This morning when I went back to my Hut I noticed there were fishermen pulling their net to shore. There were six on them pulling in the net, it looked like the net was a long way out there since I watched them for a good five minutes and they were still just pulling rope no net. I went into my room for a few minutes and when I came back out they had the net on the shore and were harvesting their fish. From what I can see their catch was not that good only about a dozen fish which they will take to the market and sell by the side of the road.
When Davison picked us up he informed us that one of the bridges on the way to Lilongwe was washed out so we may have to go around by Mzuzu to get back to Lilongwe which will add three hours to the trip since we have to travel north to Mzuzu and then turn south to go to Lilongwe. It is a minor inconvenience for us but it is tough for the merchants who rely on the road to make their living.
Our time in Dwangwa has been great but with all the rain and the road conditions Davison could not take us to some of the places he wanted us to visit so we spent all our time at the Plantation. Oh well when it is the rainy season I guess you should expect a little rain. However we did get to visit the Ethanol Plant today and received a tour with a full explanation of their processes. It was a very interesting tour and the reason the Ethanol Plant is in Dwangwa is because of the Sugar Factory since they use the Sugar Factory's waste mash for their process. We were able to go right to the top of the plant and all we could see to the North and the South of the plant was sugar cane fields. The Ethanol Plan was not in production when we were there because it is the off season, the cane harvest will start the first of April and run for six to seven months, that's when the area is busy.
at the ethanol plant with Davison
I asked Davison about the sugar cane plant, if you eat it raw does it taste like sugar, he said it does but if you are caught holding a plant within the Plantation then you will be permanently removed with no chance of returning. No second chances and no regard to if you have been a thirty year employee, this rule also applies if you are caught taking a packet of processed sugar off of the plantation. Because of these measures nobody touches the sugar plants.
Back at the Lodge we met Kurt a Peace Corps volunteer from Chicago, we were sitting at the bar and it is amazing how you can pick up different accents when your pattern of speech is not the norm, when I heard him talk I knew right away he was from North America. He actually sounded more Canadian than US since he did not have a Chicago accent. He is in Malawi for two years and has six months to go, he lives in the small villages and speaks Chichewa (the local Language) well and was telling us some of his adventures. He is currently looking for a position with a NGO (Non Government Organization) so he can stay in Malawi.
The next day when I came outside there were four monkeys playing in the trees outside my hut, they were fun to watch. While we were waiting for Davison to pick us up Bruce and I talked to Kevin Phiri who is the Manager of the staff, he has been in the hospitality industry working in Lilongwe and at the Kasasa Club before moving over to the Ngala Beach Lodge. He is the second oldest in a family of seven and is married with two children a boy and a girl he says that he is done having children as they are expensive to send to school. There seems to be a trend in Malawi to have fewer children. He was telling us that he just finished helping his brother finish teachers college and he is now employed as a teacher.
After Davison picked us up we stopped at the Standard Bank so Bruce could cash in some travelers cheques, while waiting for him (it took 45 minutes) Davison introduced me to the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee for the SACCO. Davison and I also went into the FMB Bank they wanted me to open an account and they were going to pay six percent on the savings account, that is less than the ten percent the SACCO pays.
We were meeting with the Board of Directors tonight at 6:00 pm so we were going back to the Lodge early but before we left for the Lodge Davison invited us back to his home to meet his family. Davison has four children two girls who are older and two boys; while we were there we learned that his oldest daughter had a touch of Malaria. She was getting better and should be well in a couple of days, we were served sema which is their staple food in this area of Malawi, and it is made from corn. You eat it with your hands by rolling a chunk around in your hand then dipping it in some sauce and eat it. It was not bad there was not much of a taste; it looks like mashed potatoes with a little heavier texture. Before and after you eat you wash your hands which is a custom I had forgot about because in the restaurants in this area they don't do this, but in Karonga last year we did it every meal.
Davison and his family at their homeAfter the meal we left for the Lodge I feel privileged that Davison invited us to his home he has a great family. He was telling us he will either be moving to a bigger house next year or they will add on to his current house because based on his pay grade he should be in the larger house. The house he is in now has two bedrooms so he could use the extra room with the four children. I asked him how he met his wife and he said she had move to the plantation to live with her uncle after her parents passed away. She is from south Malawi by Blantyre they have been married 12 years.
When we got back to the lodge we had enough time for me to take the kayak ride on the lake, once I got on the Kayak I realized I was going to need more practice then I had time for so I traded for a canoe. It was great out on the lake just paddling around in the gentle waves. Once I returned to the shore I walked along the beach to the next lodge over. The sand was a little course and gave my feet a good scrubbing. I returned to my room to get ready for the Board Meeting.
eating semaStay tuned for more.
No comments:
Post a Comment