Here is Chapter Fourteen of Common Sense and Whiskey, the book, including a journey on the famous MV Ilala across Lake Malawi. We're publishing each chapter here on the blog (Track down previous chapters here). You can order the entire book for just $9.99 at Amazon.com, at BN.com, or direct from EarthPhotos Publishing. Here's the Kindle version (just $4.99). Click these photos to make them bigger. More photos and additional commentary are available at A Common Sense and Whiskey Companion. And here's the Malawi Gallery at EarthPhotos.com.
14 LAKE MALAWI
“On your right is area 50. This here is area 28, light industrial area. Across the road there is fertilizer factory and tobacco factory. That is heavy industrial area.”
The national police headquarters came into view on the right.
“That is area 40.”
Just across the street, “Area 43,” Everlasting explained, “Is low industrial. It used to be only area ten, and area ten is still there, but it is full, so they have made area 43.”
“We also have names but our names are too long, so we just say, say, area 12.”
Malawi’s Ministries stood on the left.
“So, is that area 1?”
Logical, I thought.
“No, that is area 20.”
This went on all through Lilongwe.
“Ah, that is area 47. Up there, that’s area 49. National Bank. Bank of the Nation.” The tallest building in Malawi is the central bank.
“This is the Jehovah’s Witness headquarters in Malawi.”
•••••
When we met, our driver told us, “I am Everlasting.” We sort of looked away, and then we realized that was his name.
Everlasting was a slow, deliberate speaker, easy enough to understand once you got acclimated. His “S’s” kind of trailed off.
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