5 August 2009

5 August, Day 53: The vomit comet

Early rise today, pack as best we can and head to breakfast. Finish up and check out, say cheers to Qin and Tian. Apparently their dolphin experience was way better than ours, the key was going out earlier. Oh well. We agree to meet them on the 13:00 ferry. Chollo sent a friend with a minibus for our taxi and it’s a smooth comfortable ride to the dock. Get our tickets and park off at Mercury’s around the corner (we kinda like the place, ok). Pizza was rubbish though, tasteless. Take one last look at the stunning view and move to board the ferry.

The sea is still very rough as we disembark, so much so that they hand everyone sick bags about 30 minutes into the journey. Qin and Tian made it, barely. Movie on TV was Congo, a fantastically stupid 90’s movie with that guy that plays in Nip/Tuck as the goody-two-shoes doctor. Lots of folks lose their lunch in the short 2 hour trip.

Bye Bye Zanzibar!

Arrive at Dar docks and it’s the same chaos again to unload the passengers and baggage. Porters, standing 4 miles deep wait with bated breath to board to “help” people unload their bags. They’re hold at bay by a steward. The porters remind me of the vultures we saw in the Mara, salivating over the fresh Wildebeest carcass. Once about half the people are off the boat they’re allowed access and they swarm onboard. I stand casually to one side and wait for them to clear all the other bags before I can get to mine, way in the back of the pile. I do so with the finesse of a champion weightlifter. Jerk and lift, yo.

On the way to the exit we negotiate a taxi on the fly and get a good deal back to Makadi camp. The Chinese chicks bailed, Tian was feeling motion sick and couldn’t handle the bobbing of the boats in the harbour. We’ll catch them later, I hope.

The trip back to the camp is quite quick, since as we arrive a smaller ferry is already offloading. In no time we’re on the other side and at the camp. The cars are still here and squeaky clean! I can even see the rims on the Bullet, super stoked he didn’t wash the mud off the spare on the roof. Unfortunately, the batteries (yes, plural) where dead. Dead like disco. Yeah, I did unplug and switch off everything, so I dunno. Jumper leads come out and away we go. We’ll put it on a battery charger tonight.

Setup tents, actually feels good to camp again. Go for a swim but it’s high tide, and very dirty. I don’t know where all the sea grass and junk came from. Skip that and jump in the pool instead where Annelie entertains me (and herself, mostly) with her synchronised swimming skills. Difficult to do, since she can’t stop laughing.

Dinner is whatever we have left over and we left in the camp fridges, so sausages and a ton of bacon, with a salad that followed suit.

Annelie’s ear is fine again, btw. Seems the bit of nursing did the trick. I say it was all the cocktails.

Heading south again tomorrow, over the ferry, through the Ass end of the world and out the other end to a spot Fanie and Dirk camped at a few days ago, Riverside Campsite (yeah, yet another “Riverside” whatchmacallit. How original)

Highlights: Not blowing chunks on the ferry, I was surprisingly fine

Being reunited with the Bullet, I dig this bad boy so much

Being entertained by a water ballerina! X

[G & A], out

Like a fat kid likes cake

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Die klomp briewe was nou lekker-lees. Ons het die beskrywing van die rit op die scooter verskriklik geniet en julle tydjie op die eiland klink idillies (die swak diens vergeet 'n mens gou).

Jy en jou water-ballerina moet die uitspan op die Kariba meer geniet na die 2500 kms rit!

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