First impressions

Greetings from Lilongwe, Malawi's capital city! I'm sitting on my bed at the moment, under a mosquito net. 'Sit under' is a pretty literal description: it's still dangling --mistletoe style-- from a hook in the ceiling. Before bed I'll untie the net and tuck it under my mattress to form a sort-of tent. I will then not get malaria.  

We arrived in Lilongwe earlier today, around 2pm local time. Upon leaving the airport, the landscape was the first to grab me and I had immediate flashbacks to arriving in Mumbai in 2006 and enjoying nothing more than to drive around the city with the windows down, taking it all in. There's nothing like seeing a new city for the first time. And the less like your own, the better.

Reel in on today: one of the first things to notice here --the reason the landscape grabbed me-- is the sky.  "We come from the United States, New York City," Emily explained, in peace and with patience to our cab driver. "There, you can barely see the sky beyond the very tall buildings". And here... here, is the complete opposite. Here the sky rolls boldly in every which direction. At its lower margin it collides gently with the dried earth but aside from that it is massive and expansive and panoramic. It's a thick milky blue generously sprinkled with puffy clouds. It is beautiful, and it will be photographed at a later time.  

I know I'm not really saying that much: I'm leaving out a handful of mini- sagas that took place en route and on destination. But before I sleep I wanted to post this first impression.  I'm going to be missing the Bachelorette this summer; so tonight, the sky gets the rose.