…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…
fredag 17 september 2010
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!
onsdag 11 augusti 2010
Sweden
Am back in Sweden for a month!
Right now I’m enjoying 2 weeks of meeting friends in Stockholm, Stallarholmen and Katrineholm. After these weeks it's time to go back to Krokek and spend some more time with mom & dad. It's great to be home!
But I must admit I am looking forward to going back as well. Especially with my new job waiting!
In the beginning of June I was offered to work on a dhow from October to December, taking care of guests chartering the boat. It is a wooden traditional boat built as a yacht with 3 cabins, a salon and a kitchen. We can take up to 10 guests on a day cruise and 6 if they stay overnight. I am really looking forward to sailing with the dolphins in the Quirimbas (the archipelago outside the northern part of Mozambique) snorkeling with our guests and just enjoy life on board a boat in the Indian Ocean ;)
The last couple of weeks before leaving I was busy in my new house overlooking the carpenter and other workers doing some odd jobs to get the house in a better shape. It was definitely ok already when I moved in, but there are some small things that need improvement. One thing I wanted is a safe room where I can keep my computer, camera and other things that might be interesting to steal. Unfortunately the carpenter put the lock on that door inside out, so that I have to deal with when I come back. And I was stupid enough to pay half salary to the cement guy after he finished 75 % of the job on the first day => next day he showed up drunk…and the next day and the next… Finally he brought another guy who could finish the job. Otherwise I’m sure it would still be waiting for him to sober up. Another lesson learnt; never pay anybody until the job is done!
My new casa :)
Back yard
My water tank - don't have running water
Safe room
.jpg)
Misiraje (carpenter) and Catisha (embregada)
Catisha comes 3 times a week to help me clean, do the dishes and laundry... I know- it's a life of luxury, but I am also expected as a white person (presumably with money) to employ someone from the village
.jpg)
Amina helping me shop for the house
Next door neighbor outside her house
Neighborhood kids
Right now I’m enjoying 2 weeks of meeting friends in Stockholm, Stallarholmen and Katrineholm. After these weeks it's time to go back to Krokek and spend some more time with mom & dad. It's great to be home!
But I must admit I am looking forward to going back as well. Especially with my new job waiting!
In the beginning of June I was offered to work on a dhow from October to December, taking care of guests chartering the boat. It is a wooden traditional boat built as a yacht with 3 cabins, a salon and a kitchen. We can take up to 10 guests on a day cruise and 6 if they stay overnight. I am really looking forward to sailing with the dolphins in the Quirimbas (the archipelago outside the northern part of Mozambique) snorkeling with our guests and just enjoy life on board a boat in the Indian Ocean ;)
The last couple of weeks before leaving I was busy in my new house overlooking the carpenter and other workers doing some odd jobs to get the house in a better shape. It was definitely ok already when I moved in, but there are some small things that need improvement. One thing I wanted is a safe room where I can keep my computer, camera and other things that might be interesting to steal. Unfortunately the carpenter put the lock on that door inside out, so that I have to deal with when I come back. And I was stupid enough to pay half salary to the cement guy after he finished 75 % of the job on the first day => next day he showed up drunk…and the next day and the next… Finally he brought another guy who could finish the job. Otherwise I’m sure it would still be waiting for him to sober up. Another lesson learnt; never pay anybody until the job is done!
My new casa :)
Back yard
My water tank - don't have running water
Safe room
.jpg)
Misiraje (carpenter) and Catisha (embregada)
Catisha comes 3 times a week to help me clean, do the dishes and laundry... I know- it's a life of luxury, but I am also expected as a white person (presumably with money) to employ someone from the village
.jpg)
Amina helping me shop for the house
Next door neighbor outside her house
Neighborhood kids
torsdag 22 juli 2010
Sad
Tomorrow is Magda’s last night in Pemba this time :( She has been here 8 weeks already; time really does fly when you’re having fun! I’m going to miss her very very much, but cross my fingers she decides to come back soon. Anyway, her leaving calls for a party – tonight!
And Jutta is back! She has been 6½ weeks in Germany on vacation. It’s nice to have her back :)
I also have to leave the country in the end of the month to renew my visa. Am thinking of Malawi this time. Everybody I meet who has been there says it’s beautiful! I will have to go by chapas (local buses) and it will take me at least 4 days or so to get to Monkey Bay and then I’ll probably continue to Kande Beach which is supposedly stunning. The other alternative I might have is to go with Frank to South Africa, by car. That would mean seeing a lot of Mozambique! Which also would be a great trip! The next week will tell which trip it will be – am looking forward to whichever…
And Jutta is back! She has been 6½ weeks in Germany on vacation. It’s nice to have her back :)
I also have to leave the country in the end of the month to renew my visa. Am thinking of Malawi this time. Everybody I meet who has been there says it’s beautiful! I will have to go by chapas (local buses) and it will take me at least 4 days or so to get to Monkey Bay and then I’ll probably continue to Kande Beach which is supposedly stunning. The other alternative I might have is to go with Frank to South Africa, by car. That would mean seeing a lot of Mozambique! Which also would be a great trip! The next week will tell which trip it will be – am looking forward to whichever…
fredag 16 juli 2010
My latest adventure…
…turned out to be malaria. And – yeah it is nasty! I know I’ve said it before, but now I have experienced it myself!
It all started with Frank last week. He got really sick and we figured it must be from the bush trip. A couple of days later C went down but nothing happened to me. I felt a little weird and a little nauseous that whole week, but nothing seemed to break out so I thought (and certainly hoped) it was just imagination. Then came Sunday.
Magda and I had been watching the game at Russell’s the night before, with a couple of glasses of wine ;) so I thought it was just a hangover. Not too bad or anything, but I was tired and didn’t really feel like eating. After meeting up with her and Pieter at Mar e Sol on the beach I walked over to C. By the time I got there I was really exhausted and was starting to think that it might be a little bit too much for a “normal” hangover.
Then it took about 4 hours before I was sick, sick, sick. Of course we had gone to Russell’s for the final soccer game, which probably turned out to be a good thing because Frank went home to get me medicine so I could start as soon as possible. But in halftime I had to ask C to take me home – I really needed to go to bed. That was one of the worst nights in my life! If I wasn’t sweating oceans I felt like I was deep frozen, all the time with this horrible ache in my whole body. Still, I must say I consider myself lucky since I didn’t get it in the hot season – that must be hell!
Both Frank and C are much better and they were even sicker than me I think, but thanks to Frank I got medicine very early and that probably prevented me from the worst symptoms.
I recovered quite fast though and am back to normal already.
It all started with Frank last week. He got really sick and we figured it must be from the bush trip. A couple of days later C went down but nothing happened to me. I felt a little weird and a little nauseous that whole week, but nothing seemed to break out so I thought (and certainly hoped) it was just imagination. Then came Sunday.
Magda and I had been watching the game at Russell’s the night before, with a couple of glasses of wine ;) so I thought it was just a hangover. Not too bad or anything, but I was tired and didn’t really feel like eating. After meeting up with her and Pieter at Mar e Sol on the beach I walked over to C. By the time I got there I was really exhausted and was starting to think that it might be a little bit too much for a “normal” hangover.
Then it took about 4 hours before I was sick, sick, sick. Of course we had gone to Russell’s for the final soccer game, which probably turned out to be a good thing because Frank went home to get me medicine so I could start as soon as possible. But in halftime I had to ask C to take me home – I really needed to go to bed. That was one of the worst nights in my life! If I wasn’t sweating oceans I felt like I was deep frozen, all the time with this horrible ache in my whole body. Still, I must say I consider myself lucky since I didn’t get it in the hot season – that must be hell!
Both Frank and C are much better and they were even sicker than me I think, but thanks to Frank I got medicine very early and that probably prevented me from the worst symptoms.
I recovered quite fast though and am back to normal already.
torsdag 8 juli 2010
Moving
Hopefully I will move into my new house this weekend! It has taken me a couple of days extra because things happened that I couldn’t foresee (am beginning to get used to that). Monday I went into town to buy some buckets and pots & pans, without those things I can’t live there. But before going to that shop we had to go to the clinic with Magda’s finger; she had a bite that just didn’t heal and needed to be cleaned properly. Once that was ok the time was after 12.00 so, of course, the shop was closed for siesta. That meant either hanging around in town 2 hours or walk back home and take a nap. We walked back home and took a nap :) Tuesday the ATM machine stole my bank card so I couldn’t take out any money and I didn’t have ID with me so that took another couple of days to sort out. Today I managed to get some shopping done finally, but now C is sick so I can’t get the bed…
Life in Africa is definitely a bit different from Sweden!
Life in Africa is definitely a bit different from Sweden!
fredag 2 juli 2010
The bush
I have just had one of the best weekends in my life!
Early Thursday morning last week C and Frank came to pick me up for our bush trip. We left Pemba at 06.30 and headed towards the Niassa National Reserve and Lucingi Camp. C drove the first half of the distance; 200 km on the highway, which took us about 2 hours. Frank drove the next 250 km, which took us about 5 hours… My neck is still a bit stiff after all the bumping up and down on the dirt roads, full of pot holes and all different big holes you can think of. But I must say Frank is a really good driver! And the scenery is beautiful!
Towards the end of the drive we got a BIG treat => a pack of 10 Wild Dogs that let us come quite close and didn’t hurry to take off. Wow! And even if I knew that was something else I didn’t realize just how rare it is to get such a good look at them. I read later during the weekend that there are only approximately 5 500 wild dogs left in Africa. And I got to see 10 of them!
Arriving at Lucingi, Gordon and Dorothy welcomed us to the camp. It is a very nice camp, beautifully situated on the riverbank with a view over the mountains. We were told that we were sleeping in tent 3 and after settling in we had dinner. The food was great and Gordon & Dorothy’s stories even better. It’s been a while since I laughed so much in one evening. They told us hilarious stories about their lives as cops in London and we had a wonderful night!
After breakfast Friday morning we went to Lugenda, one of the other camps that is managed by Derek & Paula, also very beautiful and a bit more upscale than Lucingi. On the way there we stopped by the river to see if we could spot any Hippos – and we did. There they were; 4 of them lying in the water. We only saw their heads when they came up occasionally for air, but that’s definitely enough. Frank and walked as close as possible but were still probably about 100 meters away. That was exciting!
Coming to Lugenda we met up with Nick and Andrew who treated us with lunch before we went on a game drive. I had to pinch my arm a couple of times to make sure it was for real. This is the truly wild Africa and driving in an open jeep in the middle of the bush is just amazing. We didn’t see that much game going out, but it really didn’t matter because the experience was fantastic in itself. And of course we did see some animals; a Wart hog, Impalas, Bushbucks and monkeys.
For sundowners we went up a really steep hill (I almost thought we would roll over at one point) and had an amazing view of the sunset. Life at its best!
On the way back to camp some exciting things happened; first we heard an elephant trumpeting very close by, but couldn’t see him since it was pitch black. And then we saw a leopard :) my first! So now I’ve seen all Big Five. Unfortunately it sneaked away quite fast into the bush, but I did get a good look at him. And later, on the way back to Lucingi, we actually saw another one! That is almost incredible!
So now I really wanted to see the elephants and crocodiles. I knew there were crocs in the river right outside the camp, but they hadn’t showed themselves to me. Usually they crawl up on the sand bank in the middle of the river to have a nice sun bath, but not when I was in the camp… Eventually I got to see the tip of the heads of two of them but that’s not nearly enough, so I guess that’s one thing I have to come back for.
Because - on Saturday afternoon I got to see an elephant!
We had a relaxed and nice day in the camp and went on an elephant look out at about 4 o’clock. I was, of course, really excited! After driving about half an hour we spotted a young bull. When he saw us he took off into the bush and Derek, Nick and I followed him – by foot!! It took us about 10 minutes before we saw him again behind some trees and now he was only 20 meters away! At that point I was quite happy about the big rifle Derek was carrying because the elephant picked up our scent and was getting a bit anxious. I managed to take a great ;) photo before we slowly moved away from him. He took off the other way and we could safely return to the car. But wow – just imagine that!! My day was made!
Sunday morning we took off and landed back in Pemba around 5.00 pm after a wonderful and adventurous weekend. I couldn’t be happier. And, even if I have suspected it a long time, I can now confirm that I am in love. Totally, wildly and madly in love! With Africa.
I am still uploading pics from Ibo and hope to publish them soon. Then I will continue with bush pics…
Early Thursday morning last week C and Frank came to pick me up for our bush trip. We left Pemba at 06.30 and headed towards the Niassa National Reserve and Lucingi Camp. C drove the first half of the distance; 200 km on the highway, which took us about 2 hours. Frank drove the next 250 km, which took us about 5 hours… My neck is still a bit stiff after all the bumping up and down on the dirt roads, full of pot holes and all different big holes you can think of. But I must say Frank is a really good driver! And the scenery is beautiful!
Towards the end of the drive we got a BIG treat => a pack of 10 Wild Dogs that let us come quite close and didn’t hurry to take off. Wow! And even if I knew that was something else I didn’t realize just how rare it is to get such a good look at them. I read later during the weekend that there are only approximately 5 500 wild dogs left in Africa. And I got to see 10 of them!
Arriving at Lucingi, Gordon and Dorothy welcomed us to the camp. It is a very nice camp, beautifully situated on the riverbank with a view over the mountains. We were told that we were sleeping in tent 3 and after settling in we had dinner. The food was great and Gordon & Dorothy’s stories even better. It’s been a while since I laughed so much in one evening. They told us hilarious stories about their lives as cops in London and we had a wonderful night!
After breakfast Friday morning we went to Lugenda, one of the other camps that is managed by Derek & Paula, also very beautiful and a bit more upscale than Lucingi. On the way there we stopped by the river to see if we could spot any Hippos – and we did. There they were; 4 of them lying in the water. We only saw their heads when they came up occasionally for air, but that’s definitely enough. Frank and walked as close as possible but were still probably about 100 meters away. That was exciting!
Coming to Lugenda we met up with Nick and Andrew who treated us with lunch before we went on a game drive. I had to pinch my arm a couple of times to make sure it was for real. This is the truly wild Africa and driving in an open jeep in the middle of the bush is just amazing. We didn’t see that much game going out, but it really didn’t matter because the experience was fantastic in itself. And of course we did see some animals; a Wart hog, Impalas, Bushbucks and monkeys.
For sundowners we went up a really steep hill (I almost thought we would roll over at one point) and had an amazing view of the sunset. Life at its best!
On the way back to camp some exciting things happened; first we heard an elephant trumpeting very close by, but couldn’t see him since it was pitch black. And then we saw a leopard :) my first! So now I’ve seen all Big Five. Unfortunately it sneaked away quite fast into the bush, but I did get a good look at him. And later, on the way back to Lucingi, we actually saw another one! That is almost incredible!
So now I really wanted to see the elephants and crocodiles. I knew there were crocs in the river right outside the camp, but they hadn’t showed themselves to me. Usually they crawl up on the sand bank in the middle of the river to have a nice sun bath, but not when I was in the camp… Eventually I got to see the tip of the heads of two of them but that’s not nearly enough, so I guess that’s one thing I have to come back for.
Because - on Saturday afternoon I got to see an elephant!
We had a relaxed and nice day in the camp and went on an elephant look out at about 4 o’clock. I was, of course, really excited! After driving about half an hour we spotted a young bull. When he saw us he took off into the bush and Derek, Nick and I followed him – by foot!! It took us about 10 minutes before we saw him again behind some trees and now he was only 20 meters away! At that point I was quite happy about the big rifle Derek was carrying because the elephant picked up our scent and was getting a bit anxious. I managed to take a great ;) photo before we slowly moved away from him. He took off the other way and we could safely return to the car. But wow – just imagine that!! My day was made!
Sunday morning we took off and landed back in Pemba around 5.00 pm after a wonderful and adventurous weekend. I couldn’t be happier. And, even if I have suspected it a long time, I can now confirm that I am in love. Totally, wildly and madly in love! With Africa.
I am still uploading pics from Ibo and hope to publish them soon. Then I will continue with bush pics…
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