15-20 September 2009: Last Days in Malawi, part I
Posted By Sika on June 8, 2010
Kris pointed out, on our way down from Nyika, that we weren’t going to be able to push through to Lilongwe in any kind of time to make it worthwhile. I was supposed to have dinner with Agatha, and Kris wanted to see Gloria, but we wouldn’t get there until late, late. Also, my mom was still feeling pretty ill, and while we were hoping getting away from the woodsmoke would help, she wouldn’t feel better immediately. So, we decided to stop in Nkhotakota and potentially get a little schisto as a parting gift.
Once we got to Nkhotakota, we stopped at one of the brick-fenced resthouses, figuring it would be cheaper than being on the lake. But singles were K2950, and for some insane reason a twin room for two people cost K6000/night. I, as I do occasionally, spent some minutes futiley trying to convince the guy how stupid it is to charge more than double to change from a single to a double, and to charge the same for two people in a room as they charge for two people in a chalet. Eventually Kris made me stop, because, well, futile.
We ended up at Nkhotakota Pottery, even though the Spectrum book didn’t mention it at all (it’s one of the most well known hotel chains in Malawi, so that’s sort of ridiculous), and so we had to ask directions because neither Kris nor I remembered it being so far south from town and Ndala hadn’t been paying attention when he got the instructions.
The next morning, mom wasn’t feeling any better, so Kris and I did some nkonde (porch) yoga, ate breakfast, and took pictures of Lake Malawi while mom went back to sleep. Since mom still wasn’t feeling well, we decided to head straight back to Zomba instead of stopping in Liwonde. We dropped Ndala on the road near his house, and I drove to Annie’s lodge, scaring my mom with my tendency to forget where the left side of the car was. She apparently objected to me running over people on the sides of the road. I thought they’d get out of the way. And also that my left side should end in a different place, too.
Annie’s was full, but they had a room in their new annex that was available. It ended up being tiny, largely airless, and not properly cleaned: the shower had damp, muddy footprints, even though it later turned out the guesthouse had no running water. I felt bad because I know the wife in the couple who owns Annie’s, and I like her quite a bit. Mom and I decided to bail anyway.
I had wanted a quiet place in the morning so my mom would be able to sleep in, that was the point of staying at Annie’s, but instead Derek had already arranged anyway for Honi (who had started her OSCEs, the leaving exam) and Jason to stay with D’Lynn.
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