Lilongwe is an interesting city. To an un-experienced traveler like myself it is
a bit overwhelming at first. However,
Veronica had arranged for a couple of guides to help shuttle our team around,
as well as set up the house in Lilongwe. This made the city relatively easy to
figure out-ish. In a lot of ways, Malawi
or at least Lilongwe seems to be Africa for beginners, it gives you enough of a
perspective into a different culture and way of life, but seems to have a lot
of the comforts of home. The culture is
very interesting; most prices can be negotiated when buying clothes, carvings,
or when getting into a minibus, or a shared taxi. Usually a taxi will not move until it is full,
or they will drive around and look for other passengers before they take you
where you want to go. We discovered
early on that most drivers will try to overcharge Mazungu’s (white people), and for any negotiations, it would seem
that either it is a good practice to state a low price first, or if they suggest
a price, cut it in half. Also, if they
give you a high price for example 2000k, and they won’t come down at all, tell
them you only have 1650k-1700k and
gesture that you are going to walk away.
The times when that has not worked for us is usually when the 2000k or
set price is actually fair. Whenever
that is the case, you can always go back later.
Also, Rachel’s Rule #1, always carry small bills so that it actually
looks like you are fishing for change.
Market in Lilongwe
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