March 19, 2008

Heading to the big Wknd…..

It’s not so much the celebration of the re-birth of Christ as more or a 5 day partying marathon - it’s Easter - and in Malawi that means no work on Friday or Monday & everyone is in the country and at the lake - and this wknd most of the people doing so will be with us at Gecko Lounge.

Expecting more than 300 people we will probably be busier than New Year and therefore the list of things to do are as follows:

• Build a Braii for Saturdays Carlsberg Beach Braii.
• Build a volleyball court.
• Buy another 500 beers so we walk in with 2000 in stock.
• Fix Carlsberg Fridge that blew up last night - persuade them to steal one from the Reggae Bar down the road to replace it.
• Find mattress and bedding for 6 people as we have 19 in a dorm fit for 11, 6 people in a chalet fit for 4 and 4 people in the other chalet.
• Fix up dodgy planks near DJ booth so we do not send enthusiastic dancers through the floor on Saturday.
• Put in bamboo & Reed walls around the captains table.
• Get part sent from South Africa for the ice machine and then get technicians to fix it! (not likely)
• Make lots of ice then.....
• Fix lighting and locks on toilets so people stop peeing on the floor all the time while folk walk in on them.
• Fix the hinges and re-hang the main gate so people can actually get in to the bar with their car.
• Fix the gate to the backyard staff private area so everyone stops wandering into the land of the broken bits and pieces all the time.
• Paint and fix sign for toilets so everyone stops wandering into Paul’s room all the time.
• Find small carpenter fellow and get shelving put in DJ booth.
• Find tall electrician fellow and get him to fix up lighting in the DJ booth.
• Buy a new Amp that can handle 4 speakers and won’t cut out every five minutes.
• Find and rescue Kevin from J’brg to Blantyre trip from hell and then get him a lift to the lake.
• Find and rescue mini-crouch from J’brg to Blantyre trip from hell and then get him a lift to the lake.
• Get DJ Lomwe a CD mixer & get him a lift to the lake.
• Get a new DSTV decoder from South Africa and get it to the lake so we can watch Liverpool Vs Man Utd on Sunday.
• Get Big Huge Baby eating Bouncers from Blantyre up here.
• Hire police for the night as well.
• Get Speaker cable and mend that big speaker by the bar.
• Getting plumbers to fix the toilet that someone managed to break last time we had a big one at the weekend - how does someone crack a ceramic toilet bowl???

eeeeessssshhhhhh

Spo | March 19, 2008 | Comments

March 15, 2008

Back in the Game….. Mawa maybe

Indeed I have missed writing - yet with such changes and upheaval over the last 6 months I’ve had no time to indulge - I figured the best thing was to get things in order, find the pace and play of the day, get comfortable and then with the main Gecko lounge site redesign start afresh - with a bit of a refit of this site as well - and so the “lackadaisical lounge” becomes “days at the lake” - the trials tibulations and general tomfoolery of running a beach bar in Africa - bit of a drastic change to the former world of tea tasting, I trust you’ll agree.

With everything now falling into place and all I must do is dedicate time each day or so to sit and type and see where it takes me - as I used to do while living in the lands of Nam, indo, Holland & UK etc - a good break from reality every so often and an invaluable record of my time here to look back on over the years to come.

So back I am and changed for the better - plenty to tell - but all in good time - malawi time is such that indeed it will get done - and while when is the question - that it will happen there is no doubt.

Zikomo.

Spo | March 15, 2008 | Comments