Lilongwe from home…

During our first stint at The Mushroom Farm we met a large group of volunteers, most of whom were German. Whilst we were hanging out they kindly offered us a place to crash for free when we made it down to Lilongwe where they lived. So, after promising to make it down to them for weeks, and getting sidetracked in Nkhata Bay for longer than anticipated, we finally made it to Malawi’s capital city. Everyone we’d spoken to said that Lilongwe was not worth the visit, stating that whilst there were a few nice restaurants and decent shops, the city itself was rather dull. However, we had friends to visit, and needed to get to Cape Mclear, which was all the more easier to get to via the capital. After a long coach ride south, leaving Mzuzu at six in the morning, Claire and I arrived. The coach pulled up in a mall car park and from the window we spotted it. Standing tall, brightly lit, with crisp clear signage was a KFC. Lunch was sorted.

It may not be in the spirit of travelling. You’re supposed to be sampling local cuisine, trying new and exciting delights and seeing what each country has to offer. However, sometimes, you just want a Zinger Tower Burger. Also, I had eaten a KFC sixth months previous in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city; and also once in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania; and I wanted to tick off another African capital’s Kentucky Fried offerings. We’d been travelling for a long time and three KFCs in sixth months is nothing to be ashamed of. Can you tell I am still trying to justify it to myself now, days after we ate there? After KFC, Claire and I jumped in a cab and we made it to the house where our German friends, Anah, Johanna and Hannah were staying.

Sadly, Hannah was away for the week on holiday so we didn’t get to catch up, but Johanna and Anah were joined by a new volunteer called Miriam, who was half Italian and half German. Miriam was working in research, looking into improving the availability of domestic water to locals. She was meeting with people from different government bodies as well as NGOs in order to look into how the situation could be improved.

Hannah being away was sad as we weren’t able to catch up, however, we did get to stay in her giant room, with a balcony and a large en suite bathroom, so swings and roundabouts. Besides, we’d be stopping by again on our way to Zambia, so we’d get to see her then. The girls’ house was a huge mansion and they had a really friendly cleaning lady, and security on the front gates, plus a couple of playful guard dogs.

Dinner!

We awoke on the first morning in the capital and went to Lilongwe Wildlife Sanctuary for breakfast. The café was delightful and we sat eating and drinking coffee whilst the monkeys ran around us. After eating we went for a guided tour of the animal sanctuary. First up we saw a gigantic python. This snake was four metres long, a real giant, and thick with interesting markings. It was slowly making its way from the watering hole, where it was drinking, to the other side of its enclosure. It was pretty amazing to see this huge beast slowly slithering along the ground. The snake’s name was Henry.

After watching Henry for a few minutes we passed some baboons before getting to the lion enclosure. The female was nowhere to be seen, but we got to look at the male relaxing by the side of the fence. After seeing a lion gracefully walking along the wild planes of Uganda in the early hours of the morning, it was hard to get too excited about seeing one lounging around in an enclosure. However, the place wasn’t morally unsound. All of the animals at the sanctuary were there for a reason, usually after being rescued from illegal captivity and both of the lions were suffering from injuries that had been brought about by their mistreatment in the past. After the lions we got to see some baboons, a range of monkeys, some deer an owl and two crocodiles.

Claire and I had promised to cook for the girls that night, so we then made our way to Shoprite and bought all of the ingredients to make a vegetarian chilli. The dinner was fantastic – I can say that because Claire did most of the work due to me suffering from a bad cold – and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. She put on a real feast. We had chilli, rice, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, fresh chillies, garlic bread and Anah had brought some sweet potatoes too. It was nice to sit around a dinner table at someone’s house again, rather than in a restaurant or lodge. The girls were all really welcoming and even though it was only our first full day in Lilongwe they made us feel right at home.

Henry

We awoke the next morning to the news that Great Britain had voted to leave the EU. Claire and I were gobsmacked and, if honest, it has affected our moods ever since. The sad news was a shock to us, but the German girls we were staying with were also incredibly saddened, especially Miriam who still had to go back to London to finish her university course. She was very shaken by the news, and seemed very upset and teary. As were we. Ever since then, we’ve not been able to shake that feeling of detachment from home. Between Claire and I we know very few people who wanted out of the EU, and the drama since the results were revealed only made the result itself even more sad.

The result was on such a fine margin, that the possibility for a second referendum is something we can cling on to. It was also no surprise to see the ‘Leave’ camp distance themselves from the two main pillars of their campaign. Despite Boris and Farage standing in front of giant buses and signs emblazoned with the message that the £350m a week we spend on the EU (a figure that is entirely inaccurate) will be handed to the NHS if we leave, as soon as they won the referendum and had to answer questions on this message, Farage denied he’d ever stated it. The ‘Leave’ campaign’s website was then doctored to remove any mention of this figure. It was Boris Johnston’s turn next. He then came out stating that the free movement of people, the other weapon used by the ‘Leave’ campaign, would have to continue. The most sadly ironic thing for me was seeing people from my hometown voting due to immigration. I am from one of the whitest and least ethnically diverse places in the world where life is nice and easy, yet people there are still convinced to fear that an invasion of ‘foreigners’ is imminent.

It was also sad to see the age divide in the voting, though again, it was hardly surprising. The elderly were voting for a future that the younger generations didn’t want. My generation, and the generations to come – including our brand new adorable nephew Albi – will be effected by this for years to come, whilst the lives of a lot of those over 65s who wanted out will remain almost entirely unchanged, apart from them having a warm feeling inside for helping to ‘restore this nation’s national identity’ that they seem to think we lost some time ago.

Every Brit we’ve met out here since, as well as other Europeans, are frustrated by the result and it’s really affected the moods of both Claire and me.  Not only this but friends who run businesses in Europe that I spoke to are devastated, and lots of our European friends in Brighton and other parts of Britain are now worried for their futures. Add all of this to the fact that the country is now divided and vitriol is being spouted out on the streets, and we did feel rather lucky that we were away from it all. Not that we were ever able to forget about the result. Every time we agreed not to talk about it, someone else would bring it up. At one point a Malawian man in a t-shirt that featured the Union Jack came over to speak to us and despite him being very friendly, his attire was a sad reminder of the situation at home.

The most immediate and purely selfish reason for Claire and I to be upset was due to the Pound plummeting. In an instant, 10% of our travelling budget had just fallen into the abyss. The assurances being offered that it will stabilise are all well and good, but every day the pound remains low, we are losing cash. We’ve already noticed the effects when drawing out money and due to the fact we’re travelling on a budget, it may impact how long we’re able to stay in Africa. Every penny counts out here, and unfortunately lots of those pennies have disappeared.

It’s safe to say that holding a referendum on such an important matter, one which is far above and beyond comprehension for many members of the public, was a bad idea. Whilst I don’t agree with the sentiment of this next statement, it is always interesting to look at Winston Churchill’s quote regarding democracy. “The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter”. Interesting words from the man who seems to be the spiritual king of the Leave campaigners. What the future holds for our nation is now in the air and only time will tell us if the 17 million people in the Leave camp (from a population of 64 million people) made the right decision.