The slopes of mulanje mountain

Having joined the Blantyre Sports and social Club last Sunday I am determined to make use of the place.  membership cost 10.000 kwacha (about £40) for a month but it does have a nice balcony area where you can get food and a drink at very reasonable prices and a large outdoor swimming pool (pic right)  although the water is freezing!  the only other person I have seen actually swimming was wearing a wet suit!  It does wake me up after a day in the office though.  Monday back in the office and apart from a meeting with the MD of a private school my time this week has been pretty much stuck inside working on various projects.  Time does go quick when there is a lot to get done and I have had a good week and now have the content of two workshops complete and all overheads for the first one finished.  we have also put in two proposals for work. One with the private school and one to conduct a feasibility study for a client wanting to start a dairy farm.  i certainly get a range of experience out here and its really nice that in addition to bringing my skill and experience into the team that I still have plenty of opportunity to learn things too.

Friday being a nice hot day i headed straight for the pool after work and did a few lengths before hypothermia started to set in.  A couple of Kutcher Kutcher beers on the veranda and then we decided to have a drive out and find Chai Makay, a bar /restaurant that we had been told had great views and was a lovely place to sit and watch the sun set.

The picture right was taken from Chai makay while having a beer and watch the sun starting to drop below the horizon. Next

we moved on to Casa Mia, a lovely restaurant where we will definitely visit one evening next week for dinner but tonight we moved on to a chinese place near to the office and had a really nice meal of crispy beef with vegetables and steamed rice.  A few drinks and then back to the 'Big Brother House'  for some rest.

Saturday.  i headed off around town in 'Daisy' to get my suit into the cleaners, do some more shopping at shoprite then over to Ryalls hotel to speak to wilderness tours to arrange my trip up to liwonde national park and lake Malawi in mid September.  In the afternoon we had been invited over to St Andrews International school to watch a cricket match and have a few beers and a burger.  Evening time the entertainment continued down at Doogles bar where we had a few drinks and i bought a few raffle tickets before heading back over to mustang Sally's for a Braii, T Bone and salad.  tomorrow we are off down to Mulanje to see the mountain so a reasonably early night to get plenty of sleep.

Sunday.  By 9am we were on the road out of Blantyre through limbe and heading East to Mulanje about an hour and a half drive away. arriving in the town of mulanje on the south western slopes of the mountain we drove straight along the road which starts to climb the lower slopes and into Kara o Mula country lodge to have coffee, find out about climbing the mountain and view the small conference facilities they have. The picture below is the front porch of  Kara o Mula with the cloud covered Mulanje mountain in the background.

Having spent a little time looking around the country lodge ( and a bit of a wander onto the initial parts of the mountain path) we drove back down into the town to Pizzeria Basilica, a little eating house where they cook your fresh pizza in front of you.  my colleagues had pizza and I had spaghetti which was tasty and the price very reasonable at around £4.  Next door to where we were eating my camera was attrtacting the attention of some local children and teenage girls who were laughing and posing for the camera.  I took a few pictures and showed them the results which had them laughing and giggling and the smaller children very wide eyed.  I asked them to pose as a group (picture below) which they were very pleased to do and even more pleased when I thanked them and gave them 100 Kwacha.

The youngest children i dont think had ever seen themselves in a film before judging from their reactions.  the kids here always have such big smiles on their faces and are so photogenic. The little man in the picture below wasjust so cute i had to include a photograph of him in my blog.  photographs taken, models paid!!  and us fed and watered we hit the road back west towards Blantyre leaving the still cloud covered summit of Mulanje mountain behind us.  if i get chance before leaving Malawi i would like to go back and do the climb which is about 5 hours ascent to the plateau where you spend the night before climbing another 3 hours up to sapitwa, the highest peak, the following morning.

  relaxing this evening with a glass of wine back at the house before the start of another busy week tomorrow.  One workshop Monday and another Wednesday with final preparations for my trip to Lilongwe for a two day strategic workshop on the 6th september.  and ofcourse a dozen other projects and tasks to keep pushing forward.  until next time, take care all.

satemwa tea estate

Another productive week over and the project plans for the leadership seminar, small business workshop and a couple of other projects in the pipeline are coming together and gathering momentum.  On the 17th their had been plans for civil protests across Malawi so we had decided to work from home that day and not to venture onto the streets.  Similar protests back in July ended with 18 people dead.  As it turned out the protests were cancelled at the 11th hour with an intervention from the UN and the day passed off peacefully and we managed to get a lot done away from the disturbances of the office.  friday comes around quickly and with it the opportunity to get out and discover more of Malawi 'The warm heart of Africa'

Saturday.  Following breakfast we climbed aboard Daisy and drove south east out of Blantyre and through the street markets along the way (top pic) towards the Mozambique border and Mulanje.  Mulanje mountain is the highest mountain in south central Africa with its peak at 3002 m which towers over the undulating countryside of Mulanje, Phalombe and Thyolo districts.  the area between Mulanje and Blantyre is reputedly the oldest tea growing area in Africa and it was to Satemwa tea estate we were heading.  Satemwa was one of the first European land claims to be registered in Malawi in 1874 and has been in the same family since 1923.  the estate lies on the slopes of 1462 m high Thyolo mountain and tea plants spread out across the landscape as far as the eye can see.  Each field has a large rock at its corner and written in white paint is the year the field was planted, the tea variety and the number of hectares in that field.  The tea plants stand about waist high and have a very even and level hight as if trimmed by a huge hedge cutter.  Intersecting the fields run narrow tracks no more than two feet wide by witch the pickers can get to pick the crop, still by hand, before it is taken to the tea factory where it is processed and distributed around the world so that you and I can have our morning cuppa.

There are two lodges on satenwa estate and we headed to Huntingdon House (picture left)   to have a stroll around the grounds and lunch before exploring the estate. Huntingdon house lies probably a mile and a half from the tar road down a bumpy dirt road that must be almost impassable in the rainy season.  As we arrived we were confronted by a group of young Europeans playing cricket on the lawn.  How colonial!

Having been taken on a little tour of the house (the house has a toilet which reputedly was the first flushing toilet in Malawi.  it is a Shanks New Nisa!)  we sat under the veranda and had coffee whilst watching the cricket match! and then wandered around the well manicured gardens before returning to the veranda where we ordered lunch whilst sitting drinking wine from large goldfishbowl glasses.  When lunch was ready we were escorted to our table and served lunch.  My colleagues had tuna fishcakes with cous-cous and green salad whilst I opted for macadamia nut pesto spaghetti with roasted tomatoes and a side of fresh rocket salad (picture below).  Our main courses were followed by banana fritters with golden syrup, crushed nuts and home made cinnamon ice cream. accompanied of course by more South African red  wine.

Having finished lunch we drove off through the endless fields of tea along the bumpy, dusty and at times precarious dirt roads winding our way gradually up hill to a beautiful picnic spot with magnificent views out over the estate and the surrounding countryside.  we spent a little time atop this hill admiring the view and taking pictures.

The picture right is a view of the summit of the picnic area taken from a little way down the slopes.  The way back down took us along even bumpier roads than the ones we came up and and trying to locate the right track wasn't always easy.  on one occasion the track we were travelling down just became narrower and narrower until it turned into just a footpath leaving us just enough room to turn around and head back to find a more accesible route out.  we passed through a small village where the estate workers lived, little more than shacks amongst the surrounding vegetation.  The children ran out to see who these strange mzungu's (chechewa for European) were driving through their village.  The people are always very friendly and smile and wave as we pass by. Those we pass along the road smile and greet us and we return the greeting now in our practisd chechewa 'Muli bwanji' (how are you).

We eventually found our way down to the tea factory and back onto the road out of the estate through the entrance gate and onto the tar road west back to Blantyre heading to get home before darkness.  a really nice day out and after a quick shower (yehhhh!  we have water tonight) headed down to mustang Sally's where we were treated to a free braii by the owner.  a couple of glasses of wine and then home for a bit of relaxing and some sleep.

tomorrow i am going to join the Blantyre sports and social club and spend some time by the pool and have a chill day.

Zomba

Work continues and intensifies as i begin to get into the swing of the work here and i now have the outline plans for a corporate event towards the end of September which will cover developing effective leadership, performance management and coaching as a management tool.  On the 30th August I will be running a workshop for the SME sector on 'survival strategies in a turbulent economic environment' which will provide these small business's with some tools to better manage their cash flow and increase their sales.  On the 5th September we are getting the whole of the BCA team together to develop our own strategic plan to assist in  maintaining a viable and sustainable entity beyond the end of the project.

work on developing our apprentice consultant team also continues with the next module delivery this coming Friday.  I have also ran a separate session on learning styles and we all now know that we have a team of mainly reflectors!  Next week I will be running another mini teach on influencing styles and an introduction to some additional consulting models ( Ansoff's product-market growth matrix and the Boston Matrix.

Friday evening found us in Mustang Sally's (what! again I hear you cry) just to refresh the soul with a couple of Kucha Kucha beers and a Braai.  I opted for the chicken Braai this time instead of the T bone which was OK but I was a little disappointed to find all the salad had gone so I sat and ate my piece of chicken on its own and despite my protestations no offer of a discount on the price was forthcoming.

Saturday

having cooked myself a couple of drop scones for breakfast we headed off in Daisy (the team vehicle) to do some shopping at Shoprite which seemed to be mainly bottles of Kutcha Kutcha, carlsberg green and red wine!   having stocked up on essential supplies we took a trip to limbe, a vibrant town just outside of Blantyre and drove through the bustling market full of its stalls of second hand shoes, clothes, food and an assortment of other wares for sale. Arriving back home at the Big Brother house there was a wedding in process next door so we had a quick whip round for the bride and groom and took some sweets and a couple of balls for the kids we had purchased earlier on our shopping trip.  The family gave us a warm welcome and dancing and waling commenced as the slightly stunned looking couple were brought from the house and presented to us.  we were asked to pose with the couple while relatives took lots of pictures on their mobile phones and then we headed back next door  and sat on the lawn drinking red wine as the sun sank below the garden wall.  The evening once again found us in Mustang Sally's but not too late a night as we were haeding off to Zomba for the day in the morning.

Sunday

By 10am we were heading out through the iron gates of our compound onto Naperi road then over 'deaths' crossroad and up victoria avenue on past the Blantyre sports and social club and then heading north easterly up the road to Zomba and Zomba plateau (top picture)

Zomba is a city in southern Malawi in the Shire highlands and was the first  Capital of British Central Africa and then Nayasaland prior to the establishment of the republic of Malawi in 1964. we stopped to look at the memorial erected to the fallen of the two world wars of the officers and men of the kings African Rifles, a well maintained monument with its long lists of the dead, a substantial number of whom are reported of dying of disease.

we drove up the road towards the top of the Zomba Massif which stands at 2087 meteres and covers an area of 130 square Km.  As we ascended we passed through rich vegetation of african Juniper and widringtonia.  Wild baboons (not sure of the species) sat by the road watching us pass and providing a photo opportunity (picture above).  all along the road people ran after our vehicle trying to sell us bowls of potato's, strawberries, banana's and crystals.  we did buy some strawberries which were large and juicy and very cheap but you just can't buy it all. These people stay by the road all day in the hope of selling their few provisions and gaining a little Kwatcha (malawi currency) as their income.  A humbling thought that 90% of the population survive on around $1  per day, or about 60 pence!!  At the top of the road we reached the Sunbird hotel where we sat out on the terraced gardens and had a lunch of Greek salad (minus the olives!) and a couple of beers before taking the scenic road back down and south to Blantyre aiming to arrive home before nightfall as the roads are precarious enough during daylight let alone in the pitch dark where people still crowd the roads but with no lights and no reflective clothing.

Another weekend over and back to work tomorrow but already planning a trip to the tea plantations for next weekend.  Will update you all again in a few days.

settling in and starting work

Well, we managed to get some fuel on Sunday so had a drive around Blantyre, my colleagues showing me the best places to have coffee and pick up freshly baked croisants.  Had a look around the medical college sports club and the Blantyre sports and social club as I am looking to join one where i can enjoy the pool and relax after a days work.  Having had a wander around we decided to do a bit of shopping and spend the afternoon back at the house having a Braai (pronounced bry) the south african name for a BBQ.  The charcoal was soon hot and the chicken cooked beautifully which we enjoyed with a lovely fresh salad and rice and of course.... a fair bit of red wine.

Monday was my first propper day in the office and having been briefed by the programme manager on my duties for the next two months I headed off to the hotel Victoria to join the junior consultants from CBE (Capacity Building for Enterprise) who were conducting a workshop for a client over which I would now be taking on the role of lead consultant.  The client GTPA (Grain Traders and Processors Association) are an organization set up to represent those in the grain trade by lobbying government, identifying markets and gaining contracts for its members and providing training and networking  opportunities. We are working with them to help develop an effective strategy to sustain and grow their organization and to maximise on the benefits they can offer to members. We had a good day and now need to consolidate all our collected data in readiness to present to the board who we will then work with to develop and implement their strategic plan.

Yesterday and today have provided me the first opportunity to sit at my desk and start to plan my workload for the next 8 weeks. I need to look at organizing the modules for the Diploma in Consultancy for the trainees which will be delivered over a three hour session each Friday morning, the progression of the work with GTPA needs to be scheduled and I am starting to look at identifying new opportunities for our business pipeline, getting meetings organised with local business to do an initial diagnostic and proposal. All in all enough to stop me getting bored!

This morning I was up at 6am to run my colleague down to the bus station to catch a coach to Lilongwe where he is working until the weekend.  The early start gave me the chance to call in to the Malawi Sun hotel and buy breakfast of black coffee and fresh croissant from the 'Bread Basket' a lovely little bakery with that wonderful smell of fresh baked bread and fresh coffee.  i sat outside on a chair borrowed from a member of staff and ate my breakfast as I watched the sun rise over the hazy tops of the green hills east of Blantyre (Picture at the top of this page)


Either need to get some shopping done tonight to get something to go with the large bag of rice I have in the house or maybe take a trip down to Mustang Sally's and have dinner and a pint?   Hoping to get out somewhere this weekend and have some interesting pictures and more information for you.  until then take care all.
ps. it was with some irony I sat watching TV last night sipping my gin and tonic and thinking about the concern of family and friends for my wellbeing whilst visiting sub saharan Africa and although I may be enclosed in a compound with high walls and an electric fence it is back home from where the news is sending me pictures of the devestation from civil riots and the breakdown of law and order!!

The road to Blantyre

Departed London Heathrow at 2045 on Wednesday night 45 minutes later than scheduled on south African Airways flight 237 destined for Johannesburgs Tamba international airport.  Eleven and a half hours, two DVD's, several chapters of my book and 5631 miles later, we touched down and I made my way through the airport to get my connecting flight to Malawi scheduled to leave in just over an hour. On this occasion we took off on schedule and two hours later were landing at kamuzu airport, lilongwe in Malawi.  i was met by our driver and three of the trainee consultants I would be working with over the coming months and we set off for the 300 km, 4 hour drive to Blantyre nin the South of the country.  i was fascinated from the moment we started the journey by the sights surrounding me.  having passed through the bussle of the suburbs of Lilongwe (Malawi's capitol) we headed out into the African country and down the main north - south highway.  i could have been forgiven for believing that the whole nation lived along the sides of the road.  For the whole journey there were constantly people travelling back and forth, a few motor vehicles, a lot of bycicles but mainly people just on foot.  women carried an assortment of wares on their heads; baskets full of produce, large tin cans and bundles of wood. men also were carrying their wares either by hand or loaded often precariously on their bikes. Every now and then scattered in the bush were villages of mud brick and thatch, each group representing a different village and by the roadside each village had its stall selling to the passing multitudes goods ranging from clothes, food, baskets, wood and numerous other goods including Mice!  yes, mice on a stick, a mouse kebab which the kids waved at us as we passed hoping we would stop and buy their tasty snack.  The picture above I negotiated taking with two boys and cost me about 20 pence although I wasn't tempted to try their little offerings.

we arrived at Blantyre to find half the town in darkness due to a power cut but I was pleased to see that we had electric at the house when we arrived although my delight soon changed when after 26 hours of travelling I headed for a refreshing shower only to find we had no water! good job I had brought a large bottle of after shave with me. Being tired i thought I would have an early night as I was due in the office next morning so having found a handful of water still in one of the taps i had a wash and cleaned my teeth before getting into my new cotton PJ's which i then splashed eucalyptus oil over (mosquito proofing!) before jumping into bed and pulling the mossi net around me and dropping off to sleep.

friday morning we headed down to the office where I was introduced to the team and then sat in with the trainees who were undertaking a module of study for their diplomas in management consulting, a course accredited through the Chartered Management Institute and which I will be taking over delivery of.  friday is an early finish so the two of us staying at the house headed off and did some food shopping before going back to the house.  later I was taken to the famous (or is that infamous?!) Mustang Sally's where we had a huge T Bone steak cooked to perfection infront of us and served with two choices of salad and all for.....£3 !!  unfortunately we then followed that with three bottles of South African red wine, the effects of which lingered on throughout today (saturday).

today (Saturday) I had to be in the office for 8 to co-facilitate a workshop for 15 church officials training them to develop a business plan to be used for securing funding and ensuring sustainability for a resource centre they are looking to build.   The day has gone well and the delegates have gone away with more questions than answers but having an understanding that they need to put in a lot more work and gather a lot more information to make this a succesful venture.

It is now 1900 and I am going to sit downstairs in the House (the house is known locally as the Big Brother House !) with my colleague and have a nice gin and tonic and relax.  Not sure what Im up to tomorrow it depends whether we can get fuel for the vehicle (shortages at the moment) but will be back on here soon with more news.
good night all