From Mullahead to Malawi

Wise Advice Before we left we were given some wise advice and now as our time here is coming to an end we are very glad to use it. Tomorrow starts our last full week of work in the hospital. Originally, we had planned to stay here until the 8 th of December however the Malawian Government in their wisdom insists that we most leave the country after 90 days as they are unable to extend our visas but are happy to issue us with new ones if we return to the country again. Technically we could do this by driving up to the border with Tanzania, which is about 200 kms away, and spending the day crossing the border and then crossing back again, it apparently can incur the additional cost of a present to border officials to move up the queue. Instead we have decided to leave on the 29 th of November, when Rebecca is here with us and travel down to Lilongwe where we will pick up a brief safari trip to Zambia which will enable us to exit the country a day before our visas expire and return...

Living Trees We have had another very busy week on the hill. There is no doubt that it takes time to get the hang of the hospital, to begin to get to know people and be able to be more useful on the wards, people are starting to get used to us and us to them. One of my biggest difficulties is remembering who all the staff are and getting their names right, especially the women as just when I think I have got it a they dramatically change their hair do and I am at sea again. They are understandably quite hurt if you don’t recognise them.   We were both working on the children’s ward at the start of this week and had the satisfaction of seeing two very ill children make good recoveries, however another child died during the night who we had not been so concerned about and we have no idea why. Charlie does suspect that it was over enthusiastic use of intravenous fluids, to rehydrate the child as there is a reluctance to use nasogastric feeding, which is much safer especially...

photos This ambulance isn't going far! building a new bridge on back road Bridge on the back road driving up the back road from Mzuzu Patricia, American friend taking photos of earth works and signs on back road Tarmac!!! Ambulance has new wheels

Yesterday we left the hill, summoned to Mzuzu to have our car re-registered, Transport Yesterday we left the hill, summoned to Mzuzu to have our car re-registered, an official process that must be done officially! We left the hospital on the hill and started on the 3-hour journey to town. During our time on the plateau the bone shaking two-hour ride known locally as the “back road” which joins Livingstonia to the paved MI, the main north south artery in Malawi has been undergoing transformation. Thanks to MotoEngel, a huge Portuguese engineering company the road is being improved. It is our only alternative route to the infamous Girodi which I wrote about previously. It too boasts hair pin bends, several very shaky bridges and some dust bowls, it provides a more gently ascent to the mountains, before the final climb up the escarpment. It is much longer, 42 kms, but preferred to the giddying steepness of the Girodi. The only problem is that in the rainy season it is impassable...