700 mkw

MKw stands for Malawi Kwacha and 700 K is about £3 depending on the rates. So what does 700 K buy you?

4 bunches of bananas

500 credits for a mobile (this lasts me a few days)

Cake and coffee at or favourite cafe (aka The Park Cafe)

5 bottles of Carlsberg Green (beer of choice in our house)

An international newspaper (weekly with change for a coffee)

3.5 litres of petrol (yes this is about the same price as the UK)

A lot of electricity

A decent chicken (for eating)

3 ½ litres of milk

36 eggs fresh from a friend’s chickens

One and half days work by one of our guards (that’s more than double the going rate)

One chitenje, the brightly decorated cloths worn by women over their clothes

 

The really frustrating thing is that the largest denomination note is 500 K and everything is paid for in cash so we have to carry enormous wads of cash. Apparently there is concern that if higher notes were introduced the kwacha would be devalued. Getting cash takes a long time. First we pay to move it from the UK into our international account, then we pay to convert the pounds into kwacha and transfer it into our kwacha account and then we draw straws to see who will go and queue for a long time in the bank to get the cash. Taking cash out involves writing a cheque, signing it three times and having it stamped many times. Fortunately the bank staff have not yet noticed that our surname is spelt wrong!