Love's Harvest 2010
Helping the rural poor of Malawi grow the food they need on their own land.
We said farewell to the North at 6:30 am for the eight-hour drive down to Zomba, in the Diocese of Upper Shire. There is not much to report today, as we were on the road most of it, although we had a bit of excitement when we came to a bridge that was under construction. Some of the planks had worn down and were being replaced by a number of men. Our group got out of the car to stretch our legs and investigate. Fortunately, it took just twenty minutes for the repair and we were back on our way. Along the way we were delighted to see a large family of monkeys romping by the side of the road.
We stopped at noon for chambo at a roadside restaurant that looked a bit like a fifties diner with chrome and red chairs. We azungu (white people) from the U.S. abandoned our forks and ate the fish Malawian style, with our fingers, getting every bite off the many bones.
We crossed the Shire River and entered the Zomba Plateau. We arrived at Annie’s Lodge in Zomba at 4:30 to discover they had given away our rooms. Fortunately, they were able to book us into the Hotel Masongola next door, which is the oldest structure in Zomba with “an architecturally significant spire,” that doesn’t quite live up to its description! But the view of the gardens from the veranda is lovely and we decided to take a break from Malawian cuisine and have pizza for dinner. Tomorrow we’ve arranged for a meeting at the Theological College followed by a trip to visit Mapinganjira, about two hours away, the partner One Village at a Time project of St. John’s Cold Spring Harbor, NY.
