Last Wednesday C and I had a busy day in front of us – we had to do all the shopping for the bush trip and things were changing by the minute. Eventually everything was settled, so we started by going to Frank’s house to pick up a couple of things. And then everything changed again – I walked into a rusty iron thing sticking out from a trailer. Hmmm, did I say I would try to be a little bit more careful just a few days ago?!? Anyway => big hole in my leg! So instead of running around shopping we ended up in the clinic. It was (I think ;)) a nasty cut, about 5 cm long I guess and maybe ½ cm wide, but it needed only 3 stitches. It was quite fascinating to see the doctor put the needle into my skin and pull it all together without feeling too much of it.
After that we had to go back to my house to pick up the vaccination card we specifically was there to pick up 30 minutes earlier and which I left on the desk... I am very grateful to C’s wonderful patience, without any sign of irritation whatsoever, over my stupid forgetfulness! She is really a great friend!
Since the clinic didn’t have any tetanus vaccine (stelkramp) we then had to go the hospital. I paid 25 öre, waited 1,5 hours and then I was almost back to normal. Except for the big bandage on my leg of course :) And we did manage to do the shopping in the end, so then we were all set for the exciting trip to the bush!!! I’ll tell you more about that in a few days.
måndag 28 juni 2010
måndag 21 juni 2010
My own house
After coming back from Ibo I found a house to rent! It all started with Magda looking at this house a coupl of weeks ago when she needed a place to stay. She found another house and that was that. But since then I’ve been thinking how nice it would be to have my own place. It has been really great renting the room from Jutta, but it’s just the thing of having your own space you know. And now I do :)
I am really excited but will have to wait a couple of more days before I can move in. There are some things that need to be done; I have to put a bed in for one thing. Frank has promised to lend me one and both C and Frank have some pots & pans and stuff that I can have to start with. There is nothing in the house now, except a sitting room set the landlord gave me to have in the beginning, which was really nice of him!
I am really excited but will have to wait a couple of more days before I can move in. There are some things that need to be done; I have to put a bed in for one thing. Frank has promised to lend me one and both C and Frank have some pots & pans and stuff that I can have to start with. There is nothing in the house now, except a sitting room set the landlord gave me to have in the beginning, which was really nice of him!
Ilha do Ibo…
…was beautiful! And interesting and relaxing and a great experience in many ways.
Magda changed her mind and decided to stay in Pemba after all. But I have wanted to see the Quirimba archipelago since I came here so I decided to go anyway. I don’t mind travelling alone, sometimes it’s even better since it’s easier to meet new people that way.
Anyway – I flew up in a tiny plane and got to sit up front with the pilot :) That was really neat, I have never before been in such a small plane and the flight was beautiful!
The airport and “terminal” at Ibo are not exactly what I’m used to either…
I was met by a local guy that probably heard the plane come in and hoped for a couple of hours of work. He carried my bags to “Miti Miwiri”, which means two trees, (the lodge I had booked a room at) and showed me some of the island on the way. It’s a fantastic place! The architecture of all the old houses is really beautiful and the whole island has a very nice, quiet ambience. I learnt that there are only two cars and just a few motorbikes.
I’d had very little sleep the night before because of all the noise from Wimbe Beach disco and some fighting outside my window, so after checking in I took a nap and just relaxed before going out to see some of the small town. In the evening I had dinner at Miti Miwiri and was lucky enough to meet Arne and Amaya that I know a little bit from Pemba, it was very nice to have them as dinner company and get to know them a little bit more. They were only there for one night so we decided to meet for breakfast the next day before exploring a little more.
We walked through Stone town all the way to the Fort of São João Batista where one of the silver smiths has their workshop and a shop. I found two necklaces and a pair of earrings, they were pretty tough bargainers but I managed to bring the price down almost to half of what they began asking.
Going back into town we had a cup of tea before Arne and Amaya had to go and catch the boat back to the mainland. In the afternoon I just relaxed, reading a book in the hammock at Miti Miwiri.
Monday morning I had booked a guide to take me, walking, to a neighboring island; Ilha Quirimba. It was fascinating to walk through the mangroves knowing that in a couple of hours there will be so much water it would reach above my head. The walk is about 4 km. Ilha Qurimba is also a very beautiful island with a big coconut plantation run by a very nice German family who invited me for a glass of homemade lemonade :)
After walking around the island a couple of hours we had lunch at a local restaurant. And later in the afternoon I took a boat back to Ibo and was again amazed by the fact that I had walked that same path just a couple of hours earlier. The huge tide differences really fascinate me!
I had already decided to go back to Pemba on Tuesday morning, so at 05.00 am I was at the beach waiting for the boat to get ready. It was a beautiful morning, but really chilly and I hadn’t packed any sweaters so I was freezing quite a bit. The boat ride to Quissanga took about 1 hour 15 minutes and was very easy on perfectly calm water. In Quissanga I had to wait 45 minutes before the chapa arrived (the local buses here are called chapa) and then another half hour 200 meters into the trip… It took almost 6 hours to get back to Pemba, it’s only about 120 km but when you average 20 km/h that’s how long it takes. And of course all the stops on the way, with people getting on and off, don’t make it faster. But I really wanted the experience and will definitely do it again. I paid $132 to get to Ibo in the plane and $7 to get back by boat and chapa. For me it was perfect! I got to see the coast line from above on the way there and the countryside on my way home.
I will definitely go back to Ibo, hopefully sooner than later. And the next trip is planned to the bush – guess if I’m all excited about that!!!
Am uploading pics, but it doesn’t work to well (no surprise there) so I will have to continue doing that the next couple of days before I can publish them…
Magda changed her mind and decided to stay in Pemba after all. But I have wanted to see the Quirimba archipelago since I came here so I decided to go anyway. I don’t mind travelling alone, sometimes it’s even better since it’s easier to meet new people that way.
Anyway – I flew up in a tiny plane and got to sit up front with the pilot :) That was really neat, I have never before been in such a small plane and the flight was beautiful!
The airport and “terminal” at Ibo are not exactly what I’m used to either…
I was met by a local guy that probably heard the plane come in and hoped for a couple of hours of work. He carried my bags to “Miti Miwiri”, which means two trees, (the lodge I had booked a room at) and showed me some of the island on the way. It’s a fantastic place! The architecture of all the old houses is really beautiful and the whole island has a very nice, quiet ambience. I learnt that there are only two cars and just a few motorbikes.
I’d had very little sleep the night before because of all the noise from Wimbe Beach disco and some fighting outside my window, so after checking in I took a nap and just relaxed before going out to see some of the small town. In the evening I had dinner at Miti Miwiri and was lucky enough to meet Arne and Amaya that I know a little bit from Pemba, it was very nice to have them as dinner company and get to know them a little bit more. They were only there for one night so we decided to meet for breakfast the next day before exploring a little more.
We walked through Stone town all the way to the Fort of São João Batista where one of the silver smiths has their workshop and a shop. I found two necklaces and a pair of earrings, they were pretty tough bargainers but I managed to bring the price down almost to half of what they began asking.
Going back into town we had a cup of tea before Arne and Amaya had to go and catch the boat back to the mainland. In the afternoon I just relaxed, reading a book in the hammock at Miti Miwiri.
Monday morning I had booked a guide to take me, walking, to a neighboring island; Ilha Quirimba. It was fascinating to walk through the mangroves knowing that in a couple of hours there will be so much water it would reach above my head. The walk is about 4 km. Ilha Qurimba is also a very beautiful island with a big coconut plantation run by a very nice German family who invited me for a glass of homemade lemonade :)
After walking around the island a couple of hours we had lunch at a local restaurant. And later in the afternoon I took a boat back to Ibo and was again amazed by the fact that I had walked that same path just a couple of hours earlier. The huge tide differences really fascinate me!
I had already decided to go back to Pemba on Tuesday morning, so at 05.00 am I was at the beach waiting for the boat to get ready. It was a beautiful morning, but really chilly and I hadn’t packed any sweaters so I was freezing quite a bit. The boat ride to Quissanga took about 1 hour 15 minutes and was very easy on perfectly calm water. In Quissanga I had to wait 45 minutes before the chapa arrived (the local buses here are called chapa) and then another half hour 200 meters into the trip… It took almost 6 hours to get back to Pemba, it’s only about 120 km but when you average 20 km/h that’s how long it takes. And of course all the stops on the way, with people getting on and off, don’t make it faster. But I really wanted the experience and will definitely do it again. I paid $132 to get to Ibo in the plane and $7 to get back by boat and chapa. For me it was perfect! I got to see the coast line from above on the way there and the countryside on my way home.
I will definitely go back to Ibo, hopefully sooner than later. And the next trip is planned to the bush – guess if I’m all excited about that!!!
Am uploading pics, but it doesn’t work to well (no surprise there) so I will have to continue doing that the next couple of days before I can publish them…
söndag 20 juni 2010
torsdag 10 juni 2010
New trip
Magda and I have started to plan a trip. We will probably leave this weekend, but still don’t know where to. Yesterday we decided to go to Ibo, which is an island a little bit further up north from Pemba. But today we started to talk about maybe going to Malawi instead or Maputo or Ilha de Mozambique or the Niassa Reserve… Toooo many options!
Tuesday I actually made my first whole sentence in Portuguese and was understood :) I’ve also had my second lesson and I’m starting to think I might even get to being able to have a conversation eventually. It just seems I don’t have enough time to study these days, but I guess I have to pull myself together soon.
When it comes to running – same thing, nothing at the moment and this is because I have injured BOTH my big toes. The stupid toes hit stones or stairways a couple too many times. Maybe I should just cut them off. Or start to wear proper shoes. Or try to be a bit more careful…
Tuesday I actually made my first whole sentence in Portuguese and was understood :) I’ve also had my second lesson and I’m starting to think I might even get to being able to have a conversation eventually. It just seems I don’t have enough time to study these days, but I guess I have to pull myself together soon.
When it comes to running – same thing, nothing at the moment and this is because I have injured BOTH my big toes. The stupid toes hit stones or stairways a couple too many times. Maybe I should just cut them off. Or start to wear proper shoes. Or try to be a bit more careful…
torsdag 3 juni 2010
Another lazy day
Went to Clube Naval with Magda today – it was hot and sunny, but we had a very nice and refreshing breeze from the ocean that kept us alive. Magda was examining me on my Portuguese homework and I must say I did pretty well ;)
The last few days have been very nice; we have just been floating around more or less. Yesterday we went to Starfish in the afternoon for a glass of wine and some beautiful views, then dinner at Pemba Dolphin with Thomas & Vanda. Pemba life at its best!
Now: movie night at Russell’s…
The last few days have been very nice; we have just been floating around more or less. Yesterday we went to Starfish in the afternoon for a glass of wine and some beautiful views, then dinner at Pemba Dolphin with Thomas & Vanda. Pemba life at its best!
Now: movie night at Russell’s…
måndag 31 maj 2010
New friend in Pemba
Today Magda arrived in Pemba! She had a rough trip coming here with a suitcase catching fire on the bus, then she almost got thrown in the river when refusing to pay extra for the boat crossing the border, awful guest houses on the way and a 24-hour ride from Dar to Mtwara. But - yes, she is still alive, just a bit tired… We’ve had a nice evening catching up at Russell’s and soon we will head home to C’s house where we will stay a couple of nights when she is in Maputo. Tomorrow we’ll start the “grand tour of Pemba”.
onsdag 26 maj 2010
Yeah!
The last couple of nights I’ve kept forgetting to send a text message to Jo asking for her running plans this week. Freud?!?
Must be because I am kind of half in a training mood, half in a vacation mood and half in a “want to start work soon” mood. I guess it’s a bit hard from time to time to pull yourself together and do the less easy things when you don’t HAVE to. I definitely find it easy to get a bit lazy, but eventually my body always wants me to change into a healthier lifestyle – kind of amazing actually. If I don’t eat enough vegetables for a while my body starts to crave them (same goes for chocolate unfortunately…) and if I don’t exercise enough; same thing. I am very happy about that – it makes it so much easier to live the way I prefer!
So => today I ran the full 10 k’s!! I was kind of close the 2 first runs last week as well, but only went 8 + 7 on those. Which I am very happy with, but today it feels goooood :) And I did it with my training top inside out AND backwards. But, you know, it was 5.00 am when I got dressed… Don’t know if anybody noticed - hope not.
After breakfast I walked into town (another 8 km! Yeesss) to immigrations to start the work on my monthly extension of the visa. And, of course, they sent me right back home. But actually because I came one week too early this time, so that’s not too bad. Hope it works out smoothly next week instead.
Today I also had my first private lesson in Portuguese! It feels great to finally get started. I have been trying to learn on my own, but it is kind of hard. I’m still at the same level as 3 weeks ago; I can order food and ask the guarda to do my laundry and stuff like that but that’s a bit too far from where I want to be. But I’m sure Marcia will get me there in no time :)
Must be because I am kind of half in a training mood, half in a vacation mood and half in a “want to start work soon” mood. I guess it’s a bit hard from time to time to pull yourself together and do the less easy things when you don’t HAVE to. I definitely find it easy to get a bit lazy, but eventually my body always wants me to change into a healthier lifestyle – kind of amazing actually. If I don’t eat enough vegetables for a while my body starts to crave them (same goes for chocolate unfortunately…) and if I don’t exercise enough; same thing. I am very happy about that – it makes it so much easier to live the way I prefer!
So => today I ran the full 10 k’s!! I was kind of close the 2 first runs last week as well, but only went 8 + 7 on those. Which I am very happy with, but today it feels goooood :) And I did it with my training top inside out AND backwards. But, you know, it was 5.00 am when I got dressed… Don’t know if anybody noticed - hope not.
After breakfast I walked into town (another 8 km! Yeesss) to immigrations to start the work on my monthly extension of the visa. And, of course, they sent me right back home. But actually because I came one week too early this time, so that’s not too bad. Hope it works out smoothly next week instead.
Today I also had my first private lesson in Portuguese! It feels great to finally get started. I have been trying to learn on my own, but it is kind of hard. I’m still at the same level as 3 weeks ago; I can order food and ask the guarda to do my laundry and stuff like that but that’s a bit too far from where I want to be. But I’m sure Marcia will get me there in no time :)
tisdag 25 maj 2010
Dad
Saturday was my dad’s birthday and I wish I could have been in Krokek, celebrating him with my family! I miss both them and all my friends back home very much. Good for me I have some new friends here; otherwise I’ll probably be heading home soon. But C, Frank & Jutta (among others) are really great!
And next week is Magda coming from Zanzibar to visit. She wants to check Pemba out and see if she will move here instead. She is a teacher from Poland and will hopefully success in finding a job here. Then we just have to find her a place to stay and she’ll be all set :)
I've been diving twice this last week and it’s been awesome! Have seen tons of fish and at least 3 Stingrays (bigger than the ones in Zanzibar). They look so cool just fluddering around in the water!
And - finally I’ve found a place where I can give massage. It’s a gym, no longer in use, just 5 minutes walk from my house. Perfect! Saturday we moved the massage table from Frank’s house and now I can start any day. I just hope Frank hasn’t been talking to too many people about what he called “the torture session”… But he wants to get another one - so I guess he’s ok ;)
Today I discovered I have taken over 2 500 pics already on this trip. So here are some from my new neighborhood:
My casa in Pemba
Low tide fishermen, my everyday view from the balcony
Next door neighbors
I just had to put in another sunset...
Frank working on my massage table - thank you so so much Frank!!
And next week is Magda coming from Zanzibar to visit. She wants to check Pemba out and see if she will move here instead. She is a teacher from Poland and will hopefully success in finding a job here. Then we just have to find her a place to stay and she’ll be all set :)
I've been diving twice this last week and it’s been awesome! Have seen tons of fish and at least 3 Stingrays (bigger than the ones in Zanzibar). They look so cool just fluddering around in the water!
And - finally I’ve found a place where I can give massage. It’s a gym, no longer in use, just 5 minutes walk from my house. Perfect! Saturday we moved the massage table from Frank’s house and now I can start any day. I just hope Frank hasn’t been talking to too many people about what he called “the torture session”… But he wants to get another one - so I guess he’s ok ;)
Today I discovered I have taken over 2 500 pics already on this trip. So here are some from my new neighborhood:
My casa in Pemba
Low tide fishermen, my everyday view from the balcony
Next door neighbors
I just had to put in another sunset...
Frank working on my massage table - thank you so so much Frank!!
måndag 17 maj 2010
Frustration
I bought some DVDs last week and have now been watching some of them. There are about 10-20 something movies on each DVD and not all of them are what I hoped...
First of all; half of them are French spoken with French subtitles (it says English on the cover of course). And that would have been great if I wanted to study French, but for now I’m quite satisfied with Portuguese… Then there is one both English spoken and with English subtitles – it’s just that either the subtitles belonged to another movie, or the person writing them was extremely creative. That’s ok since I do understand English, but sometimes the noise from the road outside my window is so loud I can’t hear what they are saying.
Then I watched Denzel Washington in “The Debater”, I must say his French is terrific. This time it was with English subtitles though, so I could actually understand the whole movie. And, finally, I also saw “John Q”. Heartbreaking story and I really hope it all ended well! The after texts broke off the movie 10-15 minutes early…
Well, well – can’t do much about it. At least I can’t complain about life being too predictable here in Africa!
My cold is now over and I have started my way back to full exercise again. Long walks every morning since Friday. And tomorrow I have a jogging date with Jo at 05.15 and 10 k’s to look forward to. I really don’t know if I’m up for the full 10 yet, but I’ll definitely give it a shot! My aim is to run every other day and walk every other day. Obviously it’s needed for more reasons than feeling good and taking care of my health => last week I met my diving buddy Gerry one day and he murmured something I didn’t hear. When I asked him to repeat he goes “you’re FAT!” No beating around the bush there :) :)
First of all; half of them are French spoken with French subtitles (it says English on the cover of course). And that would have been great if I wanted to study French, but for now I’m quite satisfied with Portuguese… Then there is one both English spoken and with English subtitles – it’s just that either the subtitles belonged to another movie, or the person writing them was extremely creative. That’s ok since I do understand English, but sometimes the noise from the road outside my window is so loud I can’t hear what they are saying.
Then I watched Denzel Washington in “The Debater”, I must say his French is terrific. This time it was with English subtitles though, so I could actually understand the whole movie. And, finally, I also saw “John Q”. Heartbreaking story and I really hope it all ended well! The after texts broke off the movie 10-15 minutes early…
Well, well – can’t do much about it. At least I can’t complain about life being too predictable here in Africa!
My cold is now over and I have started my way back to full exercise again. Long walks every morning since Friday. And tomorrow I have a jogging date with Jo at 05.15 and 10 k’s to look forward to. I really don’t know if I’m up for the full 10 yet, but I’ll definitely give it a shot! My aim is to run every other day and walk every other day. Obviously it’s needed for more reasons than feeling good and taking care of my health => last week I met my diving buddy Gerry one day and he murmured something I didn’t hear. When I asked him to repeat he goes “you’re FAT!” No beating around the bush there :) :)
fredag 14 maj 2010
torsdag 13 maj 2010
Adapter…
The last couple of days nothing much have happened… I have a cold and have been kind of taking it easy trying to get rid of it. Although, on Monday C helped me do a big shopping; e.g. 40 liter water, wash detergent, milk etc. A lot of heavy stuff that’s hard to shop for if you don’t have a car.
Tuesday I stayed inside all day with my cold. Was watching 4 movies on my computer and went to bed at 8.00 pm. Mom & dad called from New York! They are having a great time of course, but the weather is a bit cold, obviously not what they were hoping for! I wish I was there (and not only for the fresh and cool air... ;))
Yesterday I discovered a wonderful and fast Internet connection. You can imagine my frustration when my battery died and the power outlets were Southafrican... Especially since I have an adapter with me!!! But today it's ok again - I'm back WITH adapter, expecting to get a bunch of things done. Including uploading lots of pics from Zanzibar :)
And I feel a lot better so everything is great today!
Tuesday I stayed inside all day with my cold. Was watching 4 movies on my computer and went to bed at 8.00 pm. Mom & dad called from New York! They are having a great time of course, but the weather is a bit cold, obviously not what they were hoping for! I wish I was there (and not only for the fresh and cool air... ;))
Yesterday I discovered a wonderful and fast Internet connection. You can imagine my frustration when my battery died and the power outlets were Southafrican... Especially since I have an adapter with me!!! But today it's ok again - I'm back WITH adapter, expecting to get a bunch of things done. Including uploading lots of pics from Zanzibar :)
And I feel a lot better so everything is great today!
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