Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in Tofo Mozambique & Nels (SA), (The NEXT Chapter).

Week 87, Saturday 13^h February until Friday 19^th February 2016.

Portuguese word of the week:  “Temperatura”, meaning Temperature, as in “Its Frakking Hot”.

 Christine and Rickart at Mamma Mia’s, such lovely people.

Tried to renew my visa while in Nels as there is only a couple of weeks left, was told firmly “NO”. So I will be back in a couple of weeks to get a new one. It looks like I’ll only get 3 months making a total of 9 months again for this trip. Which would mean I’d be back in the UK in early May, which is sad but I will return to Tofo in August after my sister’s wedding.

 Thought I was back in the UK for a moment.

Saturday: during the night my bed at Mamma Mia’s B&B was a little wet. I soon found out it wasn’t old age creeping up on me but a leak in the roof. The double bed was made up of 2 singles so I manage to unhook them and move things around and put towels on the floor. In the morning it was all sorted and was moved to another room and got a little more sleep. My ride home had fallen through so I planned to do nothing in fact stay in bed. This changed when I had a message from Jenny, she was passing through and did I want a lift home. Within a couple of hours I was on my way back to Tofo. I took my turn driving; the speedo was difficult to read so I stuck little bits of paper for 60 and 80kph. We did get stopped by the police because I was going faster than I should (I could tell the speed correctly) but he could not resist 4 woman smiling at him. Arrived home around 11pm.

 Stickers on the speedo and the new Chinese road in Maputo that just ends, its not finished.

Sunday, had to make sure that everything was charged up overnight as there is was a planned power cut from 5am to about 5pm. I spent the day at home recovering from yesterday’s road trip. I took Rusty out for a long walk on the beach. Met my new neighbour a new DMT called Miguel.

 Always be prepared for powercuts.

Monday, good to be back at Liquid. Due to the tattoo I still can’t dive which means I’m grounded stuck in the shop. Fanni left us today very sad to see another lovely person leave; there were tears as she left. Got to drive my bosses Quad bike home, going up the sand road I was a little worried id get stuck, I didn’t I powered up the road kicking the sand up behind me pretending I was Jezzer Clarkson.

 Molly and I.

Tuesday; it’s very hot, I have been sitting at the shop fanning myself with a clip board. I am not wearing vest tops at the moment again due to the tattoo healing. As a result I have cut the collar and the sleeves off many of my t-shirts to make them more airy. I went to Chris little beach bar that he co-runs after work. A lovely lady that dived with us last year had returned and was celebrating her b’day she invited me.

 Beer.

Wednesday, I must be one of the few people to be “bluebottled” (it’s like a jellyfish, but it is not) at the dive shop and I didn’t even go on the dive. I was rinsing the gear when I got stung, the little horror had clung on and I brushed against it. It’s a little like a Bee or wasp sting just irritates for a little while.

Damn you Bluebottle.

Thursday. I led an Ocean Safari my first time back on the water in nearly 2 weeks. Mike came with me as I still can’t actually get in the water. We didn’t anything in fact none of the other boat did. All that wonderful marine life was hiding keeping out of the sun I suspect. During the afternoon I heard sirens not something you normally hear in Tofo, I was told it was a cavalcade of cars being escort through the village. After work I went to Chris’s bar again with Anna a Swedish diver who is leaving Tofo in the morning. Standing on the beach was a group of men in smart shirts surrounded by soldiers with large guns. One of the men was a government minister I found out. I imagined a boat arriving or a helicopter landing on the beach. Nothing they stood there looked at the sea for a little had some pictures taken and walked away. I watched them while drinking beer and eat cake.

 Government minister and guns.

Friday a day of very high temperatures and power cuts. A small bird landed quite hard on the concrete floor near me round the back of the dive shop. It didn’t look good I thought it was injured. I approached it which made it take to the air straight in too the shop flapping around stuck behind windows. I managed to catch it and let it fly free. In the evening I skyped with Mum and Helen always nice to catch up with news. I have more new neighbours another Finnish guy has arrived to work at Liquid with his daughter seem like nice people.

 Little bird that crash landed in front of me.

In other news, Some of the useless German I have learned this week includes “Der Hund Ist Wichtig”, “Die Frau Ist Neu“ and “Ich Bin Langsam” none of it really any good. Have Rusty over to visit a couple of times over the course of the week. 

 My mum looking like a pizza on Skype and a small Donut…..

The Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have been watching: emmmmm, nothing, oops. 

This week I have mainly been listening to: ”LBC Podcast: Nick Abbot (Whole Show)”,(12 & 13/02/2016) “LBC Podcast: Nick Abbot (Mid-Week)”, (17/02/2016), “Morrissey”, “Smiths”, “Fleetwood Mac”, “Tenacious D”, “Portishead”, “LUSH”

Reading: “The Hitchhickers Guide To the Galaxy: The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe”, by Douglas Adams, “Knit One, Kill Two”, by Maggie Sefton, “Morrissey List of the Lost”, by Morrissey and “A Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire” book 2 “ A Clash of Kings” by George R.R. Martin.