Once in awhile you get an opportunity to visit a place that satisfies your whimsical appetite. There is a certain quaintness about Malawi that leaves you pleasantly bewildered yet refreshingly satisfied. Having grown up in Western Africa for the most part, I did have a certain pre-conceived notion about what I might expect to find on landing in Blantyre in Malawi's southern region. But Malawi, formerly known as 'Nyasaland' also nicknamed 'The warm heart of Africa', was all set to change my seemingly run-of-the-mill notion. Cushioned in a hilly terrain, Blantyre's unconventional location is a treat to a traveller's eyes. The city reminds you of a typical hill station and is surrounded by vast mountain ranges that line up the modern yet rustic roads giving the place an ethereal feeling. More like a fusion of old world charm with a dash of rustic simplicity.
Albeit, a small landlocked town, Blantyre is probably, one of the places you want to head to, if you want a quiet place to live in, after retirement, or you are just fascinated by it's wild, rather rustic countryside. That's right! I've mentioned 'rustic' thrice already.
It's always one of those uncanny, unpretentious moments that you dream about. When the timing is right, the air feels light, slightly cold, a breeze just wafting about it's daily routine, spinning the swirls of your hair as you breathe in the raw landscape. For the first time, time seems precious! Like a silent clock ticking away, you know your time here is limited. All you can think of at the moment is making the most of it. That is the only thing that matters more than anything else. You want to savor it. You wanted this and now it's actually happening.
Maybe travelling to a place you have never heard of, even though you spent most of your childhood in the same continent, does leave an everlasting impression. Not to mention the underlying self proclamation of 'How in the world, did I miss it ?!'. More like a scar. But one that you are proud of having. Not too long ago, I remember reminiscing about a place like this. My dream African destinations still remain The Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Congo, South Africa and Madagascar. Most of the dreams I'd woven from time immemorial, spun themselves around familiar landscapes, that I may not have been to yet, but picturesquely captured from familiar sources. Yet still, I'd managed to almost realistically capture this, a million times, whenever I veered towards painting it in my mind's canvas.
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| Shire Valley |
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| Heading towards Blantyre - The only sign that gave any indication of the way ahead... |
Probably the first thought that hits you about Blantyre, is just how calm and composed the people here are, everyone just going on about their business, caught up in the daily rut of heading on and off to work, just doing their own thing! Transport here is mostly in the form of mini vans which weigh pretty heavily on the pockets of daily/monthly wage earners, so people prefer walking to and fro from home. Sometimes they walk upto almost 2 hours just to reach their workplace every morning, from their respective villages or tiny settlements further away from town. Living in town is not easily affordable! So if you take a drive through Blantyre around 7:00a.m, you would find scores of people walking on specially outlined sidewalks and the same can be seen after 6:00p.m. Sugarcane is a staple here, so it is not uncommon to find people munching on it, while trekking to work. All the leftover litter of chewed up dry sugarcane cuds that decorate the sidewalks, bear witness to this daily ritual. Quite a healthy way to start and end the day, I must say!
The crystal clear, mountain fresh air makes simply walking in town (except in the busy heart of the town!) feel like rejuvenation on-the-go!
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| Not an uncommon sight.. |
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| On the way..marooned by hills.. |
Maybe travelling to a place you have never heard of, even though you spent most of your childhood in the same continent, does leave an everlasting impression. Not to mention the underlying self proclamation of 'How in the world, did I miss it ?!'. More like a scar. But one that you are proud of having. Not too long ago, I remember reminiscing about a place like this. My dream African destinations still remain The Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Congo, South Africa and Madagascar. Most of the dreams I'd woven from time immemorial, spun themselves around familiar landscapes, that I may not have been to yet, but picturesquely captured from familiar sources. Yet still, I'd managed to almost realistically capture this, a million times, whenever I veered towards painting it in my mind's canvas.
