Trees around

The Baobab, the most magnificent tree, standing all alone, towering over its surrounding, the true King of Africa!

The Plumeria, the funny looking tree, with no leaves except at the end of its branches

The Jacaranda , with its gorgeous little purple flowers that last for a very short time, unfortunately…

The Bougainvillia, a classic tree covered in magnificent pink flowers…

The Codiaeum, with his green and red leaves…kind of reminds me of a giant Chritsmas pointsetta..

The papaw tree, bearing its large fruits at the end of stick like branches…can’t wait to get my teeth into one of its fruits

And there are other tress whose names I don’t know…  I guess it’s time to start looking them up!  Might as well learn something while I’m here!

One yard on the way to school

On the Khonde

When we moved into our house, we received a bunch of keys, literally a bunch that fits nicely in the palm of your hand.  Thankfully most of the keys were on smaller key rings labeled with various areas of the house…  There was a set labeled Khonde and from the looks of it, it was a well used set as the paper is all browned up and used.  Now, what exactly is a Khonde?  In other parts of the world you would probably call that area a Porch, a terrace or a veranda. 

Actually, my house has 3 Khondes, one off the bedrooms, one off the kitchen, and the main one, furnished with wicker furniture, is off the living room and is the one we use the most.  I have to admit it is probably the prettiest spot of the house, overlooking the park like setting that is my yard.  I just love to sit there and just chill, read a book, have a drink, or type this blog entry! 

Sunset seen from the Khonde

With the Malawi climate, it is an extra room that we will be able to use all year long…even in the rainy season as it is covered.  And when we have parties, it is a great spot to hang…Soon we will have a braai/barbecue pit right off the Khonde which will enable us to finally have a party worthy of that name!  More on that in a later entry…  Meanwhile, I’m chillaxing on my khonde, enjoying the wind we’ve been experiencing the past few days and listening to the numerous birds around…

Beware of advertising!

I got played!  This past week I saw an ad for a market at one of the lodges in town…  It featured artifacts, handmade furniture, bootsale, and many more items….  With the kids in tow, we set out early Saturday morning to find the lodge where this great market was taking place…  We arrived, were let through the gate and discovered a beautiful lodge, very zen and relaxing…  The market part of the deal, however, was a real bust!!!  Very little artifacts and handmade furniture, while the majority of the sellers were individuals trying to unload their used clothing, toys, videotapes, books…  It was more flea market or garage sale than anything else.  The kids and I were crushed, having expected some true African artisans!  Oh well, next time, we will hopefully be more successful!  My little finger tells me that there is a Fair next weekend at the school… Can’t wait!

Deforestation

A picture is worth a thousand words.  This past weekend, Ben, one of the teachers, was hiking in the rainforest of Malawi when he came across a horrible of deforestation with the illegal cutting down of major trees.  After the initial shock of what he was seeing, he snapped a bunch of photographs.

He immediately took action, by sending an email to all the staff the photos and what he had observed.  He also posted those on the Lilongwe Chat Google Group...

Fellow Teachers,

This weekend Benny, Laurie and I visited Ntichsi Forest Reserve for the first time this year.  During our hike we discovered two large areas where loggers were actively cutting down massive hardwood primary trees.  (Please see pictures in this email.)

We stopped in at Ntchisi Lodge to find out if the managers had any information on this matter. To our horror,  the managers said they had recently found 12 logging sites! They have spoken to the village chief, but thus far nothing has been done to halt the illegal logging.

Does anyone have any information on who to contact to file a report?

Time is running out on Malawi's last sliver of rain forest!

Many thanks!

Ben

It didn’t take a day for him to see his mailbox inundated with messages, from private people as well as NGOs and local wildlife groups.  It even went as far as having a reporter contact him and saying he would write a story about this deforestation case.  Now, it appears that the government is getting involved, with talks of a meeting scheduled to happen to see how those cases of illegal deforestation can be stopped and those perpetrating them can be punished. 

The hope is that the momentum remains and that real action takes place with a stop on illegal tree cutting.  Malawi is a beautiful country that should remain in its state.

Briquettes

Deforestation in Malawi is an issue, as people tend to cut down branches and/or trees to make fire to cook their food on.  It’s part of their daily life!  Sometimes, small efforts can multiply and really make a difference.  For example, Ben, one of the teachers has started the Green Team at school and their sole goal is to recycle paper by making paper briquettes out of it.  In turn, those can be used as alternative to firewood to cook food.  It’s a simple enough process that he’s teaching to his “Greenies” – and that he hopes they will repeat once at home, taking action and giving a true sense to “Pay it Forward”

Step 1: tear paper in small pieces

Step 2: Mix water to the paper and let soak for 1 to 2 days

Step 3: Mix, tear and smush the paper and water until it makes a mush

Step 4: Using a cut PVA pipe, place the soaked paper and pack it full

Step 5: After making sure your mold is full of paper and pushing some of the water out, push the briquette slowly out of the mold.

Step 6: Place the newly formed briquette out of the way to dry

Step 7: Let it dry for 2 weeks.  It is now ready to be used!

Feast for the eyes

Malawi has some gorgeous areas, breathtaking landscapes, hilly and wooded in some areas, almost desert-like in others.

 Right now, it’s the dry season, so a lot of yellows, browns and light dirty greens.  In the past month, we haven’t seen the wet stuff and won’t for about another two months, until November when the rainy season starts. At that time, we will see the Green side of G Malawi.   Landscapes don’t need much explanation…so ENJOY!

  

Roadside Markets

Anytime you drive around the countryside, it’s easy to spot stalls and wooden huts selling whatever you may need.   I love the fresh fruits and vegetables, displayed artistically and color-coded, all waiting for a good kitchen table.  The less appealing to me are the meat vendors, with their carcass hanging from a rope, under a thin leaf roof, no refrigeration and swarms of flies.  Not being a keen meat-eater, it doesn’t take much to completely turn off my appetite for meat!  Those truly do the trick!

Some of my favorites are the homemade furniture makers, ranging from wooden beds and cupboards to woven reed outdoor patio furniture.  For some, those are truly masterpieces, a tribute to the craftsmen of Malawi, who for the most part work with a VERY limited toolbox and no electric powered tools.  Oftentimes, you will find the coffin makers in that area as well…

Yes, death is a very lucrative business here, as the mortality rate is high, due to poverty induced malnutrition, malaria and AIDS.

You also have the local souvenir shops, where again, amazing woodwork are on display…  chairs, bowls, masks, toys, drums, knick-knacks of all sorts…  But it can also be a pain, almost as bad as the Luxor Souk!  The vendors are quite aggressive, wanting you to visit their stall and to purchase their goods.  Being obviously not from Malawi, the prices are up, way up and sometimes come down, but sometimes not.  Those souvenir huts are grouped and it’s almost like a mini-souvenir mall.  You can walk from one to the next, the vendors opening their plastic and reed doors so you can go in, although you won’t find cash registers nor prices on any of the goods.  I will go again, but with plenty of time and loads of cash in my pockets…

Home Away From Home

HOME AWAY FROM HOME- Saturday, September 3^rd, 2011

We have found a home away from home, a refuge, a place we can relax and forget all our worries – and all that within a two-hour drive from our Lilongwe home.  Where is this magical place, the country of plenty? 

One Word: the LAKE! When you look at a map of Malawi, most of its Eastern border is made of a huge lake, some 50 kilometers wide and 350 kilometers long, truly an inland sea for this landlocked country.  And what a breath of fresh air it offers!  We honestly could not distinguish the other side and felt like we were back in Jamaica or in Sri Lanka, at the beach bordered with palm trees..

Along with 2 other families, we drove to the lake, on a nice road, going through villages and little towns, passing markets and artifact vendors.  As you can imagine, the Lake is a pretty touristy destination, for expats as well as locals. We arrived before 11:00 am, picked the most perfect spot on the beach, under a straw umbrella, our feet in the sand and our head in the palm trees.  The kids were fast at changing into their swimsuits and within 2 minutes of dropping our stuff, they were IN the lake...   Water games, snorkeling and sandcastle were on the activity card for the day. 

Since we were using the beach (for no fee) of a nice hotel, we also had access to their pool (for a little fee) and their restaurant…so after basking in the sun and playing in the water, we ordered a nice lunch that we all enjoyed pool side. 

In the late afternoon, we set back on our drive back to Lilongwe, faces happy and tired from smiling, already looking forward to the next trip to the lake!

Driving

We’ve had the Tank for over a week, but I’ve been scared to drive it into town.  This Friday, NO MORE!  I conquered my fear, asked my buddy if she needed to go shopping and I arranged for us to go together.  In all honesty, for the past month, I’ve been going shopping with her in her car and it was time for me to start returning the favors!  So, off we went shopping together.  Surprisingly, it’s just not as difficult as I made it sound to drive on the left; all I need is a constant reminder that I, the driver, must stay toward the middle of the road.  Although I’d gone to the stores a bunch of times, I still was not 100 % sure of the best route to take, and having my buddy along was helpful in giving me the confidence to find my way around town.  She was also a good sport, not eating her nails nor shifting nervously in her seat.  She even joked that she still had her nails!!!