Chitimba, Malawi to Iringa, Tanzania

I’ve been ARRESTED and dragged to jail screaming!  Well not quite; arrested yes, but dragged off to jail screaming not so - more like being escorted to the local Police Station.  More about this incident later.  We got off to an early start today.  We are headed to the Malawi/Tanzania border which is about 165 km. and then on to a campsite near Iringa.

The next two days are major travelling days to reach our next major destination of Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar.  Some may wonder where the enjoyment is in all the driving we do, but for me, it is a fantastic experience to see the ever changing countryside, passing through small villages and stopping at the occasional market to meet locals and stock up on goodies.

So anyway we head out from Chitimba and I have this blue dress and tie with me.  I am not sure what to do with them.  I know Juan wouldn’t like the dress and I have no use for the tie.  Some of the members plan on trading their stuff off at some market for more useful items, still others plan on taking them home for some future costume party.  Oh what to do.  Suddenly, a light comes on and I decide to give them away to some needy woman.  After all, we travel through hundreds of small, poor rural villages.  So I decide to toss the dress and tie out the window to some poor woman.  But first I roll the dress up into a small bundle and wrap it tightly with the tie, fearing that if I toss it out loose that it may hook on the side of the truck. As we approach a small group of mud huts, I see a woman and small child standing in the door of one of them, waving to us as many of the villagers and children do.  I decide that this is my opportunity to do a good deed and I fling the tight bundle out the window.  And, as I expected, the woman dashes away from the door and heads down to the roadside like a fleeting deer.  I lost sight of her at this point, but well image her joy when she opens up the package.  I wonder what her husband will think when he comes home from a hard day's labour and finds his wife sporting a new bright blue dress and offers him a new tie to boot.

As we travel along, I like to shoot short video clips of the world passing before my eyes.  I just finished shooting a field of what appeared to be harvested sugar cane when we began to slow down and approach a small roadside village.  So, up with the camera to begin filming the village scene.  I get about three seconds into the filming when I realize that we are at a Police checkpoint.  Oh, Oh!  That’s a real no no!  I shut down the camera, but it’s too late, I have been spotted by the Police Chief and he is not happy.  He orders the truck to be stopped and pulled over, whereupon he approaches my window and orders me off the truck.  The Chief, one other Officer and somebody dressed in civilian clothes march me to the local Police Station about 50 metres from the road.  All the time, he is saying to me that I have committed a very serious offense.  I am apologizing and explaining to him that it was just a mistake.  He would have no part of it.  Our driver, Earl, and guide, Janet, come running to my aid and both vouch for my good character.  I offer to show him the extremely short clip, but he doesn’t want to see it.  He asks to see my passport and checks the visa stamps, which are all in order.  But it would appear that he has made up his mind that he is going to charge me and throw me in jail, or at the very least, fine me. 

 

After about 15 minutes of discussion back and forth, he agrees to view the very short clip.  After the viewing, the tone of the conversation begins to change ever so slightly.  Next thing, he says to erase the section of tape that shows the checkpoint gate and all will be forgotten.  But he continues to reprimand Janet and Earl for not warning the truckload of tourists of the impending checkpoint and suggests than in the future, the passengers be informed when a checkpoint is being approached.  In the end, we all shake hands and with a smile he wishes me a good visit in Malawi.  I think to myself, awesome, no jail time, not even a fine, but what a close call.  Funny thing though, in order to erase the scene, I had to record over it, which I did; however, in the process of recording over it, I was filming the inside of the Police Station - ha, ha.

 

After reaching the border we began to gain significant elevation and the air temperature dropped noticeably.  The countryside began to become more lush and tea plantations along with orchards of oranges began to dominate the countryside.  We reached our campsite in the late afternoon.  The air was quite cool so I decided not to set up the tent, but to sleep under the stars as the cool air would keep the mosquitoes at bay.  I found a picnic table near our site which had a thatched roof over it but no walls.  This is where I slept, on the table, to be up off the ground, and covered, to protect me if it were to rain.   Nighty night, all.  NO PICTURES!!!