Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in Tofo Mozambique (The NEXT Chapter).

Week 65, Saturday 19^h September until Friday 25th September 2015.

Portuguese word of the week: “Chuva” (Rain).

Mozziebeak is such a beautiful place; it was recently declared mine free (the mines were laid during a civil war from 1977 to 1992). The people here are smiley, they say hello to everyone and appear to be in general very happy. Many of them don’t have very much, I see children rolling hoops of metal or tyres down the road. Some have small cars made out of old recycled drink cans on the end of a stick that they race around these are there toys. They don’t have Ipads or the latest game system, I do think people back home, including me could learn a thing or two about what is actually important in life.

 This food tasted great.

Saturday was a wet rainy windy day in which nothing really happened. I walked to a local bakery on the return trip I ate all of my piping hot fresh out of the oven rolls in the rain. I was recently told that for £45.000 I could buy land build a house with water and electric, and set up a company (I might have got some of this wrong, but it’s about right). When you consider the cost back in the UK it really makes you think (not that I have that kind of money I should just say).

 Eating freshly cooked rolls. 

Skype didn’t work, so couldn’t watch new Doctor Who, Pooh, Bum and other words like that.

Woke up Sunday morning looked out of the window and saw Chickens running around. It had been another very windy night and there enclosure door had blown open. I never thought I would chasing chickens in my PJ’s. Spent the day in the shop helping set up and getting dives out this meant I got to spend the day with Rusty the dog.

 There were bats flying around when I took this.

Monday I lead the Kayak trip, due to a hiring of extra paddle’s issue we took a Dhow there and back. I enjoy the trip, but I do worry that going round the island is a little like a living human zoo. But income from the cost of the trip is ploughed into the community so it does help. All the customers were French who had a habit of singing “Tight Fit, The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (from 1982) in French, I just had to smile. Who else in the world is hearing that song on a Dhow with pink Flamingos nearby, probably very few out of 7 billion I suspect.

 I so loved this ginger Pussy I met at the petrol station.

Tuesday was a wet day, 2 dives 1 of which i lead. If I named all the amazing life I saw on theses dives there would be no room for important things as what I watched during the week in this blog. When a fish swims very close I wonder what there thinking, are they bothered by this intrusion into their environment. More Humpy action on the surface including breaching, finn flapping, the sea above and below is just “so alive. Had a couple of power cuts in the evening, I’d forgotten how much of a pain they can be.

 Is this true love, this was every morning at Cindys around 5am I didn’t want to move.

Wednesday a day off, I got out in to the garden and painted a watercolour of Cindy’s house. I want to do a painting each week while I’m here. The gardener kept looking at me strangely sitting under a tree on my own. I cleaned out the guppies I was terrified I would lose one of the microscopic babies, I don’t think I did. Had a couple more short power cuts in the evening. It’s been that kind of a “rock n roll day in Tofo.

 I know its crap, but it kept me busy for a while. 

Thursday I learned how to fill air tanks for diving, the tank I used to go to Clownfish reef was filled by me. This site is shallow and really could be a scene from Finding Nemo. After 50 minutes we surfaced and saw that everyone was sunning themselves on the boat waiting for us. I went to bed about 9.30, around 10pm I heard a car pull in to the drive, then I heard children’s voices. Cindy and family were back; I jumped out of bed and gathered my stuff up. They hadn’t intended on coming all the way home that late. I slept on a sofa/bed while they settled themselves in to their house.

 Joey my adopted Mozziebeak son.

Friday I woke up a little early, crept about not wanting to wake the family up and left for the dive shop. There is a Sparrow family that have a nest in the roof of another dive centre. Jenny is now based there, I go there for coffee and watch the female and male Sparrow taking food to the chicks. Today I actually saw 2 chicks being fed, that really made my day. Lead an awesome Ocean Safari in the afternoon, we saw everything Humpbacks, a Turtle on the surface, lots of Dolphins who didn’t want to play, two Whalesharks and a Manta in the bay. Tonight I move in to Jenny’s place which is only a couple of minutes from Cindy’s, Jenny and I live there with what appears to be Tofo’s entire population of Mosquito’s the house is buzzing. We have a water problem which mean we can only one tap on the result of this is we have to fill 5 litre bottles to do things in the bathroom.

 My new home, spot the Mozzies flying around.

The Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have been watching: “Orange Is The New Black”, (Season 1, eps 9 to 13) & (Season 2, eps 1 and 2), “Killjoys”, (Season 1, eps 3), “Dark Matter”, (Season 1, eps 1 to 7), “Top Gear”, (season 22, eps 1 to 5).

This week I have mainly been listening to: “Morrissey”, “Natalie Imbruglia”, “Elbow”, “Regina Spektor”, “Arcade Fire”, “Antony And The Johnson”

Reading: “An Unofficial Guide, Companions, Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants” and “A Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire” book 2 “ A Clash of Kings” by George R.R. Martin.