January 29, 2009

Driving in Lilongwe is generally pretty easy, except at night. Yes, there are some places where traffic bogs down, such as the entrance to area 2, the shopping area, but for the most part the biggest hazard is weaving around the potholes. Then comes nightfall, about 6:30, instant blackness, and very few streetlights. Many of the traffic lights turn off at sundown as well, in a random sort of way.

The most difficult time is that first hour until about 7:30 as there are so may people walking and cycling along the road with no lights. Rush hour is more a matter of dodging pedestrians and cyclists than cars, although the drivers who insist on using their high beams don’t make life in the driver’s seat any easier.

Then there is the getting lost factor. The darkness makes it much harder to pick out landmarks that are easy to follow during daylight. This was the cause of our great Chinese food adventure this week. Getting to the restaurant was quite easy but coming back, we took one wrong turn and found ourselves circulating in the maze that is area 9. When we finally managed to get back to the restaurant we just knew getting directions was going to be a challenge. The creative English in the menu explains our concern. Can you guess what a dish called, “Holy basil rabbit” might be? Neither could we. We didn’t order it. Anyway, after much discussion we convinced the proprietor we hadn’t lost our car, rather we were lost, or as he put it, “You lost the road?” “Yes, we lost the road”, we humbly agreed. Without a moment’s hesitation he kindly offered to jump in his car and lead us back to the main road. Another adventure with a happy ending, appreciation for basic human kindness, and great sighs of relief.