Tuesday, August 31, 2010

3 beaches in 2 weeks...continued....

Day 13 (Pemba to Maputo) This was just a traveling day cause I
basically flew from the northern tip of the country to the southern
tip. For dinner, we ate at this great South African pizza place called
Mimo's, and it really made me miss Italian food.

Day 14 (Maputo) I started to feel better finally and walked around the
capital of Mozambique with my friends. We'd met up a bunch of other
people, had coffee and juice, went shopping, ate Indian food again
(this time it stayed down haha), and then bought wine and cheese back
to the hotel. Yea… I really didn't feel like I was in Africa at all.

Day 15 (Maputo to Inhassoro) I had to go to a JOMA conference, so we
woke up early at 4 to catch a TCO bus to Inhassoro. Now, if you can't
fly in Mozambique, the next step up would be the TCO bus. It has AC,
comfortable seats, a bathroom, and even serve you snacks. This bus
also took 10 hours, but it was not nearly as awful as all the other 10
hour buses that I took. When we got there, they'd put us in this nice
resort where the rooms were fashioned like tents. It kind of made you
feel like you were camping, but not really cause there were bathrooms
with awesomely hot showers and everything. I was so happy cause that
bed must have been the best bed I've slept in since my arrival in
Mozambique. It felt like sleeping on clouds!

Day 16 – 17 (Inhassoro) Okay, so I was basically here because we had a
conference but the work day ended around 3 so we had the rest of the
day to chill. The resort was right next to the beach, so that you
could just walk down a flight of stairs to hit the waves. I would rate
this beach higher than the Pemba beach because it was less secluded
and not as touristy, but not as nice as Chokas Beach in Ilha because
the water was not as calm and sand not as white, and the beach not as
isolated. I loved Chokas! Too bad it was so cold that I didn't want to
swim, but it was still nice being by a beach. We also got to see
Colin's site. Inhassoro is a pretty small town, but also full of
foreigners because of the nice beach. It's only maybe one hour from
the main highway, so that it's not difficult for him to travel. He
says he runs along the beach all the time, which is so awesome. I wish
I could run along the beach every morning and watch the sun rise. We
didn't get a chance to visit his school.

Day 18 (Inhassoro to Vilankulos to Maputo to Beira) Damn. I was so
tired by this day. I just wanted to go home, but our flight from
Vilankulos to Maputo did not leave until 5 PM, so we had the morning
to chill at the Vilankulos Beach. This is not my first time at this
beach, but I would rate it my least favorite since I spent the least
amount of time exploring this beach. It's just as touristy as Pemba,
but I think I don't like it because Vilankulos the town is just too
crowded for my taste. I'm glad I don't have this as my sight because
with all those people and tourists, it would be a lot harder to
integrate. It made me love Buzi so much with its one river, sparse
cars, rice fields, vast empty grasslands. The day also sucked because
my flight was scheduled for that same night at 9:30 PM but everyone
else got to stay another night in the city, so it was sad having to
say good-bye. Finally got to Beira at 11:30 and had to have my awesome
friend Orlando come pick me up at the airport to stay at his house. I
haven't talked about Orlando yet but he's one of my favorite people in
Mozambique. He's so smart, speaks English so well, and is so kind and
appreciative. He's had many other volunteers as teachers and knows
what a big difference Peace Corps can make, and unlike most others, he
has plans to improve his country. He has goals and dreams to help his
community, and for this, I really respect him. It takes something for
a person who comes from such poor upbringing to grow up and not always
think about getting rich and making money. There are plenty of people
who are intelligent and have the skills to make money, but in order to
think about helping other people… damn. I'm impressed. He also gave me
his bed and slept on the floor! That's just the Mozambican way, and
that's another reason why I love him.

Day 19 (Beira to Buzi) Finally, thank god! I'm home.

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