Balancing act

Oftentimes when riding or walking around town you will see bicycles transporting various items, ranging from baskets, fire wood, chickens or even live goats. Mind you, the goats are attached on a narrow plank, which is then attached to the bike.
This morning I saw what appeared to be the heaviest load I'd seen being moved on a bike. This guy had bravely ( or foolishly) strapped 4 super heavy charcoal bags to the back of his bike. His load was so heavy as well as extremely unstable that he couldn't ride the bike and was pushing it instead. Je also managed to slow down traffic as cars could not see what was directly coming and has to swerve around him.
That's the way a lot of goods are transported within a city, village or even between close- by villages. The bicycle is THE most used mode of transportation in the country, for easily understandable reasons: a bike is rather inexpensive to purchase and to maintain, it doesn't require petrol or diesel (and we all know these can be hell to come by at times) and is easily kept inside the houses, away from a potential thief!
I will be on the lookout for more bikes transporting a variety of items to snap their pic and post them here!

Hole in the wall

As you walk around Lilongwe's residential neighborhoods you will often notice holes in the outside walls surrounding properties. That's the Malawi equivalent to a "On The Run", Circle K or Night and Day. They are our little neighborhood convenience stores offering a variety of goods, ranging from fresh eggs, bread, margarine, oil, lightbulbs, soft drinks, mobile phone refills..
More than once they've been lifesavers for me, when in the middle of a recipe I realize I'm missing a key ingredient. Or
When the night guard comes and asks for a new light bulb, or for when you really want a soft drink but there are none in the house... Anyways you get the picture! They are just a few steps away, offering a convenient way to avoid driving into town for one ingredient!

Building up the walls

Is this a sign of the times? One of my neighbors is having workers increase the heights of his exterior walls, not by much but by just enough to prevent a wall jump!
When you walk around and really start looking, most of the walls that were originally 6 feet high are now 8 feet tall and with additional barbwire on top.
So by tomorrow the bricklayers' job will be done and the neighbors will be better protected against intruders!
As simple as that!

No more queues

After a quick holiday in Europe I've been back in Malawi a little over 3 weeks now and there has been a big noticeable difference: there aren't any diesel and petrol queues in town anymore. The Tank has a full tank and all that was required was me driving up to the pump and tell the attendant to "fill it up". After the shortages we had last year there is no description for the feeling of being able to fill up whenever you want. Little things like this truly make living in Africa easier. Now if only the same applied to the bank and its
ATM!

Sunday Jazz

Looking for a nice way to wind down a busy weekend? Head to the Four Seasons complex on Presidential Drive and spend a couple of hours listening to cool jazz and contemporary music played by a live band. This Sunday the crowd was surprisingly large and dynamic, the band played a mixture of contemporary tunes and were even joined by a singer for several numbers.

The complex sets up chairs and mats for the audience. The terrace at Chameleon's is also open. Sip on a Green or an MGT and order a pizza from the bar. I personally think that Chamelon's pizza is the best in Lilongwe.
And like a good neighborhood hangout, there is always someone you know to catch up with.
Spending a couple of hours there is a great close of the weekend and gives you energy for the week ahead.

One Year

I cannot believe I've already been in Lilongwe for a whole year now. So much has happened: one school year, one president death, two currency devaluations, many fun evenings, one long diesel shortage, many market shopping and a few trips to beautiful Lake Malawi.
So I've now started year 2 and plan on finally seeing more of this gorgeous country now that diesel is easier to come by.
For this morning I leave you with an inspiring sunrise photo taken a few days ago at Senga Bay.