Phew...

What a day!  I set off at 5am to pick up a colleague who was travelling with me as far as Chipata.  Off we set and about 3 hours into the journey we came upon a line of traffic on the road and a policeman directing us to join it!  Everyone was out of the vehicles and round the bend in front was a horrific accident.  A lorry had been coming down the escarpment and the driver realised he had no brakes.  He had to make a choice, either go over the escarpment or ram into the side of the mountain which he did.  Unfortunately as is often the case in Africa, people were travelling on the back of the lorry on top of the cargo and the lorry fell on top of them crushing some of them.  Two were badly injured and together with the driver (who lost an arm) were taken to a hospital some miles away.  I hope and pray that they survive.  The chances of the hospital having the medicines that they need are doubtful.

We carried on with our journey somewhat shell shocked and reached Chipata safely.  I dropped my colleague and headed to the border for Malawi.  At the Zambian side, I produced my papers and was swiftly through.  At the Malawian side I handed over the documents and waited...and waited.  Somehow in the process of handing the documents over the counter and going to the correct person, they had been mislaid!  I was there for over 2 hours!

Eventually I was finished and off I went to Lilongwe.  I was booked to stay in a guesthouse on the Mzuzu side of Lilongwe so that I could set off tomorrow in good time!  Of course I was arriving in the late rush hour of the day and then did not realise that there are major roadworks at one of the roundabouts, so by the time I got to the location where the guesthouse was it was dark!  And in Malawi there are few street lights.  My phone did not work as I had no Malawian sim card!  I had to go to a lodge and get the phone number of the lodge I was going to and ask them to phone for me!  A kind man came and met me and escorted me to the lodge I was staying! 

I was tired and hungry but had a good meal and just wanted to sleep!  I realised I had not taken a photo so I took this one of a painting in the lodge!  Not really Malawian but somehow had the African colours!