Sojourner's Sojourns
Natural Beauty + Sojourns + Wellness
I headed to Montreal to see Lynne. Lynne of Mozambique fame (reference entries way way down....no...keep going...there you go). It has been over a year since I said farewell to Lynne near the dusty Mercado Central in Inhambane and over a decade since I've last set foot in Montreal (I used to go every February in high school with the French teacher).
My main objective during this trip - catch-up with Lynne of course and EAT EAT EAT!
We let our noses and stomachs lead the way. Having been to the Bahamas before, there was nothing touristy that we needed to do. So, we rented a motor bike and created our own excursion.
After biking a loop around the scenic periphery of Nassau, we needed food, but not just any food, something unique, something local. Sustainable tourism tip: Eat local whenever you can!
We were in Nassau, heading into the touristy area of Atlantis. Under the bridge that will bring you to Atlantis, is an amazing array of locally owned restaurants. Featured at most of these establishments was the shining culinary jewel of the Bahamas- conch. We were knew we had to try the conch.
Our meal was delicious. The conch was sweet and tender. The service was super friendly and surprisingly quick. One of the restaurant owners even brought us wine and joined us for a drink and chat. It was fantastic: great food, cultural exchange, money pumped back into the hands of the locals and not some fancy foreign owned restaurant with an overpriced menu.
And memories...
I turned 30 today right here overlooking the Caribbean Sea. It was the perfect place to welcome my third decade. Happy birthday to me! After staying in San Jose with my friend Liza, my beautiful boyfriend flew out from New York to celebrate with me. Wanting a nice romantic beach location, I scanned my guidebook for ideas. We ended up taking a bus to the town of Cahuita nestled right on the Caribbean coast.
Cahuita, an English-speaking enclave of people, descendants of Jamaicans brought to Costa Rica as laborers, was truly a laid back and cool place. The people were so friendly and chill, I felt like I was in the Caribbean.
We stayed in a little backpackers bungalow right on the beach. A row of hammocks was set up right outside of our door overlooking the ocean. Every night, we were lulled to sleep by the sound of the ocean waves. I opene the door in the morning to an exquisite view of the Caribbean Sea.
In the bungalow next door, is a couple from Australia. We buddied up for a few days playing dominoes like the locals (everywhere we went, men sat out with a bottle of beer and a game of dominoes), eating (I wasn't too impressed with the food), snorkeling (watch out for the sea urchins) and grabbing drinks at local dive establishments.
Cahuita has a reputation for being dangerous. People in San Jose were constantly warning me about the dangers on the other side of the country. I found the exact opposite. People were extremely friendly and welcoming. I believe that common sense is always a persons best guide.
Cahuita Photo Gallery:
On our way back from Nicaragua ( a very confusing way back due to a bus mix-up and a rain storm) we decided to stop in Arenal before returning to San Jose. Arenal is the lush mountainous region in the north, famous for its volcano.
I'm so glad we made the decision to stop, Arenal was simply stunning.
After walking about forty minutes on foot in the rain, we made our way to a hostel and settled in.
I went on a hike through a rainforest canopy.
I went on a horseback trek through the mountains.
There were so many things to do, all of which were easily arranged at our hostel. Arenal is a major tourist stop in Costa Rica and there is no shortage of hostels and spur of the minute activities to partake in.
Costa Rica marked my first trip to Central America. It took me too long to visit. I can't wait to return. "Latin America," my friend Kelley recently described, "is a diverse rainbow."
Her description of the people and the land was dead-on. Like many post-colonial nations, the people are a blend of their unique stories and histories. In the capital of San Jose a lot of the people seemed very Spanish European. Up North, the people had a different way about them, perhaps they had more Amerindian blood? They were very laid back and embodied the "gaucho" style. On the Caribbean Coast, were communities of people of African descent, brought over from Jamaica, and Island Patois was spoken.
Costa Rica was a beautiful blend of cultures, tastes, energy and art. I was acutely aware of one groups sparse numbers however. You are hard pressed to find many indigenous Amerindians, they have been virtually wiped out, the amazing, disappearing people. It is a sad reality, the dirty side of the Americas.
Anyhow, Costa Rica was a beautiful adventure. Pura Vida all the way!
Nicaragua was a last minute, spur of the moment trip. I travelled to Costa Rica for a few weeks, and my friend Liza and I found ourselves with a little extra time on our hands. San Jose was rainy and cool, we needed out. We packed our bags, hopped a bus, set off without much of a plan and led ourselves on a tour of the charming colonial city Grenada.Grenada was only about ten hours away from San Jose. The bus ride was cheap and efficient. The ride was beautiful, I got a really great sense of Costa Rica as we travelled through the countryside. I made a mental note to stop off at Arenal on the way back.
The food in Nicaragua was fantastic. I am a big fan of the plantain and cheese in a banana leaf dish (I have no idea what it is called). The central market was a great place to grab cheap bites. Restaurants were also ubiquitous, boasting a host of local and international cuisines. Grenada stands out in my memory as a wonderful, laid-back, friendly place.
Hammocks were everywhere. The weather was wonderfully warm and humid. Peopole seemed so genuinely happy and were extremely patient about my humble attempts at speaking Spanish.
We arrived in Zanzibar without a concrete plan. We started off in Stone Town because being the capital, it was where the airport was and it was where the bulk of the music festival was. We booked our first night at a hotel and that fell through, so after securing lodging for the first few days, we became drifters, relying on the kindness of and tips from strangers.
We were not led astray. The people that we encountered, locals and ex-pats alike, were so friendly and super-accommodating.
While at dinner in Stone Town one day, we were approached by a South African man in town for the music festival. He joined our table, and happened to mention that he owned a beach front bungalow resort on the other side of the island. One thing led to another, and two days later, we were off to meet our new friend and stay on his resort to experience the ocean for a few days. We got a great discount and we were the only guests since it was off-peak season. It was wonderful.
While out at a bar, one night on the other side of the island, we connected with a friend of a friend of Shaka's who owned a kite-sailing business on yet another exclusive side of the island. One thing led to another and we were invited to stay with them for a few days. We were completely taken care of. He put us up in the spare bedrooms in his house, shared his pet dogs and monkeys with us, introduced us to his friends and took us out to his favorite bars and restaurants.
Had we followed a guidebook, we would not have had this experience. Guidebooks are great, don't get me wrong. I use them all of the time, but sometimes, you just need to follow your gut and soak up an experience.
In addition, while at the music festival, I met a dj from Kenya, Abdul, who also took the time out of his busy schedule to show us around Stone Town and introduce us to friends and family members of ours. We were able to gain an inside perspective on the culture, learn a few words in Swahili and got to see our new surroundings from a beautiful local perspective. The wonderful people you meet when you travel, can truly become some of your most respected friends.
Thank you to everyone who made our trip to Zanzibar a journey to remember.
Stone Town boasts a host of delicious restaurants. Remember that spice tour I was raving about? Well, the food in Zanzibar definitely benefits from the use of those spices as seasoning. Once again, I'm not talking spicy overkill, people know how to balance and blend spices so that they enhance the food naturally.
We had so many great meals!
By the way, vegetarians of the world, you'd be in heaven. So many of the dishes were meatless and full of beans, lentils and dark green leafy goodness.
Zanzibar, the hub of the Arabic trade route is known for its exotic spices. We took a guided group tour to see what all of this spice talk was about.
Our tour left from Stone Town and took us about two hours into the dense mountains of Zanzibar Island.
As an Ayurvedic practitioner, I was so excited about this tour. I couldn't wait to hear about the different spices grown here, their origins and the various ways in which they are used (in a culinary sense as well as healing).
Our guides were knowledgeable and led us through spice and fruit plantations, describing in detail each item as well as the origin and possible uses.
We also got to sample some great fruit.
At the end of the tour, we were welcomed by the people of a local village. We played with the children and did some spice shopping as a group of local women prepared a meal for us that incorporated the spices we learned about on the tour.
Our meal was delicious so amazing. The spices were subtle, not at all overwhelming, and blended together perfectly. This was not a spicy mystery curry moment, the food emanated gourmet goodness.
If you find yourself in Zanzibar, a spice tour is a must. There are many companies that offer these tours which depart from various points of the island. Go ahead, give one a try, you won't be sorry.
The Island of Zanzibar rests on one gigantic fertile coral reef. We took a tour through Chumbe Island Coral Park to get a sense of the flora and fauna of this amazing island. *Note: If you are afraid of monkeys swinging in trees above your head, hollering loudly, this tour may not be fore you- lol.
"You will see Colobus monkeys in the canopies, but they can not hurt you." This is the first thing our guide said, and within minutes, I was snapping away like a national geographic photographer on assignment. Monkeys they promised and monkeys they delivered.
There was also a chameleon sighting.
The park was so lush and green. It was a magical experience. At one point we were so deep into the forest that all we could hear were the distant sounds of monkeys above us and the steady stream of water below us. At some point on the tour, I decided to strike a few yoga poses as we crossed a bridge. The funniest moment was when I attempted to go into crow pose. All of a sudden we heard the frantic screams of our guide "Miss, please, please miss. You must not do that. You will fall." I'm sure he thought I was insane.
This was a great day!
We are so lucky, our February break corresponds perfectly with the Sauti Za Busara music festival, a week-long festival celebrating the best of East African Music. The festival kicks off right here in Stone Town and then travels to various points around the island- hence the booked hotel rooms and heavy tourism.
Zanzibar has its own unique blend of music called Tarab music. It is a blend of Arabic and Swahili, very unique to the island. We were fortunate enough to see a concert by Bi Kidude, the mother of Tarab music. She reminded me of Nina Simone, the way she sauntered and swayed on stage. Kidude had to have been at least 90 years old and going strong. After this performance there were a series of films presented at a nearby cafe chronicling the music on the island as well as her life story.
The music festival was also a great way to support local artists and artisans. There were so many vendor booths set up with goods from jewelry, to carvings, to batik prints and clothes and artwork. Granted, yes, you will pay more considering the large gathering of tourists, but haggling is expected and at the end of the day, the American dollar converted so well, I didn't mind being taken from time to time, it puts food in people's mouths.
Stone Town is a gritty urban hub seeped deeply in tradition. The Arabic influence is strong, and is reflected in everything from the architecture, the genetic make-up of many of the people, and Islam, the predominant religion.
A city situated right on the water, Stone Town was a major stop on the Arabic trade route hence Zanzibar's reputation as Spice Island, due to all of the trading and cultural blending that occurred on the island.
February in New York is so cold, dreary and miserable. Memories of Mozambique have been creeping back, slowly luring me once again to Africa. This time, two of my co-workers Luisa and Shaka are with me. Winter break 2009- Zanzibar. We've got ten days and an entire island to explore. Why Zanzibar?
a) None of us has ever been
b) Ethiopian Airlines is running a buy one ticket get another free special
c) How romantic and amazing does Zanzibar sound, how could we not go?
Not a single one of us felt the need to purchase a guide-book. We didn't book hotel rooms because we wanted the freedom to travel around the island. Instead we booked our first night in Stone Town and are going to leave the rest up to serendipity.
Unfortunately, after excitedly clamoring out of our taxi, to our hotel, we were told that there are no rooms. No rooms?!? We reserved a room and paid in advance and everything.The man gave us a refund and wished us luck. This was not the note we had hoped to start our Zanzabari adventure on. It took us about three hours to find another hotel room. Apparently February is busy season in Stone Town (the capital).
Alas, several hours later, we had a room, had showered and changed, and were ready to hit the cobblestone road.
I am back in Manhattan. In many ways it's almost as if I never left. It's funny how life moves forward with such great momentum despite it all. It's strange how in the blink of an eye you can be transported from one time, one place, one reality to a completely different one. I have had almost no time to process anything. Yesterday, on the subway, Tamika and I kept blinking at each other, trying to understand how we came to be in New York, when only a few... (ok like 48) hours ago we were riding a rusty, rickety chapa. I am happy to be back. I'm taking it slowly. I'm finishing up my final round of interviews this week. Then I'm heading to Maryland/D.C., Rochester and back to Manhattan to go through the process of re-settling (eeeh...).
I miss Mozambique already and have decided to enroll in a formal Portuguese language course so I can truly become fluent enough to go back (in some capacity or another). I'm definitely going back to Mozie, the love bug bit me the moment I stepped of the chapa, although at the time, I wouldn't have called it "love".
Tamika and I had an adventure making our way back home to the states. We almost didn't make it back.
We left Inhambane for Maputo at 4:30 am. We spent the night at Lynne's, took a chapa from the central market and arrived at 11:30. This was on a Monday and we were supposed to fly out of Joburg on Tuesday evening. Two weeks earlier, we contacted the ADPP headquarters in Maputo telling them that we were leaving and that we needed our bus tickets to Joburg (our organization is supposed to cover our expenses to the airport, etc.). Sure, no problem, we were told.
When we got off of the chapa in Maputo, we called the office to let them know we had arrived and would be heading to Machava in a few hours to pick up our tickets for later on that day (we were supposed to leave on a bus at 7pm- we just wanted to drop our bags off at our friend Jesse's apartment so that we wouldn't have to lug them around the city). When we called, we were informed that they hadn't purchased any tickets for us and that the bus that we were supposed to take was full. The panic began here.
Desperate and furious, Tamika and I showed up at a particular man's office (I am not naming names) to get to the bottom of the confusion. We were told that it wasn't possible to get a bus in time to catch our plane and that they didn't know we were leaving. I was literally told and I quote "this is not my problem, this is your problem".
This was one of the most frustrating things about living and working in Mozambique, nobody ever wanted to take accountability for anything, nobody was ever on top of anything. There were no systems in place to check or balance much of anything making it so easy to get screwed over because you couldn't depend on anyone and people didn't do anything unless you lit a fire beneath their you know what. It was a backwards mess.
We were so angry. We argued with this man and his buddies in the office. Finally, since there were no buses and we needed to be in Joburg by 7pm the next day, he decided to give us the ticket money and told us to take a chapa. This would have been uncomfortable but fine if there weren't violent conflicts at the border and people being killed. I couldn't believe that ADPP had so little concern for our personal welfare that they would send us, two females, on a rickety chopa with Mozambique plates over the border in the middle of a conflict zone where Mozambicans were being targeted and attacked. We took the money and left. We had no other options. The only bus company that we were aware of was booked solid.
We called everyone we knew. Everyone begged us not to risk taking the chopa. We were torn. Our flight would be leaving without us, if we didn't make a decision and quickly. Literally two hours before we almost took a chapa, my friend Lynne called to let us know that there were two tickets available on the Pantera Azul bus that was scheduled to leave in the morning at 7am which would get us to Joburg by 3pm. It would be a close call but it was our best chance.
Thank god for friends. We were connected with a friend of Lynne's who lived in town where we spent the night and left in the morning with no problems. Luckily my friends are wonderful, supportive people, without which, I would never have survived the journey or my experience in Mozambique.
That last clash with my organization made me so happy that I was leaving early. I can't stress enough, the importance of doing your homework before you take a contract abroad.
The Pantera Azul bus was comfortable and spacious. We relaxed our tense muscles and enjoyed the complimentary tea and biscuit service. It seemed that everything would work out in then end after all when about an hour away from Joburg, around 2:30, the bus blows a flat tire. We were horrified. We just wanted to get to the airport so that we could go home. We were so close but it was just not working out.
The driver and his first mate hopped out and worked on the tire for about 30 minutes. Somehow they patched the tire and we slowly puttered onward towards the bus station.
We finally made it to Joburg. We were about an hour late but we were there. The brother of one of the guys we knew in Mozie came to pick us up at the station and took us to the airport. We made it just in the nick of time. We were even able to spend our last rands and mets at the airport mall before boarding.
Despite it all, the flight was great. Tamika and I had two seats each. I caught up on my movies. The amarula and wine flowed freely. We had a surprise stop in Senegal? but 17and a half hours later, we made it to New York and boarded the subway and bam...we were back in the game.
My Mozambique- ADPP chapter is now closed. I am working on a book about my experiences. There were so many things that happened that I couldn't really write about in this blog that I am recording now. I'll post my introduction as well as blurbs at a later point. I can write what I want now that I'm no longer under a contract ;-)
Thanks for reading!
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY!
I am terminating my contract with Humana People to People and ADPP a month early. I will be heading home next Tuesday. I have many reasons for this decision which I'll get into later.The weather is dipping low right now. We've had freezing cold evenings where I lay awake shivering. Evenings so cold, I can see my breath when I am outside drawing water from the well. Yet during the day, the height of the afternoon, it's hot - so hot. I don't understand. This probably explains why I have a cold or maybe a sinus infection. I don't know what I have yet, but it sucks.
In other news, we've now completely run out of water. We've hit the bottom of the well. The only water available is thick brown and murky. It's pretty disgusting. The water is basically runny mud and smells strange. I'm afraid to bathe. My roomates and I are turning into beasts of the bush. Luckily for me, I'm in town, hence the internet access, where I'll be able to take a hot shower at Akisha's tonight. I feel for our neighbors, we all share this well. I wonder how they are getting by?
To further complicate matters, we've got no gas in which to heat anything and our "lovely" organization is refusing to pay our gas bill. According to our contract, they are supposed to take care of our gas. This means we have no access to drinking water and we can't cook. We've been waiting on a water filter for three months and it hasn't arrived. The closest bottled water is an hours walk away. The going has gotten tough. I've started to hoard water. I need it to rain so I can collect rain water.
My friend Akisha threw a going away party for me and Wendy on Saturday. It was really nice. Her garden was recently landscaped and the event was beautiful. I made fudge. I ate tons of cheese. We had an enormous cake. There was fresh squeezed passion fruit juice. Life just doesn't get much better.
This week I sat in on a panel at work to grade the students as they take their oral exams in English. It's nice to have work to do. It's nice that we are fed not only bread, but bread with cold egg for breakfast (really tasty actually-just a pinch of salt and ...yum...). It's all a giant mess of course. The oral exams aren't so much oral exams as they are presentations, most of which are not very good. However, when I do get that rare student who nails it, it's exciting. Some of the students have extremely strong futures ahead of them.
Our little dog Macuti, well, the project dog (Clara's four year old daughter Suri's dog to be specific) , is growing up before my very eyes. She now has her real big-dog teeth. I'm proud of her. I watched her develop from a yappy little palm sized creature to an adolescent of sorts. Soon her puppy years will be behind her. They grow up so fast.
Oi my throat is burning.
Time to take some more Sudafed!
There is nothing like a good hot shower. Thank god for my benevolent friends in town with running water and indoor plumbing. So fresh and so clean clean!
Yesterday I said goodbye to Akisha. She left for South Africa for a well deserved month long vacation shortly after hosting our Friday the 13th pow wow. I'll miss you akish-kish. C'ya in New York in December.
One of my favorite things about traveling is the fact that you encounter some of the most amazing people. I have met some of my favorite people while traveling. Travelers tend to be of a different breed. Most of the travelers I have encountered on my sojourns are truly open, genuine, caring, and adventurous people, I appreciate that. I will miss my circle here. It's one of those things I didn't think much about until I had to begin my goodbyes.
I gave a lecture at the Eduardo Mondlane University for Hotel Tourism. It was a very memorable experience. I spoke to a class of second year students about recycling everyday materials to create useful items that can be used in restaurants and hotels. It went over really well. The students were so creative. It looks as though I have inadvertently started a campus recycling club. I can't wait to see what the students come up with. They promise to email and keep me posted.
I spent a good portion of my morning running around the city of Inhambane filming. I want to show everyone what Inhambane looks like because I am certain that this city or town, depending on your perspective, will defy all stereotypes of what a town in Mozambique, in Africa, looks like. I also got some great footage of the beautiful bush.
I regret that it will be a very long time, years, before I see another full moon over the savannah. I am saddened that the milky way won't be the backdrop of my everyday life any longer. I will not miss the insects.
Signing off. Preparing for a girls night out in Tofo- second to last night!
I am falling apart.I don't know how it began. One morning I woke up with a wooden splinter lodged beneath my right eye. Another day I developed a cold that has now turned into a raging hacking cough. We have no more gas and our organization has refused to pay for more. This means we have no drinking water and we can not prepare food at home at all. The water in our well out back is so low, all we have are pools of thick muddy water. We are all afraid to bathe. I look at the water and the words cholera and typhoid come to mind. Times are getting interesting.
Happy Friday the 13th. To celebrate, we gathered at Akisha's to watch the Spanish film "Orphanage". Kids are creepy. But what isn't creepy is Akisha's indoor shower with hot water- aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh, that shower was nice.
I said goodbye to my students today :-( I will miss them. They were great. It wasn't an easy decision, but I have decided to end my contract with Humana a month early and will be returning to New York on Tuesday en route to D.C. en route to New York again. I have many reasons for this decision. None of which I have time to get into now. I will post a copy of my resignation letter later.
I have to go. This computer is needed for a round of karaoke.
Within the past week or two, close to 50,000 migrants from Mozambique and Zimbabwe (mostly) have crossed over the border from South Africa into Mozambique through Maputo (the capitol). The situation is desperate.The migrant workers are leaving South Africa where they have endured brutal attacks as a result of an explosion of xenophobia fueled by South Africa's struggling economy and fears that the migrants are taking jobs from South Africans.
People have been beaten, set on fire, harrassed, and over 40 people have lost their lives recently. The situation is beyond the control of the South African government (which with Joburg' being one of the most dangerous cities in the world - had questionable control to begin with).
The atmosphere here in Inhambane is tense. Everyone is talking about the problem. People are worried about crime which has increased in Maputo due to all of the traffic. The conditions in these refugee camps are deplorable. It is just a matter of days before the refugees make their way further into the mainland. It's really sad.
Is this even on the news in the US?
ACT I.(In the teachers office. Sojourner, Tamika and Gierdre have just returned from breakfast)
Teacher: Oh did you forget Sojo: Forget what? Teacher: You don't want to give the exams Sojo: What? Am I supposed to be giving an exam??? Teacher: You don't want to? Sojo: Want to what? Nobody told me I was supposed to give an exam (The other girls agree) Teacher: (Laughs) Yes well it's very important, you must give, we must hurry Sojo: Wait what exam am I giving, to which students, what are the instructions, how much time do they have? Teacher: Ah, did you forget? Sojo: Forget? Nobody told me anything. Did you forget? Teacher: Come girls we must hurry the exam has started Sojo: If it's started how are we going to give it? Teacher: Yes, but... (His phone rings, he looks to see who it is) Ok wait! (He goes to the doorway) Yes, hello my friend, how are you? No I'm not doing anything. Yes, yes, things are good and you? (Laughter) (He walks away from the building, leaving the Development Instructors annoyed in the middle of the room) Sojo: Why?
