Toll bridge and market on the north bank of Lilongwe river

Close up of the bridge "deck"

Women at the market

Aren't they lovely?
Another visit to the market in Lilongwe
So Saturday I decided to visit the big market that is on both sides of the river next the Lilongwe Bridge. This market covers several acres and sells nearly everything you can imagine. I met a nice young man on the minibus into town and since he was going my way he walked with me down into the market and showed me how to cross the toll bridge which cost 10Kw each way (see photo) from one side of the river to the other. He also gave me a quick outline of where to find things in the market. On the north side of the river is the fruit and vegetable market which seems to be divided into several sections. There is the onion section redolent of red onions which seem to be the only kind they grow here. Then there was the bean section which had mostly dried beans and peas and some other items I could not really recognize. After I walked a little way I came across a young man with a box of the biggest mushrooms I have ever seen. Some of them were the size of dinner plates – they are light brown and look fairly meaty. He said they grow in the bush in the southern part of Malawi and it is now mushroom season. I bought two big ones and found them very meaty and tasty especially when fried with butter. (I will get photos next time). I also saw some enormous avocados and bought one of those too. The vegetable market is really a riot of color – red tomatoes, green beet leaves, green beans, okra, purple eggplants, green lemons, orange carrots, and yellow bananas. In my stroll through this section of the market I found 4 lovely older women just sitting and chatting next to one of the stalls. They didn’t speak English and I don’t know much Chichewa but we communicated. I took their pictures, told them they were beautiful and they giggled and pointed at one another. (See the great photo!). The lady in the middle wanted to come to the US to work for me and clean my house and wash my clothes. When I said I did all that myself at home she just laughed and seemed surprised. After a few minutes her granddaughter came over and asked to be in the picture. You can really see the family resemblance. I tried to figure out a way to get the pictures to them. I think I’ll print them and take them with me next time I go to the market.
I crossed back over the rickety bridge to the other side and walked into the used clothing market. There are literally hundreds of stalls. People buy large barrels of used clothing – a lot of it from the US and then they sort the contents and apparently sell off the items they don’t want to other dealers. Stalls seemed to specialize. One had only white shirts for men and women, others had only skirts, or jeans, or pants. Some had sheets, others had curtains, tablecloths, children’s clothes, or women’s dresses. People from other stalls wandered around and if you show any interest in an item in one stall they would say they had something better in theirs and then lead you to it. The first item I picked up was a cotton dress with a tag from Value Village! The price on the tag was $5.99 and the guy wanted to sell it to me for the equivalent of $15.00. Quite a markup! He swore it wasn’t a mzungu price but when I walked away the price suddenly became more reasonable. As I moved further on I came to the shoe market. Every time I cross the bridge I see people down in the river washing shoes. These are the used shoe dealers – they wash the shoes in the river, polish them and sometimes repair them and then sell them. These dealers also seem to specialize in women’s, men’s or children’s shoes although one stall just had black shoes. Further on I came to the electronics area where I found parts for all kinds of electronics as well as stalls where the guys inside would repair your cell phone or if that failed sell you a new used one. Beyond there was what I called the beauty aisles – you could buy cosmetics and beauty supplies or step inside a stall and get your hair braided or your nails done. Beyond this area and closest to the road were a row of “takeaway food” stalls. Some looked mighty sketchy, few had cooking facilities and none had running water so I won’t be trying them. Most were selling – yes you guessed it barbequed CHICKEN! and rice or nsima (maize flour porridge). After passing these shops you reach the street and Highway Bridge where young men are selling religious calendars, phone cards, and pens and the beggars are seeking alms. The beggars seem to have regular “stations” because I always see the same ones in the same place. I also see them in front of the big Catholic cathedral after mass and in front of the mosque all the time. Most of the male beggars are disabled – post polio or are missing a limb. The female beggars usually have small children with them. It is sad to see but if someone gives one something then they all clamor for some too. I don’t want you to get the wrong impression – most of the people in Malawi work extraordinarily hard and the number of beggars is small but they are quite prominent because of their locations.