Into Malawi & Majete

Mozambique was a short-lived treat.  Three days of air-conditioners, swimming pools, good company and good food – we lived like Kings. 

 

We were told that Malawi was expensive and were advised to do a big shop whilst here, which was much needed, as the variety in Zim, was a little lacking.  One supermarket had a whole isle with nothing but baked beans.  To be fair there was a variety in the brand of baked beans that you could choose from, but it was ALL beans in tomato sauce.  We hit the shop running, filled up our cart, got to the check out, and our bank card was denied. 

 

Tried again – denied. 

 

Tried different card – denied.

 

Do you take dollars? – NO. 

 

Is there an ATM? – NO. 

 

There is nothing quite like holding up the shopping line, as the greedy mzungu who stuffed her trolley to the brim, unable to pay for her shopping, and is replying to the Portuguese speaking teller, in English. 

Perfect! Not my finest moment. 

 

How did we get out of this sticky mess? By chance, we bumped into Helen! Who is Helen?  We met Helen, in Lusaka, back in October, her husband, works with Brenden, who we are staying with.  Helen walked into the shop whilst we were in our pickle, and very very kindly paid for OUR shopping with HER card, and I paid her back in dollars. I was very happy to get out of there ASAP, but not after thanking Helen profusely for totally saving us!

 

Speaking of shopping and bank cards – we had a very different experience in Zimbabwe.  On entering a supermarket, I got asked by lots of different women if they could ‘swipe’ for me?  I didn’t understand – you want to pay for my shopping?  If I could pay them back in USD – the answer was yes.  At one point, a lady gave me her bank card AND pin number, and told me to meet her AFTER I shopped, to settle up. The trust! This made me very uncomfortable, and I told her she would have to come with me instead – as I didn’t like the idea of walking around with someone else bank card and pin number.  I spent the whole time wondering if was part of a scam or if I was just helping her out.  I wasn’t in the shop that long (when baked beans makes up half the inventory, you are done quite quickly 😊) she paid in ZIM dollars, I paid her back in USD and that was it.  I later learned that this was a normal thing for locals to get hard currency.

 

From Mozambique we crossed the Tete corridor into Malawi.  The border crossing took us 2 hours and 25 minutes.  The Malawian immigration department never saw Colin in person.  I had both passports and went to buy our visas.  I filled out our forms, asked the lady if I could go back outside to get Colin to sign his, she looked at me as if to say why would you do that? – and asked ‘Don’t you know his signature?’

 

OK THEN!?

 

I got ushered into a different room where I had to wait for an officious looking man in an ill-fitting uniform (the buttons on his shirt were hanging on for dear life!) to finish his phone call, after I was allowed into the office. He didn’t look at my filled-out form with dodgy signature.  He did take my money, and stamped our passports, giving us three months in Malawi.  The passports were then handed over to the lady who suggested I forge Cols signature. She stamped passports again, and told me she had given us 30 days.  I don’t know why we went from 90 days to 30 days – but whatever – we have about three weeks for Malawi and I was too hot and bothered to argue it.  (Also – did she have me by the short and curly’s as I forged a document? I wasn’t going to test her – I would nod, and smile, and say thank you instead.) That was passports sorted.  Col then went off to do the car papers which is when the system went down.  Of course, the system went down!! Col even asked the man, what will it take for the system to come back on again?  The official said it was genuine this time (love how ‘this time’ was added).  Thankfully the wait wasn’t as long as in Tunduma, and before long we were on our way again.

 

First stop Majete game Reserve. This game reserve has been taken over by Africa Parks, and is somewhat of a success story.  In the past, this reserve was more or less poached empty – and for three years, it didn’t have a single visitor.  Since AP has taken it over, it has been restocked, and has done so well, that they are now using it to help restock other parks within Malawi.  It was a very enjoyable two days.

 

We feel we have been lucky to be able to avoid the panic associated with Christmas.  No last-minute shopping, no need to come up with ideas for presents, and no overdose of Christmas carols.  Our first exposure to Christmas was on the 21^st of December where we saw our first little Christmas tree at the Majete public restaurant – although we were more focused on the Baboons behind it, making their way to raid the Kitchen.  The same day we heard our first Christmas carol, which was a repeat of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’, ‘All I want for Christmas’, and ‘Santa Baby’, all covered by the same sultry women trying to bring a little sass to Christmas 😊.