Malawi Journal – Day 3
Addis Ababa
Arriving at Addis Ababa they opened the doors of our aircraft and placed stairs for us to walk down with our carry-on bags and backpacks. This is a bit much for me because I packed my bag with teaching materials and it was heavy. Esther exited first and was herded into the building and quickly disappeared. They took Lawrence on a special ramp and in a wheelchair. It is hard for him to walk long distances so this helps a lot! We were quickly reunited to go through the X-rays and scanners once more before we could enter the building. They questioned the bag with the Bibles once more. Once this was complete, they had a special area for Lawrence to wait and a separate area for Esther and me. We prefer to stay together.
To Lilongwe
In a couple of hours, we are ready to board our plane for Lilongwe, Malawi. This is our final leg of our journey. We get to sit together!
As we were in the air they served us a snack. We eat so much on these flights! As soon as they had finished serving snacks they came through with lunch. The food is good!
Health Screening
Our flight seems so short after the last one and soon we are on the ground. Disembarking we are directed toward two big white tents. We are told to wash our hands with a chlorine hand wash and then we enter the tent. Some are having temperatures taken and some are directed to give their Covid testing lab results. After our medical screening, we get in line to get our visas. The process is very quick, and I am surprised the price is about half what it is when we purchase our visas from the embassy in D.C. Next, we go through customs and immigration where they check and stamp our passports. The next step they waved us through without screening our bags or asking any questions! I am tired and thankful to finally be in Malawi!
Our Friends Greet Us
Mbwenu and Bless are here to meet us! Lawrence and Esther go with them to load our baggage while I get funds transferred into kwacha. Mission accomplished we get in the car and proceed to Mzimba, a 4-hour drive.
Police Roadblock
Along the way, we are stopped at a police roadblock. We acquire a ticket for having 3 people in the middle. It has three seat belts and normally this is not a problem because this is a 7 passenger vehicle (baggage in rear seats). Because of Covid, they have reduced the number of allowed passengers. Our ticket is 15,000 Kwacha which is about $20 US. Back on the road again. The scenery is beautiful. Everything is very green and maize is growing along the road. We are making good time and soon drop Bless off at home in Mzimba. We travel on as it gets dark and arrive at Mbwenu’s home.
This is a very gracious family and we are thankful to spend time getting to know them and the culture we are living in.
We eat dinner, sing some songs (yes we brought some songbooks!) We are all tired. It has been a long wonderful day for us and our host family who tended his farm milked the cow, etc., and then drove 4 hours to meet us today. Then they turned around and drove the return trip!
And what a trip it is!
We head down the path before we get ready for sleeping and that is the conclusion of Day 3.