As we drove up the road, I was reminded of the many mountains near my home in Pennsylvania. It was also a foggy/cloudy/rainy day, so it almost felt like December (but not really because it was still quiet warm). J We arrived at the hotel where we were going to have lunch and Yudah told us that the name of the hotel, Ku Chawe, means ‘You will die’’. Not necessarily something you want to hear when you’re on top of a mountain, but he went on to explain that the expression came from men challenging one another at the top of the mountain. They would climb to the top and then fight one another. I still didn’t really understand why they would name a hotel that, but it was an interesting tidbit of history about the area.
We had a delicious meal at the hotel – it was buffet style so we got to enjoy as much as we wanted – including strawberries & blackberries for dessert! J I’ve hopefully been able to (or will soon be able to) post some pictures from the trip on Facebook.
Once we finished lunch, Pastor said he wanted to take us to “Chirwa Hole’ (when he was first saying it, I thought he said ‘Hall’ so I was picturing this large building – oops!). He asked one of the hotel staff and he found a guide that would lead us up the mountain to see it. So, up the mountain we went. Pastor Nihaka hadn’t been on the road we had taken since 1999 and boy was he surprised. The road was terrible. I used to think potholes in Pittsburgh were bad, but they were nothing compared to this! Thankfully, we only got stuck once and it was no longer than 10 or 15 minutes total before we were once again travelling up the side of the mountain. I tried not to look at the road ahead because all I would see was large rocks and holes that didn’t look like anything a vehicle could drive over. Andy is a very skilled driver, though, and he maneuvered the minibus (I like to call it ‘The Little Engine that Could’) very well throughout the whole drive up & down the mountain.
When we arrived at the top, the view was breathtaking. Even if you look at the pictures, I know they won’t be able to do it justice. The Hole was thought to be a bottomless pit and they used to throw lepers and others who were sick down the hole. Right next to the small hole, there was a large drop-off and none of our fellow travellers liked it when Kayla and I walked close to the edge. I am not a huge fan of heights, so I didn’t really get too close, but it was entertaining to tease them a little and walk close to the edge. At one point, Kayla was walking out on a plateau area and Chisomo, Yudah and Andy had walked below us a bit. They started calling out, “Sister, sister! Step back, please!” Kayla was not near enough to the edge to be in danger of falling or slipping, but from the angle that they saw, all that was before her was a straight drop off. We didn’t really mean to frighten them, but it was a little funny to hear them calling to her.
We continued on up the mountain to look down at the town of Zomba. It was such a beautiful site! The colors, hills, clouds and horizon were absolutely amazing. Queen Elizabeth’s parents had visited Malawi and went to the top of Zomba mountain – there are two spots called ‘The King’s View’ and ‘The Queen’s view’; both of which are aptly named because their views are very majestic to behold. God is a masterful artist and it was a blessing to see such beauty all around us and know that He created all this for us. As we drove back down the mountain (taking a much smoother road than the one on the way up), we passed some trees with orange leaves, making it almost look like fall. J It reminded me of our trips to Ohiopyle, PA in the Autumn. I only wish that the pictures and my description could do justice to all that we were able to see!
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