Ocean Safari

Tofo is a cute, touristy, beach town about 400 km north of Maputo. Beautiful beaches, friendly locals, and a chill atmosphere—this is why I came to Mozambique. Chris and I met our PCV friends, Kjessie and Andre, at Turtle Cove in Tofinho, outside of Tofo, at a sweet surfer hang-out just a few minutes from the ocean. We were pretty beat after the 9-hour bus ride from the capital, but we couldn’t resist the atmosphere. We sat down with the surfer crowd and enjoyed the local beers (Manica is best, 2M most popular) while we waited for our fish kebab dinner. We’ve met some awesome people here.

The next day, the four of us and four others went out on an Ocean Safari led by Dave and Sean. They said the conditions were perfect for finding whale sharks—so we grabbed some snorkeling gear and jumped on the boat. When we reached the beach, we were informed that we would be helping with the “surf launch”. Basically, we all pushed the boat straight into the waves and jumped in as quickly as possible before the engine started. Then we blasted over the waves at full speed, bouncing up and down. Just the surf launch was exciting. After just a few minutes, Sean spotted some porpoises. We drove up next to them and everyone frantically put their snorkel gear on—mask and fins. It was so fast and exciting that I had trouble breathing calmly in the water. Luckily I didn’t miss the pod of dolphins a few meters underneath us—maybe two dozen or so. Naturally they swam away after a few minutes, then it was back in the boat off to find more sea creatures. We saw a whale breach in the distance soon after. Dave floored it and got so close to the whale we nearly hit it. As we approached it, the humpback whale launched out of the ocean again, turned mid-air, and landed on its back with a splash—breath-taking! It was really close to us, I’ve never seen anything like it. THEN we again got ready to jump in the water with the whale. I was ready this time with full gear already on. Kj and I were the first in the water and got to swim with the whale for an ecstatic few seconds before it swam off. Kj saw the head, I saw the ass. As soon as I saw it underwater, I froze. Kj swam after it. I just watched it disappear around the other side of the boat. That was crazy—a humpback. Then we drove after it, but it obviously wanted some alone time so we let it be.

Eventually, we spotted a whale shark! We ended up seeing two that day. I didn’t get a good look at the first one. All I saw was SHARK! And again froze in the water. I was much closer to the second one and stared at its gorgeous white on black pattern for a good couple of minutes I think. In a nutshell, I had an unforgettable day swimming in the ocean with a whale, dolphins, and whalesharks… oh yeah, and turtles too!

The last couple of days have been rainy, so hopefully the weather improves! We had a fabulous beach day yesterday.

Music in Maputo

Mozambique is a bizarre place. A mix of Portuguese, African, and Arabic influences, it's far from the homogenous setting in Lesotho, even far from the black and white of South Africa. In Maputo, the capital, everyone seems to speak Portuguese (and very little English)--Spanish from elementary school, don't fail me now! It's strange hearing black African school kids speaking a European romance language as they're walking down the city streets. A stark difference from the US of A, there's a strong Socialist history and pride after their long, violent revolution that ended not so long ago. Most of the major city streets in Maputo are named after Socialist leaders--Avenida Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and Ho Chi Minh, even popular leaders that the US decided didn't fit their agenda and most likely "took care of"--Salvador Allende and Patrice Lumumba. Lucky for me Mozambique doesn't seem to hold grudges.

Last night Chris Conz (my partner in crime for the next 2 weeks) and I went to a bar to see some live music. It was Saturday night and probably our last chance to experience nightlife in Mozambique. We arrived at Gil Vicenthe pretty early at 10pm, the live music didn't start until 11pm, and it was to be a "jam session." I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a specific artist, but Chris Conz had faith that it would be good. When the first band finally started at 11:30, I was thrilled to hear the catchy Afro-Latin fusion I had read about before coming to Moz. Throughout most of Southern Africa, various forms of kwaito are most popular (a mix of hip-hop and traditional African music), but this was definitely different. A simple trio, guitar, bass and drums, the band started with some Afro-fusion beats, then a man got up on stage and sang some cover songs with the band. I have never seen a jam session or "open-mic night" flow so smoothly. Various musicians came and went, but the music never stopped. My favorite guy, they were all men, was indubitably the African version of Tizoc Estrada on lead guitar. Eyes closed and guitar high on his torso, he moved his fingers so fast over the guitar strings my eyes couldn't keep up. My favorite songs were the Afro-Latin rhythms with Portuguese lyrics. The drum solo wasn't bad either, and the dude on the djembe drum was classic. Gotta love the djembe beats.

The 2-day trip to Maputo was no easy task. Chris Conz and I took a mini-bus to Johannesburg from Maseru, Lesotho. I was a little nervous because I had a giant rolly suitcase with me, in addition to my hiking backpack and shopping bag of food. I am storing the large suitcase in JB while I travel through Mozambique. CC and I had to walk with my big rolly suitcase from the drop-off point on Noord Street in a dangerous area of the Jo'burg taxi rank to the airport taxi on a street corner about a block away. Talk about a walking target in the Jo'burg taxi rank--a young white girl obviously bound for the international airport with a giant, awkward suitcase. Thank God Chris Conz was there--not only did he know the way, but he shlepped my suitcase too. We gave a young guy a few rand to walk with us even though Chris knew the way, and we made it safe and sound. We got picked up at the airport and headed to our Jo'burg Hostel. The Jo'burg Taxi Rank is always stressful so I was thrilled to be at our hostel, safe and sound with all my belongings. Thanks again to Chris Conz for helping me. :)

The next morning we were up at 5:30am to catch our bus to Maputo. Back to the Johannesburg Taxi Rank (the last time for me) led by a guy from our hostel who lives in JB. We took a roundabout way to the bus station via public transport that took a long time, and barely made our bus. 7 hours later we were at the South Africa/Mozambique border. A group of European soccer fans, CC, and I held up the bus waiting for our visas (South Africans don't need a visa to enter Moz). Lucky for Chris and I, there was a large group who needed visas or the bus would have left us. Another hour we arrived in Maputo, got off at Ave. Karl Marx and walked 20 minutes at dusk to our hostel. We were exhausted and hungry. We ate dinner at a near-by restaurant and went to sleep early.

Yesterday we went to the craft market and municipal market where I spent the most cash in one day than any other day in Africa. CC and I made a delicious shrimp stir-fry for dinner with all of our fresh food from the market before going out to see live music at Gil Vicenthe. Today art museums, tomorrow the bustling fish market...

Goodbye Lesotho, Hello Mozambique

I officially leave the country tomorrow. I have created a new blog for my month trip in Mozambique: http://mozbalch.blogspot.com/ Enjoy!

New Country = New Blog

It just didn't feel right telling about my Mozambique experiences under my Lesotho blog so I've created a new one. I will be in Moz for almost 5 weeks. I will be traveling to the following areas of the country (making my way north):
1. Maputo
2. Tofo (Inhambane)
3. Vilankulos
4. Xai-Xai
5. Beira
6. Pemba

I'll be traveling with friends for the first 2 weeks, then heading out on my own to visit PCVs in Mozambique and then attending the Tambo International Art Camp in Pemba. I don't have much planned, and I'm really not sure what to expect at the "Art Camp", but I'm pretty sure it will be amazing. :)

My itinerary is as follows:
-lay on the beach
-read on the beach
-lay in a hammock
-drink cocktails with tiny umbrellas
-eat fresh seafood
-find "African fabric" for Grandma
-learn a little Portuguese

I'm a bit concerned about the last 2 on the list, but I think I can swing it. I leave for Jo'burg on Thursday, then taking the bus to Maputo Friday morning... can't wait!

Last Days in Qacha's Nek

My last days in Qacha's Nek were stressful and emotional, but in a good way. I had to say goodbye to many friends and good people that I've gotten to know well over the last 2 years. Some of them are Americans who have become some of my best friends. Some of them are Basotho who have been my family for the last 2 years in Qacha's Nek. Some of them are just friendly, familiar faces that I will miss seeing on a daily basis. I'm elated to know that my work in my village and the camptown touched people enough to thank me with hugs and gifts and songs.

I had a lot of work to do the last few weeks as well, finishing up projects and making sure everything will work okay after I leave (if possible). I painted a mural at a high school on their new library building. I gave the last of the Life Skills presentations at the prison and the primary school. I helped Ntate Nkhooa design a pamphlet for his Snake Park, the first in Lesotho. But mostly I tried to spend time with my good Basotho friends.

My Basotho family in Ha Manteko threw a party for me and presented me with a traditonal seshoeshoe dress and an African wall-hanging craft. We all danced until midnight including little 5-year old Thuto who shakes it better than anyone. I'll definitely miss Basotho parties where EVERYONE dances no matter their age, old or young. My ausi, sister, also gave me a seshoeshoe dress as a parting gift. Then the day I left, the 7th grade students that I taught at the primary school and the teachers gave me some cards and a couple small gifts, and they sang a departing song that went something like "may God bless and keep you til we meet again..." It was so sweet.

I'm in the capital, Maseru, now preparing to leave Lesotho and finish my Peace Corps service. Remember, I work for the U.S. Government so I have a ton of paperwork to fill out in addition to medical check-ups and other bureaucratic BS. I need about 20 signatures before I leave. yay.

It has certainly been a roller-coaster during the last 2 years in Lesotho, big ups and downs, and it went really fast. I can't believe my Peace Corps service is coming to a close, but I'm also very excited for the next chapters in my life. Next stop - Mozambique! Then I'm back in good ole Southern California by the end of July. :D