Lilongwe

Before leaving for home we were able to spend a couple of days in Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi.  The city is so different from the rural areas where we had been.  One of the days we spent traveling around the city with a Malawian man named Peter.  Peter took us to the big city market - it was very similar to the markets in Ntcheu, Balaka and Dedza only much more ginormous.  (And, yes, I bought fabric - and a can opener as there aren't any twist top bottles.)  We went to several different grocery/convenience type stores, getting an idea of how much it would cost to live there.  He took us to a strip mall (a place where lots of stores are connected but the entrances to each are outside) and we shared a pizza at a big, new food court and talked in depth about family and life in Malawi.  We got to see the World Vision office and talk to Peter about non-profits, aid and what Malawi needs.  We were also able to go to the Lilongwe Wildlife Center - the world renowned center for hurt or neglected zoo animals.  (The one eyed lion from Romania and tons of baboons from Israel are there...along with several other animals.)  Peter drove us past a very large memorial/mausoleum dedicated to the first Malawian president and the new four star hotel and conference center being built by the Chinese.  We were also able to go to a 'tourist' market and spend time in the heart of the city during traffic time.  We had the real Malawian city experience.