Misfits Mid Life Crisis Adventures in ………….. Mozambique 

Week 8. 

This week I have mainly been listening to…. Portishead, Kate Nash, Radiohead, Lana Del ray, Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac. 

And have been watching…. Breaking Bad (season 2), The Watch, Life of Pi, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Stitches, Almost Human, Kick Ass, The Big bang Theory. 

Saturday, I went to Liquid for the first time since last weekend. Leo was on shop, it was nice to be back I had missed everyone. It was a quiet day; bit its going to get busy tomorrow. Today I chilled with Mikki and Sissi so by the end of the day id caught up with most of the team. Cindy the boss had to do some shopping so I went with her and her boys to a place called Machavega which is not far from Tofo but you really need transport to get there. There is a place called Yum Yum/the nursery, it’s a supermarket with a garden nursery out the back. This is a shop that people back at home could identify with, It’s not a market stall out in the open. This is a small but air-conditioned little supermarket. Because I’d not known I was going on a trip I hadn’t brought much money with me, I could have spent so much there. When we made another stop (of course I didn’t have my camera) I saw sitting on a sign 2 of the most unusual and colourful birds I have ever seen. They were multi-coloured birds like the fantastical ones Anaia my niece and I watch during “In the Night Garden” together .

Sunday was a planned power cut day all day until evening. Today we had a group of exceptional disabled teenagers and leaders/doctors who have been travelling round southern Africa. When they got back they told exciting stories of seeing a couple of whale sharks and snorkelling with them. I helped with the beach launch and got soaked; normally I’m wearing a wetsuit. Cindy the boss said I use her quad bike to go home. I had a quick lesson on how to drive a quad and I was off. That evening without power I lit a few candles and had as much fun as possible with battery power, I mean laptop and kindle and not anything kinky…. Lol.

Monday and I was out on a Dhow trip with the kids from yesterday’s safari. There with an organisation called JoLT (Journey of a Life Time) Mozambique is there last stop before going back to the UK. There were 3 Dhows, which were full, our destination is an island in the middle of an estuary, when the tide is low you can walk, when its high you cant. During our trip we saw people fishing and harvesting muscles. My hat got knocked off as the sail passed over our heads. It bobbed in the water like a turtle. We suddenly circled it and someone reached in to the water and rescued it for me, how sweet. Once at the island we met the children who danced for us. The chief said a tradition pray and we then ate a lovely meal of Crab and Calamari, rice, pasta, a local dish called Matapa (made from cassava leaves piled with garlic and flour extracted from the tubers, cooked with crab. Cashew Nuts are often added along with Coconut and other stuff to forms a green pasta), I like it had it a couple of times. We then went for a walk round the village saw the churches and the schools. It’s all rough and very much what you imagine an African village to look like. I took my turn helping to carry a girl who is unable to walk, she normally has a wheelchair, but it was not suitable for this terrain. After another Dhow trip back to mainland we waded up to our waists to get to dry land and the 4×4’s waiting to take the teenagers away. I had such a lovely day with JoLT, I really hope they have a great last few days then a safe trip back to the UK. Got back to Tofo and found that there was no power again. The power has come back, I’ve made some pasta by candle light, but am now writing this with lights on again, but the candles are at the ready when needed. Must add candles to my shopping list. 

Tuesday, not a huge amount really seemed to happen. We attempted to go on a dive in the morning but something was wrong with an engine so we coasted back pretty quickly. Pity as the dive was going to be really chilled out, me and my dive buddies. The rest of the morning was spent finishing “So long and Thanks for all the fish” the forth Hitchhikers book. I popped in to the bread shack to pay for some stuff from a couple of days ago, Alice was up to her elbows gutting squid. Didn’t look like the nicest of jobs, I had to stop and watch and felt a little sorry for the squid, as I’m a fan of them not on a plate but in the sea. I bought some oranges today, after a few minutes I only had 2 left, due to the little kids that sell bracelets and coconut bread rolls, they wanted my towel or my bracelets, in the end I gave them oranges, I felt it was better to give them something they can eat than wear. I can’t give all the time of course, but today I just felt that I should anyway I didn’t really need that many oranges. The afternoon I went running, my first since I was ill, went well. I saw the Pig which was important I get a satisfied feeling when I see the Pig (PIGWATCH). I did have a crafty Snickers and a mango drink when I got the petrol station, I’m sure that these Snickers are the bet tasting ones in the world. Of course it could just be after a 4.5k run my mind is messing with me and anything would taste the best in the world. 

It’s Wednesday and I lead my first dive, there was only one punter so it was just Kris sweeping and me and the punter. Went to a lovely deep site called Giants Castle, really enjoyed it lots. A huge Loggerhead Turtle chilling at 32ish metres, you have to admire a creature that can just lay at the bottom of the ocean chilling. Saw a huge moray swimming about looking for its hole, you normally in the day time don’t see them swimming about, it was nice to see one today. At one of the Manta cleaning stations we had a Small eye stingray, the largest stingray in the world usually about 2 metres at its widest. We hovered and watch from a respectful distance. Later as we were slowly ascending up to our safety stop depth, we were buzzed by a number of them, they approached us we don’t approach them. They came very close only a couple of metres from us and circled us, so amazing to watch them sail past there wing tips rippling in the current, was a honour and a pleasure to see them in their turf so to speak. I jumped in the pool when we returned home and had a paddle. Started the final Hitchickers book “Mostly Harmless”. 

Thursday, I opened shop then was in the pool again, as part of my DM course I have to do a tired diver tow, the pool is not big so I had to do 12 laps, I got a score of 3 out of 5. Joseph who works at the dive shop was my tired diver, he didn’t complain once about being dragged about the pool and more importantly I didn’t knock him out on the sides of the pool. Then the next skill is floating for 15 mins, I just lay there for 13 minutes. Beautiful blue sky above me I was shaded by the green and red leave of a tree’s canopy that hangs over the pool. Now and then I felt my fingers or toes or head touch the pool side so I gentle pushed myself off in to the centre of the pool. The final 2 minutes of the skill you have to have your hands out of the water. I got a 5 out of 5, I got a top score for once. I helped Joseph clean all the DCB, dunking them in a tank and draining then blowing a little air in to them. I went over the fins and wetsuits to make sure that they are in the correct order, so today was a housekeeping day. Annoyance of the day is I have lost my Owl on my necklace. I’m sure it was there earlier today. I have traced my steps, look everywhere, ‘its gone. It’s no one’s fault just one of those accident but it’s annoying as Anaia my niece really liked that Owl, it reminded me of our game where we would say back and forth “my owl” in funny voices (Guess you had to be there really). 

Its Friday, went on ocean safari and we snorkelled with 2 whale sharks, they are the biggest fish in the world. These were between 6 to 8 metres in length, there gentle giants of the sea cursing just under the surface feeding on plankton. There amazing creatures to snorkel with, you keep a few metres distance from them and you have no problems, they wouldn’t want to hurt you but you still keep your distance. Loved seeing them, everyone came out of the water with huge smiles of their faces. The afternoon was a huge dive, lots of equipment to set up, fitting wetsuits and fins and snorkels. Lots of tanks and weights to get ready, all went well everyone had the right equipment. The dive was nice; I was assisting Nadia doing a open water course. I’m not the smartest cookie I know, and I’m not a Jimmy a Sissi or Mikki (other DM and DMT’s), maybe you do have to say things to me a few more times. I thought I had what we were doing in my head, but I messed up a little and got the order of things a little frakked. It didn’t cause a problem, it’s just frustrating for me personally as I really do try to do my best. But my best never really seems to happen…… maybe next week, we can only hope I suppose. 

Its been another cracking week in Tofo on the land in the sea. Not many pics again as I have been working, but next week I will have a day off so will take some more interesting pics.