Hitching

My 3rd entry!

I want to fill you in on my latest hitching experience. "Hitching" is the same as "hitch-hiking" in America and is done often in Malawi. When the Director of the Peace Corps Organization came to Malawi he (name is unknown to me) approved Peace Corps volunteers to hitch versus taking public transportation in Malawi only. That gives us the green light to "hitch" but it also gives us dis-ease about using the mini-buses which is the Malawian citizen's way of travel. The mini-buses are not in the best condition. Many of them have cracked windshields (sorry mom) and doors held on by rope or barbed wire. It is amazing how many people fit in them (sorry mom) and the different things you find. For example, living near the lake, many people bring fresh fish on a chain into the mini-bus. Some hold it outside the window while others string it through the windshield wipers and it flaps in the breeze as we drive. Children are on laps and sometimes live chickens too (on laps that is).


So anyway, I must cut to the chase as I have limited time. I was heading from my friend Marybeth's house into Lilongwe (about 56K=30miles). We waved down a man in a Honda with tinted windows and my first reaction was "he will charge us" however, I was completely wrong. He asked (in a heavy British accent) if we needed help. We said we were looking for a ride to Lilongwe. He appologized and said that he was in fact going to Lilongwe but his car was already full with his sister and her children. We assured him it was no problem and that we would wave down another and he went on his way. Less than 10minutes later he returned, with his sister and children, and said "we can make it work." We squeezed in with one child on my lap and another on her mother's. We went about 50ft and some light came on in the car signalling a problem. He (later to be named, "Lester") pulled into the nearby gas station and an attendent began looking under the hood. It seems that a wire of some kind that connects to the battery needed to be replaced and at the time, was having difficulty holding a connection. As we were waiting I was thinking how funny it would be if we packed in the car like sardines only to find that the car couldn't take us 100ft let alone 30miles.

I was traveling with Marybeth and another volunteer named Danny. Danny took the role of the man and sat in the driver's seat revving the engine to see if we would be able to start the car. We did start and headed off. We were asked the list of routine questions like, "How long will you be here?" and "How are you finding Malawi compared to the United States?"We talked the entire time and we were sneaking giggles as he was dropping many British phrases like, "You can have proper fun over there." When we arrived to Lilongwe he dropped his sister off to get her hair done and the children at a relatives house and proceeded to give us a driving tour of Malawi. We saw the city center with the few large buildings and then to the area of nice homes. I asked him how expensive it would be to own a mansion here in Malawi. We were coverting Malawian Kwacha to the British pound to the dollar and came up with $30,000 to live like a king or queen. I am not sure if we are off by a zero but I don't think so. I must mention that at three other instances Danny hoped in the driver seat to restart the car before the ride was complete. He ended up dropping us right where we needed to go and requested no payment. He was very kind and it is rides like this that make you tempted to wait for hours for a ride because they are direct routes (they can save you hours of traveling) and good stories.

After our time in Lilongwe we were able to score two more rides that brought us to my home. The first was on a huge truck (again, Danny was asserting himself and flagging down every car while we women sat back and let him do it) that was carrying huge trees and men in orange jump suits. My first thought was, "prison workers" but that is a uniform in Malawi. The truck turned out to be an electrice company and the trees were soon-to-be-telephone poles and the men, professionals. Danny and Marybeth hoisted themselves into the truck while I hesitated and a seat in the front opened up. I periodically turned around to look in the window to see if Marybeth and Danny were engrossed in conversation as I was holding my own in the front speaking (mostly) Chichewa. Answering the same questions I mentioned earlier and asking each worker about his family. I smiled seeing Marybeth's hair blowing in the breeze and the veins in Danny's throat bulging. They got off the truck with little voice as they had to scream to be heard. I told the men in the front that everyone in America has electricity and they were shocked. We then got a ride after waiting for an hour or so turning down various trucks and minibuses and hoping we weren't being foolish. We gave ourselves a deadline so that we would arrive home before dark and ended up scoring another ride with an older white man (turned out to be from Austria but now living his retirement in Malawi) and his driver. He told us to get in and he drove us all the way to my village turnoff. The older man was difficult to hear and because I was sitting in the middle, I had the easiest time hearing him by leaning forward and turning my ear towards him. He dropped a lot of historical knowledge that I pretended to understand and spoke of his 50 years spent in various african countries. We spoke of Nigeria as I was able to drop some knowledge of myself thanks to Silver. But that was our hitching experience that day; almost a completely free trip versus the 700 Kwacha it could have cost us.

Since then I have had two more successful hitches. Tomorrow is another adventure with so many unknowns but I always enventually get there.

Thanks for reading! If you see a hitcher perhaps you will be inspired to pick them up! I know in our country it is different but hitching is so much more exciting than just driving to your destination. Maybe some of you could practice hitching somewhere and share you experiences with me, a pipe dream I know!

Be well and Happy New Year to all!