Monday still in Blantyre

Well, did I ever have an adventure after I posted my message yesterday. I went to Mt.Soche Hotel,recommended by my Canadian colleague. It was quite different in quality compared to the hotels in which I've been staying. Not to say that I'm staying in dumps...When working on projects, I typically stay in 1.5 hotels. Mt. Soche had wonderful ambience, well-dressed black and white people....For BB's information: I had a wonderful vegetarian pasta dish and a kuche kuche, plus a whole wheat roll! (Again, I was the most underdressed person in the place...including employees.)

I walked around the gardens and took pictures of the flowers....Then, I started to walk back to my 1.5 hotel. Keep in mind that on weekends, there are no business people downtown, so one is exposed to people selling stuff on the streets....

I met Emmanual--appropriate for Sunday, as I had only WATCHED church, not attended. Anyway, he wasn't trying to sell me anything (or so I thought)...I wanted to book my coach back to Lilongwe for next Sat morning, and we walk by a bus station. So, WE went in there, and I was told that I had to go to Blantyre House to book that particular coach. So, Emmanuel told me he knew where that was....just a few steps away. He told me I reminded him of his mother who died in 1994, and that he was an unemployed chef with a four year old boy and a wife. We walked past many people on the street, and I realized that I was enjoying his company and noticed that people didn't come up to me and ask me to buy things. We walked further and further.....my feet were beginning to ache, and I was looking frumpier and frumpier (but no well-dressed folks were around to notice).

After awhile, a white couple slowed down and asked if I needed help. They were in one of those big double-cabbed trucks--Anyway, at that point, I felt I could use a ride. So, I perched happily in the back seat and we drove to Blantyre Lodge. Which, as it turns out wasn't that far from where we were. The driver and passenger work for a "petrol" company out of South Africa working in Malawi for 16 months now, and they had been at a fundraiser rally with other people from the company driving big trucks. Anyway, when we went into Blantyre Lodge the office had just closed....A man named "Rodin" took my name and Moses's cell number and will confirm a seat on the 7 a.m. coach back to Lilongwe on Saturday....it takes about four hours.

After I'd made the arrangements, Emmanual showed up at the truck door. The driver gave him the equivalent of 50 cents, and said Emmanual had only walked me across town and that was enough. I loked into Emmanual's eyes, and gave him more money so that it equaled about $2. The South Africans drove me to my 1.5 hotel, and I was glad to get there. Man, I really am developing an appetite for soccer (football, here). England knocked France out of the running.

Today is St. Patrick's Day, and Kathleen has requested that I have a Carlsberg instead of kuche kuche. So, I will. I wonder if those standing in the Peace Vigil in Belfast will have any.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT--Megan: Will you please put a map of Kenya on the side bar, since I'm flying there on Sunday? Also, a counter would be really swell. I know some people are following this but not commenting.