Yesterday morning I was just waking up, preparing for my morning run, when my phone rang. It was Pieter and I was amazed he even got through – here on Ibo we normally have signal only at the circle outside of Miti Miwiri. Luckily this morning it was extended to my bedroom so I got the call, but I still had to go outside to call him back in order to actually get in contact. I knew already that he was in some kind of trouble => he wouldn’t have called me at 05.00 otherwise… It turned out he had lost the one anchor we had left after losing the first one last Sunday. He was drifting at sea and needed help.
I started looking around for people who could help me find a new anchor and eventually get me to the boat, which I had no clue where it was… Eventually Assane found a small anchor and we went out to try and find the boat. Luckily enough Pieter had gone back into the channel and we could easily get to him. The anchor was way too small though, so we had to slowly cruise closer to Ibo and finally put the boat on the sand in low tide, right outside Cinqo Portas.
Pieter and Aidad (a very skilled diver from Ibo) took their snorkels and masks on the canoe and went back to the spot where she was anchored earlier. I never thought they would find the anchor, but Pieter told me that it took Aidad only 5 minutes to locate and bring it up. Amazing!!! This guy knew what he was doing!
When the tide came back in the evening we took the boat out and anchored it at the right spot again. I was of course on board doing my duties as deck hand :)
We woke up today with heavy rain, but at the same spot! Very good! After doing some tricks (Pieter, not me) with the motor to get it started and reloading the batteries we took the canoe back to Ibo. Pieter returned to the boat after dropping me off and I went to get some breakfast at the house.
Later I went for a walk… and got lost… It wasn’t for long and I never got really worried, but lost I was! Eventually, after trying various paths that ended up nowhere, I decided to back track and after 1½ hours I returned safely to where I began from :) Ibo is a very small island, so I doubt it’s possible to get really lost but for a moment I couldn’t help myself from thinking I might spend the night in the bush… Without big wild animals it’s not a great danger, but nevertheless a not very pleasant experience I gather! So I celebrated the good return with a shower and a couple of glasses of wine. And now it’s time to go to bed. It is almost 9.30 and way passed bedtime for me already.
Goodnight amigos!
torsdag 30 september 2010
tisdag 28 september 2010
Kabanga
Last Friday Pieter and I were supposed to get up at 03.00 am to take a chapa to Tandanyang, wait for the high tide there (approximately 6-7 hours that day) and then take a boat to Ibo. But we were lucky enough to get a promise of a ride instead; there was a car leaving at 10.00 with room for us! Can’t complain about that! We went to the Chinese restaurant in town to be ready for the car to pick us up – which it did; 4 hours later :) Its good have some of that Africa-patience from time to time! The ride was nice and fast and we only had one hick-up when the motor started to boil in the middle of nowhere. Luckily we had enough water to take us to the next village. After some work on it we could go on and was in time for the boat, just minutes before it was about to leave. Here everything revolves around the tide. Boats can’t wait too long if the tide is going out…
Waiting...
Car trouble
It’s great to be back, feels even better than the first time actually. It is such a beautiful, quiet little island and I really look forward to the coming 3 months I am going to spend here!
Arthur and Winnie (owner of the boat I now work on) was here the first three days to show us how things work both in the house and on the boat. I will probably stay in the house most of the time while Pieter will live on the boat. For me it’s easier to be on land since I usually go for a run early in the morning. The boat is approximately 1 km off shore, which certainly would make my work out even better because I would have to take a canoe before starting my run, but I’m too lazy for that at the moment – running at 05.15 is enough for now :)
Saturday evening I stayed behind when the rest of the gang went to the boat for a first check up. I walked around the village a bit and ended up outside the comandante’s house and was treated with Kabanga from his family. There were 5 women and children sitting in front of the house and the comandante himself on the porch. They were celebrating Independence Day on Ibo, September 25, with their own-brewed beer => Kabanga. It was quite thick and tasted a little bit like weissbier, I understood it is made out of sugar (but am not 100 % sure I got that right) and I must say I really liked it. They were very nice and I sat for maybe 45 minutes “talking” to them. Later that night I went to Miti Miwiri (means “Two Trees” and is the lodge next door to Arthur’s house) for dinner and there was a dance performance with young girls in beautiful dresses made of Capulanas. A very nice and festive evening!
Kabanga
Sunday morning we headed off to the boat. Jürg, one of the owners of Miti Miwiri, his parents and a couple of friends to them went with us on this virgin sail. We started by going to the light house to do some snorkeling. Arriving there we got a big treat; dolphins :) Unfortunately they didn’t come close to us while we were in the water, but we got a good, close and long look at them from the boat. I was occupied with the anchor at the time (;)), so I didn’t get any pictures sadly enough. But apparently that is where they usually hang out, so I’m sure there will be plenty more occasions for me to get those pictures later.
After snorkeling we went to the Sand bar (a sand bank which only appears in low tide) and cooked lunch before heading back to Ibo. It was a great day!!
Yesterday Arthur and Winnie went back home to Belgium, so now it’s just me, Pieter and the boat. I have to find a tailor today to sew pillowcases, a couple of sheets etc. Let’s see if my Portuguese holds up for that challenge…
Waiting...
Car trouble
It’s great to be back, feels even better than the first time actually. It is such a beautiful, quiet little island and I really look forward to the coming 3 months I am going to spend here!
Arthur and Winnie (owner of the boat I now work on) was here the first three days to show us how things work both in the house and on the boat. I will probably stay in the house most of the time while Pieter will live on the boat. For me it’s easier to be on land since I usually go for a run early in the morning. The boat is approximately 1 km off shore, which certainly would make my work out even better because I would have to take a canoe before starting my run, but I’m too lazy for that at the moment – running at 05.15 is enough for now :)
Saturday evening I stayed behind when the rest of the gang went to the boat for a first check up. I walked around the village a bit and ended up outside the comandante’s house and was treated with Kabanga from his family. There were 5 women and children sitting in front of the house and the comandante himself on the porch. They were celebrating Independence Day on Ibo, September 25, with their own-brewed beer => Kabanga. It was quite thick and tasted a little bit like weissbier, I understood it is made out of sugar (but am not 100 % sure I got that right) and I must say I really liked it. They were very nice and I sat for maybe 45 minutes “talking” to them. Later that night I went to Miti Miwiri (means “Two Trees” and is the lodge next door to Arthur’s house) for dinner and there was a dance performance with young girls in beautiful dresses made of Capulanas. A very nice and festive evening!
Kabanga
Sunday morning we headed off to the boat. Jürg, one of the owners of Miti Miwiri, his parents and a couple of friends to them went with us on this virgin sail. We started by going to the light house to do some snorkeling. Arriving there we got a big treat; dolphins :) Unfortunately they didn’t come close to us while we were in the water, but we got a good, close and long look at them from the boat. I was occupied with the anchor at the time (;)), so I didn’t get any pictures sadly enough. But apparently that is where they usually hang out, so I’m sure there will be plenty more occasions for me to get those pictures later.
After snorkeling we went to the Sand bar (a sand bank which only appears in low tide) and cooked lunch before heading back to Ibo. It was a great day!!
Yesterday Arthur and Winnie went back home to Belgium, so now it’s just me, Pieter and the boat. I have to find a tailor today to sew pillowcases, a couple of sheets etc. Let’s see if my Portuguese holds up for that challenge…
onsdag 22 september 2010
Pembaldon
Monday evening was the first day of Pembaldon – Pemba’s answer to Wimbledon! The first night there was only 3 preliminary matches, but last night there was another 4 and it continues every day until Sunday when the finals are scheduled. There are actually 37 people playing in the tournament which is on its second year now. The participation has more than doubled since last year. And who knows, maybe I’ll be in next year if I’m still here ;)Frank signed me up this year as well, despite the fact that I haven’t held a racket since I was 10 years old… But fortunately the numbers ended up uneven so I was released. Also; I will not be here until the end and it would be a shame if I made it to the final and couldn’t be here to win – yeah right!! I’m a bit bummed I will miss out on the festive weekend though!
Anyway - two more days and then we’re off to Ibo. Pieter and I will take a chapa (local bus) leaving Pemba at 05.00 Friday morning. That means we have to be at the bus stop at 04.00 :/ But that’ll be ok – hopefully easier to sleep a bit on the way, even if the chapa probably will be crowded. I haven’t decided yet if I will pack in advance or just stay up that night and do all the packing the last hours before leaving. Maybe in the company of a glass of wine (and maybe even C, she is a true night owl).
Anyway - two more days and then we’re off to Ibo. Pieter and I will take a chapa (local bus) leaving Pemba at 05.00 Friday morning. That means we have to be at the bus stop at 04.00 :/ But that’ll be ok – hopefully easier to sleep a bit on the way, even if the chapa probably will be crowded. I haven’t decided yet if I will pack in advance or just stay up that night and do all the packing the last hours before leaving. Maybe in the company of a glass of wine (and maybe even C, she is a true night owl).
fredag 17 september 2010
The mosque…
…situated in front of my house, only 30 meters away, is usually not a big nuisance and I’m starting to get used to it.
It actually depends on which guy is doing the singing. But one of them is LOUD! I was trying to watch Californication the other night when he started his “thing” and there was no way I could hear what they were saying on my computer. He is also the one who always keeps the microphone on during the whole sermon – about 1 hour each time :/ Usually I don’t mind it, if it’s during waking hours, but when he is the one on duty in the middle of the night I sometimes get slightly irritated. Especially since I almost every morning have my alarm set at 05.10 to get up and go for a run before it gets too hot! It’s, to say the least, a bit annoying getting another wakeup call little over an hour earlier…
It actually depends on which guy is doing the singing. But one of them is LOUD! I was trying to watch Californication the other night when he started his “thing” and there was no way I could hear what they were saying on my computer. He is also the one who always keeps the microphone on during the whole sermon – about 1 hour each time :/ Usually I don’t mind it, if it’s during waking hours, but when he is the one on duty in the middle of the night I sometimes get slightly irritated. Especially since I almost every morning have my alarm set at 05.10 to get up and go for a run before it gets too hot! It’s, to say the least, a bit annoying getting another wakeup call little over an hour earlier…
tisdag 14 september 2010
Eid
Last Friday was Eid, the end of Ramadan. When I came back home after an early walk at 7.00 am, the whole village were gathering at the mosques. Everybody was dressed up in pretty, colorful clothes. The women and children stayed outside listening to the men singing and praying, the Imams had started singing already at 5.30. And since the closest mosque is only 30 meters from my house there was no way I could go back to sleep.
But that actually meant sleep in morning for me – usually they start at 4.00 am and sometimes even earlier. And of course they have really good loud speakers… That’s the only thing not so great with my house. Especially since my windows are nothing more than mosquito nets.
And - heading back to the house that morning I had an actual conversation in Portuguese with one of the staff from Russell’s. Albertina is her name and she speaks Portuguese, Makua, Makunde and a few words in English. She has 3 children and lives in Cariaco which means she has to walk approximately 10 km every day to get to work and then of course 10 to get back home at night.
My embregada didn’t show up for work either, which was totally ok since it is a big holiday. But it left me with a problem – I didn’t have enough water to last me the day, let alone the whole weekend. Thanks to my good friend Frank that problem was solved later, since he has running water in his house.
At night I was invited to a Potije (pronounced “pojtie”. Which is a South African dish named after the iron pot it is made in. It’s a stew and this particular one had lots of veggies, potaoes and buffalo meat) at Laura & Smitty’s house on the beach. It was delicious and I had a very nice evening.
But that actually meant sleep in morning for me – usually they start at 4.00 am and sometimes even earlier. And of course they have really good loud speakers… That’s the only thing not so great with my house. Especially since my windows are nothing more than mosquito nets.
And - heading back to the house that morning I had an actual conversation in Portuguese with one of the staff from Russell’s. Albertina is her name and she speaks Portuguese, Makua, Makunde and a few words in English. She has 3 children and lives in Cariaco which means she has to walk approximately 10 km every day to get to work and then of course 10 to get back home at night.
My embregada didn’t show up for work either, which was totally ok since it is a big holiday. But it left me with a problem – I didn’t have enough water to last me the day, let alone the whole weekend. Thanks to my good friend Frank that problem was solved later, since he has running water in his house.
At night I was invited to a Potije (pronounced “pojtie”. Which is a South African dish named after the iron pot it is made in. It’s a stew and this particular one had lots of veggies, potaoes and buffalo meat) at Laura & Smitty’s house on the beach. It was delicious and I had a very nice evening.
onsdag 8 september 2010
Back to normal
It’s funny how easy it is to get used to a new life. Coming back to Pemba made me feel like coming home. I guess it’s the “where I lay my hat is my home” syndrome. It has always been like that for me and right now my hat lies in a small house in Nanhimbe, Mozambique. And I must say I’m very happy about that – it would have been awful if I had wanted to stay in Sweden with another 4 months committed to my new job on the sailing boat in the Quirimbas Archipelago outside northern Mozambique!
These first days I have been hanging out with C, Frank and Jutta of course, been to the camp a couple of times already and planned the grocery shopping for the boat with Arthur (the owner of the boat). I’ve been so busy it wasn’t until yesterday I had time to start unpack my suitcases… And doing that, I realized I have to pack again only 2 weeks from now; on the 24th Pieter and I will go to Ibo and start familiarize ourselves with the boat. (Pieter being the skipper). Exciting!
We’ve also had a power cut since I came and it’s impossible to send sms – so nothing new there :) I’m very happy Internet is working though. And I installed my new thermometer. It was 24 ̊̊C when I woke up this morning and then it went up to 29 ̊C as the hottest today. Very nice indeed.
These first days I have been hanging out with C, Frank and Jutta of course, been to the camp a couple of times already and planned the grocery shopping for the boat with Arthur (the owner of the boat). I’ve been so busy it wasn’t until yesterday I had time to start unpack my suitcases… And doing that, I realized I have to pack again only 2 weeks from now; on the 24th Pieter and I will go to Ibo and start familiarize ourselves with the boat. (Pieter being the skipper). Exciting!
We’ve also had a power cut since I came and it’s impossible to send sms – so nothing new there :) I’m very happy Internet is working though. And I installed my new thermometer. It was 24 ̊̊C when I woke up this morning and then it went up to 29 ̊C as the hottest today. Very nice indeed.
måndag 6 september 2010
Back in Pemba
After 30 hours of travelling via Istanbul and Dar-es-Salaam I am back in Mozambique. One month seems like such a long time, but afterwards it feels just as short as always.
I had an 8 hour layover in Istanbul and I think I did pretty well => I managed to not shop more than one CD! And since shopping was not an option I was very glad Klas gave me the “Solsidan” DVDs before I left!
My visit back in Sweden has been really great! I have met loads of friends and spent many wonderful days with my family (unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to see everyone I wanted and intended; it will have to be next time).
But it’s also really good to be back. The weather is very nice at the moment – not too hot yet. The last weeks in Sweden were pretty cold… I didn’t mind that at all though, it gave me an opportunity to wear boots and jackets a while :) I do love this time of year in Sweden when the air is crisp and cool. But I don’t mind taking morning swims in the Indian Ocean either ;) And it was of course really great meeting my Pemba-friends again!
I had an 8 hour layover in Istanbul and I think I did pretty well => I managed to not shop more than one CD! And since shopping was not an option I was very glad Klas gave me the “Solsidan” DVDs before I left!
My visit back in Sweden has been really great! I have met loads of friends and spent many wonderful days with my family (unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to see everyone I wanted and intended; it will have to be next time).
But it’s also really good to be back. The weather is very nice at the moment – not too hot yet. The last weeks in Sweden were pretty cold… I didn’t mind that at all though, it gave me an opportunity to wear boots and jackets a while :) I do love this time of year in Sweden when the air is crisp and cool. But I don’t mind taking morning swims in the Indian Ocean either ;) And it was of course really great meeting my Pemba-friends again!
fredag 3 september 2010
Aunt Katarina
Last Thursday I became an aunt to the sweetest, cutest, most wonderful little baby girl you can imagine! Her name is Klara and I will miss her and the rest of my family, as well as my friends, very much when I go back to Pemba today!
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