Trip 2: Going home again

26 September 2011

We are going home! While we love wandering, we both are developing a pull to sit at home on the couch and relax. Traveling every few weeks for weeks at a time is going to wear us out.

But, first, a village tour. Fundu Lagoon works closely with three local villages to improve their quality of life. As part of this, they offer a tour through the villages to see the school the lodge has built and help support the rather poor economy of the village. There is nothing but mud huts around. Even though the lodge built a school for the villages, the children do not attend the school. Children from other villages go to this school. These children are running around and memorizing the Koran. That’s it. There is no hope for improvement in their lives. Their parents aren’t fighting for them to have a better life. It is just the way their lives shall be. A lot to process isn’t it?

A group of children ran up to the mzungus hoping to get some candy and maybe a little money. Well, we bought a spice bag for 20,000 shillings because we didn’t have any change and I didn’t feel like bargaining. The spice bag was probably worth 5,000 shillings. Whatever. We were mzungued. Funny how some days you care and other days you don’t. But, we only had 10,000 shilling bills and I knew these villagers weren’t going to have change.

Went back to the lodge. Bought our mask for Pemba and had a smoothie and a cup of coffee before we jumped on the boat to leave our new favorite place. I haven’t been that relaxed in a long time.

Rode to the harbor with the Spanish couple we had been spending the past few days with! They are great and I’m kicking myself for not exchanging contact info. But, that’s life.

Went through airport security, if you can call it that. It involved two people asking to see our bags and waving a wand at us. Wow. That’s a secure airport.

Jumped on another tiny plane that was bound for Zanzibar, then Dar.  This time I was not as freaked out, but it’s because we had our choice of seats, and I sat in the seat closest to the door. I was fine until I looked up and saw the pilot with his hands behind his head as we hovered over the ocean. I tried to get a shot of this for my father-in-law. But, he put his hands down before I got the picture.

Leaving Pemba. So pretty.

We were in the last row. Told you it was tiny.

Landed in Dar. Met up with our Dar cabbie!  He brought us home. And looks like we are going to be home for a whole month while Liam preps for grad school apps. It’s going to be nice and relaxing.