Dedza

I was in Dedza a couple of weeks ago.

The mountains are beautiful, and it is
only about two hours drive south of Lilongwe.

These ladies were just walking down the street.
They are using really colorful cloth
both for skirts and
to tie babies on their backs.

These men are bicycle porters. They carry
passengers on their bikes or transport cargo. I am
amazed at the loads that they are able to balance.

More crops

The maize has been tasseling for a couple of weeks, now.
It has been hot and dry for a week, so that it it may not be
pollinating well.



The biggest cash crop in this region is tobacco,
which I had never seen until I got here.

The soybeans at the research station look nice, too.

Birds!

Malawi is supposed to be a bird-watchers paradise.

This black and white bird is all around Lilongwe.
It is similar in size and behavior to a mockingbird.
It sings several songs, too.

I've been trying to get a shot of this black and red bird for
several weeks. It is more afraid of me walking than
of the pickup.

Finally he sat still for me on Thursday.
I have no idea what kind of bird he is.

Free advertising for Kiva

I'd like to introduce you to a really neat micro-lending

website. I use this one myself. It allows you to lend

small amounts of money to people who run small

businesses in developing countries.

photo credit

You get to see photos of the prospective borrowers,

and read of their plans. When they pay back the loans,

you can re-loan the money to someone else.

"Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

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and still more maize!

The maize is often inter-cropped, most commonly
with beans in the central region.

Or sometimes with pumpkins...

We have a factory in Lilongewe that uses soya

as an ingredient, so soybeans are becoming
more popular.

Maize and more maize

When I got back to Malawi the maize had finally come up
in most places.The patches around people's houses
at the research station looked nice.


Maize is the main staple food and is planted on
three-fourths of smallholder's land, even
around the buildings in Lilongwe.

We had uneven rains in November and December, so now the
maize is different ages where it had to be replanted.

Merry Christmas!

Sorry for the long absence. I've been in the US for a very good holiday.

Here is a waterspout (I think) that I photographed near Lilongwe recently.

I returned to Malawi through Paris this time, and given the
confusion in the Netherlands, I'm glad that I did. Charles de Gaulle
Terminal F is neat, with it's transparent roof.

Happy New Year!