Adventure Part 4: In Transit, a.k.a. My Mad Rush to the Airport

"The chapa will get here to pick you up around 6 a.m." Collins told us the night before we prepared to leave Cape Maclear. Knowing Africa, we estimated an arrival of at least 7:30, but got up at 5:30 just to be on the safe side.

I was shaken awake before the alarm went off by my friend saying, "Hey, the chapa's early. Get up and pack your stuff!"

And so began one of my most ridiculous travel experiences so far in Africa.
 

Will, Anna, Fake Moby, Hardhat Guy

 We took a chapa (well, in Malawi, they're called minibuses) to Blantyre, and it seemed to take for EVER. They were re-doing the road that we had to travel on, so we were on dirt detours for much of the time -- not fun. Not to mention, the minibus was falling apart.

Still, it wasn't without its amusements. We ended up traveling with a Danish guy who looked a lot like Moby. Fake Moby was very well-traveled and made for interesting conversation, though I slept much of the way, so I didn't personally converse much.  Additionally, the guy sitting in front of Anna was wearing a very fashionable hoodie and hardhat combo -- one of the more creative fashion choices I've seen in this part of the world, and yet oddly suited to riding in a chapa. I should consider investing in a hardhat for future travel.

Once we got to Blantyre, we stayed at this place called the Hostellarie de France, a bit outside the city. It was gorgeous and secluded and hat hot showers."Jackpot!" we thought.

Come dinnertime, though, it turned into a disaster. We had limited money in Kwacha left over, so we pored over the menu very carefully and asked prices for everything. Yet somehow when the bill came at the end of our meal, it was much higher than anticipated. When we called the waiter to ask about it, he got very defensive. Soon, the owner of the place came over and threatened to throw us out of the hotel (at 9:30 p.m. in a city we weren't familiar with!) Thankfully, we were able to scrounge up enough to satisfy the dude, but the whole thing was a very unpleasant interaction over something that clearly resulted because of a miscommunication. (On a sidenote, if you're going to open a restaurant in a country where the official language is English, make sure at least one person on staff actually speaks English.)

But I digress. Over dinner, I got an e-mail from Peace Corps.

"Ah, great!" I thought, "My plane ticket to Nampula for the day after tomorrow. Finally!"

Then I opened the e-mail, and it read: "Do to a lack of flights the day after tomorrow, we've booked you on a flight for tomorrow morning. Please be at the airport at 8 a.m."

"Wait, what?" I thought, "I'm still in Malawi! Less than 24 hours notice, are you kidding me?"

But no, they were not kidding me. And so began:

"The Great Race to the Airport"

19:00 (Night before flight): Receive e-mail about my flight (Surprise!). Panic.
06:00 (Morning of flight): Get on the first bus out of Blantyre to Tete.
10:00 (Departure time of flight): Arrive at Mozambican border.
12:00 (2 hours after flight): Actually allowed to cross Mozambican border. (Darn Malawi border guards!)
15:30 (5+ hours after flight) Make it to Tete.
16:30 (6+ hours after flight) Call Peace Corps for instructions:

Me: Hey, I've just arrived in Tete City. What do you want me to do?
PC: Your flight got delayed. It now departs at 5 p.m. We want you to try and make it.
Me: What time is it now?
PC: It's 4:38 p.m.
Me: ...!

16:38 (22 minutes before new departure) Jump in a cab.

Conversation I Wanted To Have (Just like the movies!)
Me: Taxi! How much to the airport?
Driver: Twenty bucks.
Me: I'll give you forty if you can get me there in 10 minutes. Now step on it!

Conversation I Actually Had
Me: Taxi! How much to the airport?
Driver: 500 meticais.
Me: Well... that's all the money I have. But I'll be really grateful if you can get me there in 10 minutes! Now step on it... please!

16:58 (2 minutes before departure) Arrive at airport and find out I have no ticket. Thankfully, the flight gets delayed again.
17:30 Finally manage to get a ticket, though with a fine.
18:30 Make it to departures lounge to join my colleague, who has been at the airport since 8 a.m.
19:00 Flight delayed.
20:00 Flight delayed.
21:30 Flight actually leaves.
22:45 Arrive in Nampula, exhausted.
23:00 Fall into bed, comatose.

And so concludes the story of my Epic Airport Scramble. I don't think I've ever slept so well in my life. Also, since I didn't have time to go home in between Malawi and Nampula, as I had planned, I ended up at my conference with nothing but beach clothes and a tent -- not exactly "business casual," but I made it work.

Next time:

Conference #1: Project Development and Management