Travel
A PEEK INSIDE HER HOUSE
Lumbadzi, Malawi … She was nearing 80 years of age when we first met, and, in spite of her age, she was responsible for the care of eight grand-children and great-grandchildren. The HIV-Aids crisis in Malawi has robbed the nation of a vast number of its “middle generation,” leaving grandparents, and even great grandparents to…
Read MoreDANGER ON THE SHIRE
With our breakfast complete we fall in behind our guide and make our way down the long stone path toward waters edge. Our guide’s name is “Danger,” and we are hopeful his name has nothing to do with his ability to successfully navigate the small boat in these crocodile-infested waters. We have seen enough stories…
Read MoreA NATION WALKING
The Need for Bicycles Lilongwe, Malawi … Imagine your home is well out in the country, away from the city in a small cluster of houses, containing 75 to 150 residents. Imagine that not one family owns, or has access to a car, truck, bus or other motorized vehicle. Imagine your home is 20 miles from the nearest trading…
Read MoreIMPALA, THE ANIMAL
Liwonde Game Park, Malawi … This story is about an animal, not a car! However, one will find it interesting to know that in 1956 General Motors named what would become one of its most popular cars after this fast-moving antelope. The car carried the image of an impala as its logo. Impalas are medium-sized…
Read MoreWALKING UNDER A LADDER
Liwonde Game Park, Malawi … Everyone has heard the warning about walking under a ladder when someone above is painting the ceiling. Well perhaps not everyone! The kudu seems not to have heard the warning, and this animal appears to be an early warning system for the rest of us to remember what might happen…
Read MoreIMAGINE THE NIGHT!
On a Roadway in Malawi … There are few paved roads in Malawi, and even fewer without dangerous pavement breaks along the edges of the roadway. Most roads are narrow, and most are rut-carved dirt roads, with an abundance of potholes. Even being on one of the decent roads, it is still dangerous. Large trucks…
Read MoreRATTLE, RATTLE, WHO IS THERE?
I looked up from the desk to see a 5-foot-tall baboon sitting on the other side of the room looking at me a bit puzzled. He wasn’t alone, I had failed to close the door to the deck of our chalet overlooking the South Luangwa River, and while I was looking at my computer screen…
Read MoreMay I Borrow Your Lane?
Traveling Near Dedza on M-1 in Malawi… We are traveling south of Lilongwe and as usual, it is alarming for Americans to see what looks like someone driving on the “wrong side of the road.” This is not the case. In Malawi, they drive on the left side, while in the U.S. we drive on…
Read MoreBLANTYRE
The city of Blantyre is located in the Blantyre District in the Southern part of Malawi. Before Malawi became a nation, Blantyre was already there. The community was founded in 1876 through the efforts of Scottish missionaries. It derived its name from the hometown of David Livingstone, the famous Scottish missionary, who was born in…
Read MoreDEDZA DISTRICT
The Dedza District of Malawi straddles Highway M-1 and is situated directly south of the Lilongwe District. It hovers along the Zambian border to its west and contains Dedza Mountain near its center. The mountain rises 2,198 meters or 7,200 feet above the valley floor. Walking to the top requires an estimated 2 hours. The…
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