Long days

On Monday Val, Mr. Nyirenda, and I moved a bit farther north to Rumphi. We’re at a great hotel Tukupalisha Lodge. The water pressure is wonderful! And the food is good. 

We’ve had some very long days. Breakfast at 630 and then out all day. Back about 630. We have found more dancing and a few water splashes. Monday we didn’t ever stop for lunch (not for lack of trying on my part—but when wells are close together it is hard to find a place away from watchful eyes). 

Tuesday we had a LONG hike. Uphill (then down and up and again). About 2 hours? (I didn’t look at a clock) it was a new area and they were so excited that we had come to install their 2 wells-one down in one direction and then the other down in the other direction.  They fed us lunch- nsima (ground maize eaten with fingers), rice, chicken and greens. Tasty. Had a drumming and singing performance. Then we started back to the truck. And got offered (and taken) motorbike ride to the truck. Lifesaver!  

At the next 2 wells we were met with women playing drums and shaking dried maize in a pot as a shaker. And lots of singing and dancing! The joy!!

One of the women spoke after the headman saying, “women here get up by 4am to go to fetch water. And sometimes when they get to the water hole they find it empty because someone else has gotten there first. They can return at noon and find goats everywhere in the water and around. One day that happened to me and I went to another far water hole and in the way back I fell. There was not water that day. We won’t have that problem anymore!’