Hidden gems

Chikala Pillars, hidden in woodland on the side of hills, a forty-minute walk and a 35 minute 4x4 drive from the road. Very rarely visited, which is a pity.

Manual labour

Unloading a lorry of delicate lab equipment? Don't bother with cranes, just get a lot of blokes to bunch together and then find some carriers to use their heads, so to speak.








I thought they should have done the same when replacing an incinerator through a gate that was too narrow, but lo and behold they made it with the fork lift (and a gang to unload it).

At the new Lilongwe airport boarding gate, an electric air conditioner was making an awful squealing noise that filled the room and was pretty intolerable. (I had 2h to wait.) Two guys came to fix it, armed with a couple of twigs. Turns out it was a camera-shy insect about the size of bumble bee.

Money laundering

Church offering mixed with water bottles in a cloth bag. Would have been better if I had checked that the bottle top was secured. Drying out on sofa.

Malawi rocket launcher

Not immediately obvious from a still picture but this item, cunningly disguised as a toaster, regularly launches missiles with a loud click and a flash of flame. Note the instruction manual propping up one side to angle the projectiles to a safe area.

Did I mention running out of fuel?

Not me, yet another minibus in rush hour.

 

Lions vs Crocs

Green season is not a great time to see many animals in Majete Reserve but while we didn't see much else, we did spot a fight between two lionesses and some crocs. The crocs had drowned a Sable Antelope but the lions wanted it for themselves. 
 

 What she wants, she takes.

While one lion hides the sable, the other lies on guard. The croc is trying to sneak out, hopeful of retrieving lunch.

But a concerted charge scares him off, snapping in frustration.

It's raining again...

It has been raining again and traffic snarls up.

  The traffic police disappear and vehicles break down. The minibus driver is leaning on the front of his vehicle with a brolly. Very likely just run out of fuel. In the distance other vehicles are turning the wrong way up a one-way street and another vehicle is broken down. I'd like to say this is unusual, but it isn't.

 In Presidential Way, a yellow car tries to overtake a long queue in order to turn right but a white car decides to block his way until the queue has moved on.

Once upon a time...

We went on a boat to see birds on the banks of the Shire. The river looked especially full, but as we sat and took photos the boat became immovably stuck.

.

We were joined by spectators.

Isn't help supposed to be coming?

At Last!

A bit of revving, pushing and pulling.... (with Matthews in the water) but to no avail.

 Bye bye boat.

Liwonde

Glossy Ibis, Spur-winged Plovers, White-faced Whistling Ducks, but not in that order.

Old and young

The left-hand elephant is the oldest in Liwonde Park, just look at the size of the tusk. It has only one tusk, probably as a result of pulling down trees, but surely it must have hurt when it came out?

Blue waxbills

Clumping

Sounds much more serious than mere clamping.

Observing

Also observe notice while reversing in the staff car park.

Rallying again

3.55pm  Leave work early to go home (10 minute drive)
4.00    Major queue on Victoria Avenue. WhatsApp group says it is political rally in the park. Divert to  head back and into the market area to get past the park.

4.10    Arrive near market, traffic slow. Won't stop at cafe because it will close shortly and queue won't have died down.

4.30    Still in market but can see Police high-vis jacket up the hill. The President must be coming to the rally. Turn off engine.

4.50   No movement, BBC world service getting repetitive, no sweets in car, finished crossword.

5.00   Sirens, signs of movement at the crossroads, maybe President is coming and we can move.
5.10   More sirens but still no movement. Starting to rain. Bruce Springsteen's Seeger Years.

5.15   Thoughts of u-turns scuppered by minibuses forming four lanes on all available tarmac (and other surfaces).
5.20   Movement! Game of Chicken with minibuses to get into the lane I want.

5.30   So near and yet so far. Police at crossroads have let cars block the lanes so traffic can't flow.
5.45   Home!Call German colleague to suggest delaying our outing to the Christmas Fair, 4 minutes from home.
6.30   Can't get through traffic. Watch DVD at home.

Overtake any way you can.

8.30   Get through but find that very few stall-holders have arrived. Raining again. Electrician still rigging lights in the rain. Santa's grotto is lit but he's not at home.

Buy tasty mango juice from young friend trying to start his own business. Buy burger I don't really want (but it was good) and bars of soap to support the traders who have paid for their stalls. So, if you get soap for Christmas....
Decide not to vote for president.

Seasonal bugs

The approach of the wet season brings choruses of frogs and cricket-type things but also a range of bugs, flies, beetles, millipedes, mosquitoes, flying termites and flying ants. Here is a small selection from my living room, not counting the scorpion I found a couple of weeks ago.
A few weeks ago the fumigators came and sprayed noxious stuff around, inside and out. It was certainly noxious to humans and we got burning skin, inflamed eyes, and wheezing. Now, the insects seem to perish in contact with the floor or the ledges, so I suppose the lethal stuff is still there despite my housekeeper's weekly efforts with what he calls a mopping stick. He told me today that he wouldn't clean until tomorrow because he had to shave. (The lawn.)
I am told the flying termites made a great snow-like effect for the Santa in the shopping mall.
 

Traffic cones and police revenues

Today I was stopped at my local police road block for the first time. The young female officer greeted me cheerily and asked if I would be willing to contribute to new traffic cones to replace their old grotty ones which couldn't be seen from a distance. I replied that I could always see the police officers in their high-vis jackets and declined to contribute. Police sometimes do try to get money at road blocks, but usually by inventing an offence or charging for a real one. (Their speed cameras were withdrawn recently because not enough of the fines were making it back to HQ.) This was the most novel request I have encountered and I might even go and get a cone for a laugh!

Hey, don't leave me, what have I done?

One Woolly-necked Stork imploring another at Lengwe. Who said true love runs smooth?

Political dancing

It's political rally time as elections loom next May. There is always dancing, singing and speeches. (With enthusiastic dancers, unlike British Prime Ministers.) The costumed dancers below may just be elaborately clad or it may be part of a tribal ritual group such as Gule Wankulu which I find much more sinister.

Here's another fine mess...

Life here may resemble Laurel and Hardy at times but I don't know whenever this vehicle was in NE England. I don't know how many locals would have ever heard of the great duo. This is just round the corner from the Royal Mail bike shop. 

Parliamentary Chambers

Two students and I went to a Parliamentary Committee to talk about student welfare and the shortages that lead to hunger, prostitution, etc. Afterwards we were given a tour of the Chamber.

One very happy student after the meeting.

There was nowhere else to go it seems. Just had to be done.