There are huge petrol shortages in Malawi. The current government is misappropriating funds for private jets, etc and as such, has fallen out with power house countries such as the UK. In the spring the British Ambassador was asked to leave Malawi after a leaked memo in which he expressed his concern about the current government's attitude and fears for democracy in the lead up to the next election. Because of these attitudes, foreign investment is not as prevalent in Malawi, which directly links to the availability of petrol and diesel.
We spent a lot of our time keeping an eye on our petrol gauge and filling up whenever possible. On our first afternoon we visited a petrol station in preparation for the journey home. Petrol costs are set nationally at 290 MK which is equivalent to £1.20 per litre and we aimed to fill up the car. Well, filling up also means rocking the car back and forth until every last space the tank is filled! We also filled a canister with petrol for the journey however, the lid was cracked and it leaked all over the back of the car!! We had hoped to leave Lilongwe at around 4 pm but didn't get on the road until much closer to 6pm after having cleaned out the car as best as we could. Next stop, Mangochi!
No comments:
Post a Comment