9th February 2026
I was up early for a cup of coffee and hopefully to see some of the nieces and nephews before they left for school. I would be gone by the time they returned home. Before breakfast Dan asked me if I wanted to stretch my legs. I agreed and we hiked through the neighborhood. There was a dense fog and low clouds that obscured the mountain. It begins to mist as we walked, almost like walking through clouds. Thankfully we were back before the heavy rain started.
Dan and I headed out in the rain to drop Dekha off at school. On our way back to the house we stopped to help push a car so the driver could coast downhill and start it. There was also a lorry that looked like it needed a push but the driver said he was fine.
Eventually it was time to head to the airport. As usual Gracious and Dan dropped me off. We said our goodbyes and I headed inside. After breezing through the check- in and security lines I grabbed a flat white (I was all out of instant coffee) and perused the gift shops before boarding my first flight.
I was surprised to find out that my flight had a short stopover in Beira, Mozambique. The city is on the edge of a huge river delta leading to the Mozambique Channel that separates the country from Madagascar. That part of the country looks similar to Malawi in many ways—unpaved roads, plots of land everywhere used for farming, sunshine, brick houses with metal roofs.
I sat in the plane as many of the passengers excited and even more soon boarded, heading for Addis Ababa. My real layover would again be in Ethiopia in the middle of the night. I made it through the usual security lines along with crowds of people from all sorts of places.
As I was walking through the shops looking for a bite to eat, my eye caught some bags of coffee for sale. A young man came over to me and asked me what kind of coffee I was looking for. He then offered me a “free taste.” He showed me which coffee they use for their espresso and then drew a shot. It was pretty good espresso. I ended up buying a bag of coffee. Of course then whenever I walked in a shop to eye some other coffees a salesperson came over and tried to sell me some.
I decided to bypass the rest of the coffees and stop in the London Cafe for some food. There was a lady brewing Ethiopian coffee on the edge of the cafe. She called me over and of course I had to try some. She filled the small cup from a traditional coffee pot. I sat and enjoyed it. It was good but I think I still prefer a nice espresso.
I found a regular seat in the cafe and the waiter brought me a menu. I asked him for his favorite dish. He suggested I try the quanta firfir. It’s a dish made with dried beef cooked in a spicy sauce served over torn pieces of injera that soak up the sauce. It’s served with injera on the side and a hard boiled egg. Pretty tasty and pretty spicy.
I won’t bore you with the details of how I had to go through two more security checkpoints before finally getting into the end of the terminal where there were two gates both scheduled for London. I also won’t bore you with the details about the uneventful flight and the fact that I had an empty seat next to me. I’ll be in London by breakfast time.
-Lewis VanAusdle
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