six power failures. At Wendels and at Hippo View, they had a back–up generator, which quickly kicked in. I don’t recall if they had a back–up generator at Carolina’s, but the staff quickly supplied us with candles at our dinner table. This power failure lasted only a matter of perhaps twenty minutes. We had candles in our room at Carolina’s, but no matches. There were candles and matches in our rooms at the Hotel Masongala in Zomba where we are staying this evening. We did have a black–out during dinner this evening that may have delayed our dinner even longer than usual. We ordered dinner a little after 7 PM, I took my Malaria pill at 7:30 PM. I am supposed to take my Malaria pill at the same time every day with a meal. The power went off sometime shortly after I took my Malaria pill. Food did not arrive until several minutes after the power came back on at 9 PM. Just when I was ready to go back to my room and get a cereal bar.

Anyway, back to this morning. After breakfast, we went for a boat ride on the Shire River for a little over an hour. I saw some Hippos in the water. Or more accurately, I saw their heads. I was not close enough to get anything resembling a decent picture, so you will have to trust me. We saw some storks, and a species of eagle that the Malawians call a fish eagle. It resembles a bald eagle in America, and I do not know if it is the same bird with a different name. The boat driver steered the boat where we could watch it flying and soaring overhead before it landed in the grass. This was the closest that I have ever been to an eagle and it was beautiful.

There were lots of men in boats fishing. Luzu thinks that reason that we did not see any Elephants –– they did last year –– is because all the fisherman scared away the elephants.

I snapped a picture of a baobob tree.

After returning to the Lodge, we stopped at St. Lukes Hospital, which I think is affiliated with the Anglican Church. Jean Richardson, who specializes in HIV prevention at the USC Med School, gave a presentation to the hospital staff. It was very informative and she did an excellent job of questioning the staff to be sure the her presentation met their needs.

Perhaps the most important GAIA activities in Malawi are income generating activities or IGAs. The purpose of an IGA is to provide a financial means for the village to continue the work that GAIA funds started: working with orphans, home–based care, paying secondary school fees. Those participating in IGAs also get to keep some of the profits for themselves. Today we saw three IGAs: carpentry (that is Julie in the picture demonstrating one of the beds the boys built), a piggery, and dairy cows. The boys in the carpentry project were building wooden beds that they sell. They buy the tools themselves and have no access to electricity. They do a good job. Here the boys are also being trained in a skill that they can use later to either get jobs or to be able to make and sell furniture.

Zomba is a very nice town, with a couple of Colleges and Universities. So there is the feel of a college town. It used to be the capital city and there is a vague Victorian feel to the town. The Hotel Masongala was built in 1886. I’m sorry that I did not get a picture. The grounds are beautiful. And we are next door to a botanical garden. Tomorrow morning after breakfast we are going on a walk in the botanical gardens after breakfast and before we depart for Blantyre.