The day we sold our lives away...
Hello everyone! It's Ellie again, reporting for the Impalas on their last full day in Malawi! I had a loooovely sleep last night, sleeping for a record breaking 9 hours! Others didn't do so well in the sleep department, but were streaks ahead in the socialising and partying sector, dancing on the table in the bar to Shakira's Waka Waka till after midnight!
After bouncing out of bed at 6:40, panicking because we were meant to be leaving at 8, we were happily surprised to find that we didn't have to leave until 9. Everything was done on time, with our teamwork skills shining through, as we got everything packed up and away so that we could get on the road. Everyone loved their rare breakfast treat of cornflakes- haha- and Chante was more than willing to do the washing up for everyone- haha!
We left the beautiful beaches of Monkey Bay and set off for Dedza Pottery Yard. However, the road soon took us up into the mountains and Terence was crawling round the bends slower and slower. We stopped at one point so that Doc could help a family get their little Land Rover up one steep section of road and then carried on. Until we stopped again.
Doc enthusiastically told us that we were 'screwed' and then grabbed his machete to hack down some tree branches to use as hazard warning signs on the road. The steep hills had caused all the diesel to tip backwards in its container so that none of it was reaching the engine. And we had no spare diesel. Oh dear.
We tumbled out onto the side of the road and Doc hitched a lift from some kindly locals in their car to the nearest petrol station 20 minutes drive away. This left us nothing to do but to sit and wait for him.
We passed the time with many exciting activities, including book reading, diary writing and the presentation of the '12 Malawi Girls' Quiz to the leaders. They weren't very good and we were all terribly offended that they didn't know exactly how many pairs of pants we had bought with us on the trip or which exact month and year Frankie had her braces taken off (obviously December 2010 everyone, it's a well know fact right?!) I particularly enjoyed my quick trip to the toilet (so a collection of bushes just down from the road) with an incredible view of the mountainside. We also felt a bit peckish, so tucked into a delicious brunch of pink maize wheat tasteless crisps and milk biscuits. We gave up on the pink crisps and gave them to little children staring at us along the road. They were much appreciated.
Doc eventually turned up after an hour and to our surprise, the family he had helped up the hill earlier had given him a lift back to us! They were going to Dezda Pottery too and decided to return the favour, though it meant driving back in the opposite direction. Very kind! The lady was Scottish and has been living and teaching in Malawi for the past 4 years and she was holidaying round Malawi with her friend Christian and her son (she has a Malawian husband!)
Finally we arrived at Dezda- only 40 minutes late for our buffet lunch- and sat down under a gazebo in the restaurant's garden. We were very hungry and oohed and ahhhhed as various dishes were bought over for us. There was rice, various sauces and gravy, roast potatoes (ROAST POTATOES!), crispy chicken drum sticks, fried veg, salad and a delicious oven baked Spag Bol. More pasta! We finished off nearly everything and then went for our tour of the pottery place. We pretended to be highly interested in the different typed of rock- our favourite was the R33 rock of course- and hid our disappointment that the grinding machine was out of action. We did enjoy seeing a lady make a vase though and another lady painting an intricate zebra design freehand onto a mug. Once that was over, we purchased some last minute pottery and other gifts and then headed off in the truck to our campsite. It was late by the time we left and so were still driving as we watched the sun set in Malawi for the last time and ended up putting up our tents in the dark.
We then set about the giant task of packing for tomorrow (yes we also packed in the dark) and had much fun splaying our things out across the floor of the car park as we tried to pack pottery and dirty clothes and towels and wash things and tampons and manky tea towels and shampoo and flannels and random pens and presents and teddy bears and woggles and all the other unnecessary rubbish we've collected and soiled over our three weeks here into our tiny bags. Kirsty and Lucy also held an auction to get rid of their unwanted stuff and now everyone has various cereal bars, soap and tiny travel sanitary towels.
We've just eaten soup and crackers for dinner and now we're off to socialise and have fun and maybe even sob our hearts out, because it's our last night here.
Ta ta for now ladies and gentlemen, we hope you're preparing the cake and curry and scrumminess for our return on Monday!
We also just did our last treasure and trash and now we're crying. Sob sob.
Lots and lots and lots of love,
Your ever faithful Impalas
xxxxxx
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