Malawi

Friday 11th March 2016 – We had decided the night before to meet with Portuguese Oliviera, the very likeable chief engineer of the Ilala. He had told us that he would bring the Chief Captain to meet us so we could explain our ordeal to him face to face. At 8.00am the duo arrived. Aaron began to retell our nightmarish day on the Ilala but it was only when he recapped how we had been locked into our cabin and kept captives by the crooked crew that the captain became alerted and more interested in our story. At this point he started to take down notes and his eyes glared with anger when he heard that we had paid more money than the receipt for the journey had stated. Aaron proceeded to show a picture of the villainous James to the captain from his mobile phone. ‘You were tricked,’ he said, ‘this man has a different name!’ The chief captain then appeared to spring into action, informing us that the true crook of the crew alias ‘James’ would himself find his hands in shackles just like Aaron had done the previous day. Additionally he would spend the night in jail and lose his job! We were amazed at the turnaround that 24 hours can have but felt that a dangerous man would be justly sent off the boat. As we have learnt, nothing in Africa is as it seems so we truly hoped that this sinister, underhand crook would receive the punishment he so deserved. Once the meeting was over, we said fond farewells to the lovely, kind Ricky who had so readily looked after us and prepared ourselves for a most likely long, hard journey to the capital (we had missed our 6.00am fast bus to the capital Lilongwe because of our meeting). We were not wrong…we endured the usual multiple mini taxis, including one in the back of a pick up truck (also used as a way of ferrying people around). For a good 3 hours the hot African sun beat down upon us as we shared our space with around 25 others, all squashed, hot and tired! One elderly man was put in the front seat of the pick up. He had a chronic case of malaria and was in terrible shape…they were taking him to the hospital for treatment. My only hope is that he got medication in time. Just before dark we checked in at the Mufasa Lodge in Lilongwe and slept soundly till morning.

Saturday 12th March 2016 – Banging on the door at 7.30am! I woke up with a start! It was reminiscent of the banging and handle rattling from the dreaded boat. All the hotel wanted to know was whether we wanted tea or coffee for breakfast?!? We felt that uneasy feeling return again, a feeling of malice in the air. The staff had previously kept asking us whether we had locked our door and if we had a key plus this continuous knocking on our door and trying our handle was unacceptable! We had had enough! We packed our bags and left. We were highly sensitised to suspicious behaviour by now and were not taking any chances. Just a few 100 yards away we happened upon the Golden Peacock Hotel. I liked it instantly. It was calm, peaceful and idyllic. We checked into a wonderful room, en-suite, TV and powerful fan…it was to be our home for a few relaxing days. At breakfast, in the Everest Restaurant, just adjacent to the hotel, I met David from Tanzania. Over pancakes and black tea we chatted and he told me about his inspirational educational projects in Malawi. On returning to our room I felt unusually tearful, upset and vulnerable. On mentioning how I felt to Aaron we concluded that I had some kind of post traumatic syndrome. It made sense. The banging and rattling of our door that morning had brought all the emotions flooding back…that day I slept and slept while Aaron went into town on multiple errands of stocking up on provisions and getting things mended. I needed peace and quiet and to be left on my own to heal emotionally…I needed a sanctuary and I had found it at the Golden Peacock Hotel.

Sunday 13th March 2016 – We woke up after a blissful sleep…no disturbances…no knocking on the door or rattling of handles…just peace and quiet and tranquillity. After 3 huge pancakes each for breakfast we wandered into town. There was a fantastic market right in the centre…shoes…clothes…food…electricals for sale. Whatever you required, it seemed to be there. We walked through the vibrancy of market life and I bought two t-shirts for the princely sum of £2 each. Later we came across the shopping mall and enjoyed pizza and ice-creams for lunch. The heavens started to open so we jumped into a tuk tuk and sped back to our hotel…cosy, dry and snug. Lilongwe has been one of my favourite places in Malawi so far. The people of the capital are warm, friendly and not pushy at all. There is a jovial atmosphere that permeates the city and a warmth that I feel is missing in other parts of Malawi. That night we dined on delicious Nepalese food and watched movies continuously on our fab TV!