The Chilopora Goodbyes
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Pretoria,
South Africa
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Our final proper breakfast came with the morning on Wednesday (July 4th). We ate a bit later than usual, packed our maize-filled bags into the ambulance, and made for Lilongwe.
An hour into our journey, we stopped at Dr. Chilopora's former childhood school. It was a charming complex. At this school, the students live, learn, and play. Imagine living in a dorm building starting at age 6!
To our surprise, the Chilopora's granddaughter Chiku was currently attending there. We met Chiku a few weeks earlier. We took a brief walking tour, said goodbye to Chiku, and then continued on our way.
We arrived in Lilongwe around 2:00. The subsequent hours would be spent trying to locate the lodge we would be spending the night at. It was a frustrating stretch because while searching, the Chilopora's cell phones ran out of calling units. This meant we could not call the lodge to get directions (all cell phone service in Malawi is prepaid).
Turns out, the name of the lodge was recently changed. Of course, the new name was the only one we had. Locals recognized the former name, but not the new one. Thus, when we stopped and asked people, they were clueless.
Like a carosel, we went up, down, and around Lilongwe for a solid 2 hours. This was not pleasant considering the roads in Lilongwe are littered with potholes (up), unexpected speed bumps (down), and floods of people (around).
After far too much driving, we made it to our lodge. By this time it was almost dark. You don't want to be in the streets in Lilongwe after dark. It's not the safest city.
The lodge was like staying in a cabin with several other people. Our room was quite nice. It had lockers where we could put away our belongings. There were four bunk beds which meant six other travelers would be sharing our room for the night. We chose our bunks, locked up our bags, and returned to the ambulance for our farewells.
It was difficult saying goodbye to Dr. and Mrs. C. I've grown very close to them over the past few weeks and they have become family. "This is the first goodbye," I said trying to put a positive spin on the parting. "I'm not sure how soon I can return, but as soon as I can, I will."
With that I received a final tender embrace from Mrs. C and the ultimate husky bearhug from Dr. C. They got inside the ambulance and drove off into the setting sun. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING DR. AND MRS. C! IT'S BEEN A GREAT RIDE!
Everyone can take a page out of the Chilopora book. They are wise, kind, and respectable in everything they do. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn from them.
Without words, Aaron and I looked at each other and walked inside. Entering our room, I experienced a shocking revelation. The emotions of the moment made me forget about a primal need that I had unconsciously suppressed. Food.
Sara, the middle-aged hippie British front-desk attendant, pointed us in the direction of a little Indian place around the corner from the lodge. Off we went, exercising extreme caution and awareness of course.
The food was mediocre yet filling and we returned to the lodge in the same manner we came. The lobby of the lodge conveniently doubled as a lounge and a number of travelers had gathered there during our absence. Since it was the 4th of July, it was necessary to have a celebratory drink with all of the Americans (4 including me). Sleep then stole me away for a few hours.
Beep Beep echoed my watch alarm at 8. It was off to the market to pick up a few miscellaneous items before Meshek, Dr. Chonde's son, picked us up to take us to the airport. The market was a 20 minute walk from our lodge so we had to scoot.
I bought an extra bag, to carry the 25lbs. of maize flower bestowed to me, and Aaron got a much needed hat. In the midst of running around hunger came knocking.
Aaron: Do you wanna grab some chips (fries) from this vendor quick?"
Brainless Phil: "Can I say yes? Besides, we won't get to eat until we get to South Africa so .... We better eat something now.
Gary (I don't know his real name), the chip man, seemed to be selling a clean and healthy product. We grabbed the chips, which were in take away bags, and rushed back to the lodge to shower and pack.
Getting Clean, packed, and ready to leave on a jet plane took us right to ten'o'clock. Fortunately, Meshek showed at half ten which was exactly what I was hoping for. I told him ten so he would be there by half ten. Local time.... you get used to accounting for it.
My watch ready 12 pm when we arrived at Kamuzoo International Airport. We checked in and waited. An hour later our flight boarded and we were off to Johannesburg, South Africa.
Two hours into our four hour flight, my stomach started to grumble a bit. Not in a nauseous 'I'm going to vomit' way, but an 'internally sore' kind of way. The flight time passed rather quickly and we landed in Joburg.
Customs took an extraordinarily long time because of the hundreds of foreigners that somehow simultaneously accumulated. Thank God for staggered flights in America. This sort of thing wouldn't be unheard of in the States. We patiently waited, picked up our bags, and eventually met up with Mr. and Mrs. Wallis who took us back to Pretoria. En route to Pretoria, my stomach continued to act up. It wasn't a pressing 'I need to see a doctor' kind of pain, but more of a 'this isn't normal to feel like this' discomfort.
Safe and sound within the Wallis premises, I unpacked, had a wonderful steamy hot shower, and told everyone about our adventures in Malawi. Lost in conversation, I didn't even realize that dinner time had crept upon us. At this point my stomach wasn't overly upset and the food smelled delicious, so I ate. I am glad I did. The food tasted better than it smelled. It was a delicious South African curry with beef, raisins, and several other traditional ingredients.
Stomach full of delectable South African cuisine but still upset from earlier, I went to bed.
"I don't know what this funk is in my stomach. I hope it feels better in the morning," I thought to myself as my head struck the pillow. "What did I do to myself?"
The journey is still unfolding. More to come.
