Malawi Trip - Day 23 Dedza Pottery

August 2nd, 2009 Posted in SCHOOL TRIP REPORTS

Question: How do you fit 20kg of clothing and other items plus all the purchases made en route into the same suitcase and still only weigh 20kg?

Answer: Give away most of the original clothing.

This is exactly what many of the tour party had done and soon we had 8 baskets overflowing with clothes that could be given to the needy of Malawi. By 8 a.m. Ryalls’ car park was heaving with girls, hosts, friends, well-wishers and mounds of luggage. Eventually order was restored, bags packed on to the Tata bus and the pupils and staff on board the three mini-buses. We waved goodbye to some very kind hotel staff, our resident Mr Fix-it David Russell and newly made friends as we started the first leg of the journey home, a drive of 311 kilometres to Lilongwe. Within minutes most were asleep, still recovering from Mulanje and the previous late night – an unheard of 11 pm finish.  

At Dedza we stopped for lunch at Panjira Lodge nestled at the foot of the Dedza mountain range before visiting the renowned Dedza Pottery factory where everyone could indulge in some last minute shopping or sample the fresh coffee and blackcurrant cheesecake – what luxury! Another two hour’s drive took us to Lilongwe for another overnight stay at the Korea Gardens Lodge.

After supper Mr Veitch hosted an amusing tour awards session while Mr Brindley met with some of his former students from Kamuzu Academy in the 1980s. A nostalgic evening all round.

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