Day 3 (13 November 2010)
A wild, deserted beach; a clear blue sky and a slight breeze.. What more could you want? Waking up this morning and going for an amazing swim in the Inhambane waters was the start of our day. Who says we can’t mix work (outreach) and play? We soaked in the first (of many hopefully!) sand and sea experiences, fighting the rip and picking up cowrie shells. Around 8h the sand was flaring and we had to jog back to our awesome chalet to grab some pronutro before packing up.
Some great sand driving got us back onto the road to Vilanculos, these Isuzu LX300’s are so smooth on the road but they really show their metal when needing to! Tough, durable and reliable, with the ability to adapt to any environment or situation, the Isuzu KB has proven over and over again that it’s up for any challenge. Stopping off to inflat our tyres, we met with an Oom with a gorgeous Jack Russel pup (yes its true, us vets are attracted to the furry variety) with puppy pyoderma, ie little pimples on her tummy, probably due to a flea bite allergy. We jumped at the opportunity and were very excited to treat her and give the Oom some meds. We’re on this trip to make a difference and we handed out some pens to the locals before heading off .
Today’s drive was amazingly relaxed and relatively quick, which is such a blessing compared to yesterday! We thought we had an unforgettable view of the Mozambiquan coastline yesterday, but WOW were we blown away walking down to the beautifully flat, turquoise ocean sporting local dhows and sailboats. Drink in hand, we lounged in the luke-warm water until the sun went down.
James’ friend Sam joined us tonight to have some local beer and rip us off (“he’s not everyone’s cup of tea” in James’ words). We met some Australian tourists, including a vet nurse. We had our first meal that we actually prepared ourselves, and this is the first night we’re camping!! We’re still settling in routine and equipment, but at least Dani’s books balanced today!
We’ve gotten the MASSINGA move (check the pics of us ‘crazy white monkeys’), as well as the “I like to move it move it” stickman, among many other team antics (mainly initiated by our under-aged, over-qualified crude comedian Gareth). And its only day 3, I wonder what the next 40 days will bring?
There’s a great vibe here with a cool pub and people, tomorrow we’re heading on a day trip to one of the islands for snorkelling and site-seeing, can’t wait! The Archipelago islands are a nature reserve area, with the Bazaruto island being the largest, but more of that tomorrow!! This is Nicky signing out:)
