After a heavy work schedule from January to March which saw me traveling between Zomba and Lilongwe almost every week, I decided to use Easter to relax a bit before embarking on another phase. The lake looked a familiar destination. We just wanted a new experience. We therefore decided to head to the mountains and appreciate the other side of Malawi's beauty. I grew up in the forest and mountains and thought tracing my roots wouldn't be a bad idea after all. The boys hadn't been to any thick forest or mountains save for the Liwonde National Park and Mulanje. So I convinced them that Dzalanyama would be an ideal destination but on condition that we would proceed to Mchinji where they wanted to see their granny and cousins. We set off from Zomba on Good Friday and spent a night in the Capital. In the morning we had to make some payments at the Lodge's booking office in Old Town. I discovered my spare tyre was flat and had to ensure I had it in perfect condition before we left. I knew the road we were to use would never be in good condition considering the fact the were still in the rain season. At some point I nearly changed my mind and head back to the lake. I knew the road ahead was one of the worst. But the boys' excitement and my desire to share my past with my family drove us on. So we started off from the Capital at noon after fixing the tyre and refilling the wallet. We took the Chigwiri road, through Maliri, Tanga, and KuDam (Malingunde). Memories! memories! I remembered how at the age of 14 I had to walk 18 miles from Dzalanyama to Malingunde CCAP to do Chisonyezo with my friend Manyozo. I dont know if I would be able to walk that distance again today. It was just normal then.
At Malingunde we took the Phirilanjuzi road and drove to Ndaula, then popularly known as Chimutu, after the then famous Deputy Speaker of Parliamnet and MP for the area, Chimutu Nkhoma. We turned South West to Chiputu, our former trading Centre. From Chiputu the Dzalanyama mountain range engulfed in dark green came into full view. The magnificent Mtsotsolo mountain stood imposingly above the other smaller hills. We drove on to the boundary road until we reached the GATE. A lady came to open the gate for us of course after some enquiries about our purpose of the visit. The face looked familiar to me. I later learnt that we were pupils at the Forest school in the 80s and she was now working as the gate keeper (since 1989). I recalled how she used to star on the running track in the 100 metre race. Her father was a well known Ward Counsellor.
We were 5Km away from our final destination and we drove through the thick lush and nothing seemed to have changed in the sixteen years I had been away except the condition of the road which was almost unusable. Then we came to Katete bridge. Memories memories! It was here on this bridge that friend learning how to ride a bike plunged into the fast flowing river from the bridge. We all ran away leaving him alone to take home the extensively damaged borrowed bike, which was extensively damaged! Pure childishness. I told my Onyamata we used to fish in Katete and Mkantha streams and they looked forward to fishing (we had brought with us some mbedza). We finally got to the Dzalanyama Forest Lodge and were well received by the resident staff. I couldn't wait to re-write history. Immediately we descended on to the stream running below the lodge. There is a 'swimming pool on the river. In all the days I stayed in Dzalanyama we were never allowed to swim in this swimming pool as it was for azungu only who came to the lodge. Now there we were! Azungu! So with Onyamata we partied in the cold Mkantha waters. We later fished upstream. It was so exciting.
In the afternoon we visited my old school. It was so heart breaking. No single desk no single louver on the windows from Standard 1 to 8! Imagine! What a pity! I couldn't believe this was the same school that was the envy of everyone who visited it in its prime. It was modeled on a school in the UK and attracted many tourists. In our days we partnered with Bishop Mackenzie who we considered our equals then. We walked around around and noted that the interior had been renovated and painted and that the flash toilets were operational. I later read in the Lodge's lounge that operators of thelodge had solicited funds to renovate the school and built two boarding hostels. I was delighted with this development. Later in the evening we visited some relatives we left 15 years ago. The most exciting moment came when we visited our old home of 14 years and found our old neighbour of 14 years still in the same house. We had stories to tell each other. None of their children with whom we grew up and played together were there. They were all independent now. There were more surprises to come. As we were chatting under the big tree a familiar face appeared from nowhere, smiling. I couldn't mistake him. He was my standard 3 classmate. We hugged and laughed. I later learnt that he only went up to form 2 with his studies and later picked a job with the forestry department as a Forest Guard. He was a proud father of a form 1 boy. Dziko ili. Wa ife ali Std 3! He bought me four bottles of Coke. Thanks man. We visited my cousin the following morning. She was down with malaria. We were told that she had not taken any medication as the clinic had closed down so many years ago. The nearest clinic was at Ndaula about 15 km away and could not attend to patients on a Saturday. So there she was shivering and sweating just waiting for natural healing! We were also informed the department had no car to service the staff. Worse still, the boss is now based in town, 90km away and only go there when there are important matters. We wondered how people survived under such conditions. We were informed Kabaza is the only mode of transport to the rest of the world. Zachisoni. This is a department that used to have five vehicles at one point. In those days there was a provision for a lorry to take women to the maize mill twice a week and for shopping in town or any market of their choice once a month. All this is gone. All the feeder roads were impassable! Something must be wrong. somewhere. As we left around 11 am on Sunday, I had mixed feelings about the trip. And as if to wind it up in grand style, our truck stuck in the stinking muddy waters on the boundary road. It took 2 hours and ten people to get the car out.
We made a stopover to cleanse ourselves at Diverson's place near Chipitu. Diverson was former schoolmate and had grown into a big man now and doing well. He had parked two cars in front of his his home. We noted solar panel on the roof of his house. He had plenty of tobacco too. He was following his daddy's foot steps. We were very proud of each other. He later introduced me to a woman he claimed to be his sister. I didn't recognize her instantly but later I remembered she was my classmate. She proudly told me her first born was in form four at Chiradzulu Secondary school! Wow! She gave me boiled nsawa and asked us to wait for maungu. We thanked her and Diverson for their hospitality and immediately left for Mchinji. For me it was Easter to be remembered in the years to come.
