Kruger

Setting: Hilary and Greg sitting in a car with large animals closing in.

Hilary: Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. They are getting really close.

Greg: Will you just relax.

Hilary: Greg! These are wild animals!!

Elephants: Raaougghhh! (Get out of my way)

Greg: Good point. Maybe we should move up.

Memorable Quote of trip---Hilary driving---Greg: If you freak out and kill us I'm gonna kill you

The Dhow

This is what the dhow looks like. They are made entirely of wood. Ours had a 25hp motor and was butt slow, but in the Bazaruto Islands you don't really need or want to go fast.

Vilankulos

Life in Vilankulos is substantially slower and less busy than Maputo. Basically it is a small beach town. Our time here was mainly spent laying in the sun in various locations. We took an over night dhow (African sailboat) safari to the Bazaruto Archipelago. We motored to 2 mile reef, where we got to snorkel. Next we sailed to Bazaruto Island where we hiked the sand dunes and ate lunch. The views were amazing. We were surrounded by white sand beaches and turquoise waters as far as the eye could see. We then sailed to our campsite, which was actually quite luxurious. They even had hot showers!! We sat by the fire under the stars while we waited for dinner. During dinner we had a nice conversation with a swiss family that was traveling around Africa for six weeks. Then we killed some spiders, chased a gecko out of the tent, and we were ready for bed!

The next day we sailed to Margarouqe Island where we spent the day at the beach. Unfortunately we were hiding from the sun because of sunburn from the previous day. We still managed to enjoy our time and the island was beautiful.

Last day in Maputo!

Last night we went to Choupal (where Hilary used to live) and had dinner with her host parents and one of her sisters. We got the recipe for two traditional dishes we have been eating and hope to make them when we return! It was nice for Hilary to revisit Choupal and spend some time with her host family before leaving Maputo. Next we met up with Hilary's other host sisters and friends for our last time in Maputo! Today, we will do laundry and last minute things before heading to Vilanculos for some sun!!

LAM!

We have found it difficlult to give people money here. It all started when we were trying to purchase our tickets to Vilanculos. After having several unsuccesful attempts on the internet, we decided to call the LAM airline. We were able to reserve the ticket via the telephone, but could not buy them. Since we had been trying for a couple hours and it was getting late, we decided we would go to the airport the next day to buy the tickets. We arrived at the airport to find that our reservation was not the same price we were quoted. After several questions discussing price and reservations they could not find two of our reservations, one had been cancelled, and the price of the other had increased signifigantly. So...we decided to buy a ticket for Saturday. Then we were told it would cost more to pay at the LAM office at the airport and it would be cheaper at the LAM office in the city because it was a "promotional price." By this time we were so frustrated/tired with the process, we just bought the tickets there. Finally, we had booked the tickets and were about to pay...then both of our cards were declined. Turns out, although we had called in advance, our cards had been locked. We ended up using a debit card to pay and proceeded to spend the next four hours trying to contact BOA. The guys at the internet cafe spent two of those hours downloading skype and figuring out why the microphone wasn't working. But now, we think everything is working and hopefully we won't have any more trouble giving people money here.

SHAPA TIME!!

This is how we get around every where in Maputo, the "shapa."

The first rule of the shapa, there is always more room in the shapa. The second rule of the shapa, there is always more room in the shapa!

Seriously though the last one we were on had 22 people counting the driver...

Dom Orione

We started volunteering at an orphanage named after its founder. We are primarily helping with the disabled toddlers. Since they have limited staff and the kids need to be fed individually, we help feed them lunch. Then we try to make sure the kids are clean, changed, and lying in a dry crib. This is actually kind of hard since we cannot find sheets any where. Changing the kids is also difficult because they all have limited movement.

Since volunteering we learned that the kids usually come to the orphanage through the church. Children are brought to the orphanage when the church community recognizes a child is being left at home unattended. There are currently 40 children at the facility. Some of the children have interesting stories. One child they actually found living in the forest! They told us that is why she smells everything like an animal would. She seemed to like our scent...we think. Another girl, Armanda, came to the orphange by choice because she was beaten at home.

Over all Dom Orione has been challenging, but it is nice to know we are helping a little bit. Yesterday Paulo, the director (we think), gave us a tour of Dom Orione`s vision. They are currently building a hospital where the kids will be able to receive medical attention. In this building they are including a place for physical therapy as well. We are happy to hear this because a lot of the kids we have worked with would benefit from physical therapy. They plan to run this new facility solely on volunteers so they can provide services to the community for free.

Pictures!

Top: Greg shredding a coconut

Middle: Preparing for lunch at the orphanage

Below: Backyard. A local woman is making a traditional dish.

On to Mozambique!

Due to our bags' extended holiday in Amsterdam we spent an extra day in Johannesburg. We went to the Apartheid museum. Your ticket to enter the museum classified you as white or non white and you had to go through a seperate entrance. The museum was quite sad.

Next we took a mini-bus taxi to Mandella square. Basically there are 14 people cramed in a minivan. We had to transfer at a huge transfer station where there were hundreds of these taxis. Luckily a very kind woman walked us to the right one or we would have been lost in down town J'burg. After 45min we started getting nervous as the ride was only supposed to take 15min. We started to think we had gotten on a mini-bus that was taking us to a completely different town. We were about to get off prematurely and go to a hotel to use a phone to catch an actual taxi when another passenger asked if we were going to Mandella Square. We felt relieved to know we were still on course and arrived two minutes later!

At 11:40 pm on Tuesday our bags had finally arrived, just two days after us. Greg felt like it was Christmas morning, rapidly going through his bag almost surprised to see the things he had packed. Hilary slept.

At last we were on our way to Mozambique! The bus was pretty comfortable which was good because the trip ended up being two hours longer than anticipated. This was due to the border being shutdown and our luggage trailer getting a flat. We waited in line at the border for at least an hour before our driver was able to get us through which angered others who had been waiting even longer. One guy even shouted at Greg, 'there is a queue here, we've been waiting for hours, don't make me get upset!' Greg continued into the station, got approved and we were on our way! When we arrived Hilary's host sister (Jany) and mother (Alda) were waiting for us. They took us to Lulu's-Hilary's other sister's house where we are staying.

The next morning we woke up to rapid portuguese, barking dogs, and roosters. Aaah, its good to be back.

We're here!!

Hello friends and family. After 22 hours of flight we have finally arrived in Africa! Our bags did not and decided to over night in Amsterdam. We should get them soon. Since we've been here we managed to sleep almost the entire day. Then we met up with a friend of Uncle Chuck's from the states. Christian found us a hotel, an Indian restaurant, bus to Maputo, and drove us to the Pick and Pack (our last grocery stop for a while!) Tomorrow we're off for Maputo. Ate ja (until later).