Long Weekend = Trip to Zomba

We left Mwanza on Sunday morning, around 11:30am and enjoyed a cool and rainy trip back to Blantyre. It was a much quieter ride going than coming, no singing and not even much talking. Kayla and I both napped in the back seat of the minibus. J When we got back to Blantyre, I was able to continue my journey and head to Zomba with Pastor William and Chrissy (that is where they live). Zuriel was going to Zomba to see his friend Samuel, so I met them for dinner Sunday night. I had planned to return to Blantyre that evening, but Zuriel & Samuel didn’t want to send me on a minibus by myself in the dark, so I stayed at a lodge in Zomba. Monday was a holiday so I didn’t have to worry about school. It turned out to be a beautiful day in Zomba – not too hot, though I did get burnt – and I enjoyed the time I got to spend with Zuriel and Samuel. We walked to Zuriel’s aunt’s house – it was up a very steep hill (it reminded me of a hill by my friend’s house in Ohiopyle, PA – only a lot longer & steeper!). I was just glad that we walked up it first, because that meant we got to walk down it on the way back. J Sarah (Zuriel’s aunt) prepared a lovely lunch for us and we enjoyed resting in her living room after our long hike.

As we headed to the bus depot, we got caught in a rainstorm. Thankfully, we were close to a house with a porch, so we stayed dry. It was an awesome sight to see, though. We could tell that it was raining in the distance, but I didn’t notice that it was coming towards us fairly quickly. Seemingly out of nowhere, Zuriel said that we need to find shelter & Sam found the house – I didn’t realize how close the rain was until I heard it coming up the mountain towards us. I tried to take a picture of it coming, but a video would have been better. We heard it before we saw it – it kind of reminded of the movie ‘The Happening’ when the wind would start to blow & you could hear it coming closer to you – and then all the sudden we were in the middle of a downpour. It was nice to just sit and watch the rain, until it started to get kind of late and I thought I was going to get stuck in Zomba again…

It finally stopped, though, and we made it to the bus depot in plenty of time. I was glad to have Zuriel & Sam with me so I wasn’t charged too much for the minibus and so I got on the correct one. I even got to ride up front – which was an interesting experience. I don’t know that I liked seeing all the potholes and obstacles that the driver swerved & curved around so quickly. J It was a quick trip, which I was glad for because it was almost dark – and I had a nice conversation with the other passenger riding in the front. He even helped me find my connecting minibus to get home once we were in Limbe (near Blantyre).

It was nice to get back home and swap adventure stories with Kayla and her dad.