Beautiful Malawi

It's very hard to believe I left home just one week ago.  I'm not only thousands of miles away geographically, but feel as if I'm light years away.  While the trip was long and tiring, none of the flights were full and I was lucky enough to have an empty seat next to me on all but the last flights.  The layover in Nairobi, caused by a strike in Malawi which closed the country's airports, was a great chance for me to see a bit of that city.

Rather than whipping out my thesaurus to come up with fifty ways to say beautiful, I thought it would be better to just show you.  I apologize that some of the photos are a bit blurry but they were taken from the front seat of the bus on my ride to Blantyre from the capital of Lilongwe.

A Kenyan Air snack.  The mixed nuts were cashews and macadamia. Wine was the best I've ever had on a plane and it was complimentary.  Did you know they grow macadamia nuts in Malawi?

Duty Free in the Paris airport.  Note the cheese sign in the background. They had an awesome selection but I got yelled at for taking this photo.

When Kenya Airways says they're serving a "small snack", they aren't kidding. This was my sandwich - the complete meal.

My room at the hostel in Nairobi.  Lots of beds, but I had it to myself.

Presidential elections are in March in Kenya. There are flyers everywhere.

During my stop in Nairobi I visited the orphaned baby elephants. They like to play soccer.

There were wild monkeys by the side of the road in Nairobi.

That's my hand, feeding a giraffe.

Wart hogs are not lovely.

The 27 year old Kenyan driver who asked me to marry him. He said that age was just a number. I told him his number was too low.

Kenyan barbeque.  That's a goat leg and a side dish that is very similar to salsa.

The bedroom with ensuite bath where I spent my first night in Lilogwe, Malawi.

Some of the beautiful grounds around the house.  I'll be staying there again this week for four nights because we're delivering customer service training in Lilonwe.

"Madam, your dinner is served."  I've waited all my life to hear that - this was waiting for me.  

Tilt your head to check out Weston, the charming Malawian private chef.

On the road to Blantyre.  The countryside is beautiful.  This is one of the main roads and is in very good shape, with light traffic.

Another view of the drive between Lilongwe and Blantyre.