So, where was I? Oh yeah …
Well, on the morning of the 5th, I woke up at a frighteningly early 2am because I couldn’t sleep. Second floor of a hot building in a hot city, bad enough but I’ve done worse, tack on three chapas directly outside having “who can play their music the loudest” war – well, almost no sleep going on. So I just stayed up until it was time to get on the bus, left early for the bus, waited with my bag which was hauled up by some random guy who I thought was official (you’d think I’d know by now) and he asked for money. Some young Mozambicans were having fun with him and eventually gave him money to go away – I felt bad.
Bus left at 4:30am – saw baboons on the road and heard there was a crocodile. Made excellent time into Maxixe; it was about 2:30pm when we arrived. I took a motor boat across the way to Inhambane, got a needed coke, then asked the vendor where Pensão Pachiça was. Got there about 3pm, noticed Jenna wasn’t there yet, went to the market to see if she was there, no dice. Relaxed with some locals and American tourists, talking about everything, especially the romantic “meeting at a random place” story. Jenna got in a little after 5pm, while I had gone out searching again.
The next day, we went to Tofo, directly to Fatima’s backpackers and spent a wonderful three days on one of the most peaceful, serene beaches I’ve ever visited. I saw more white people than Mozambicans, but it was a necessary break nonetheless. Got lots of sun, swam in the warm Indian Ocean, and enjoyed great bar food made for beach bums.
From there, on the 9th, I headed back to Chokwe alone to find Nanosh for an hour before he left for Maputo. Blake stayed in the house that night as well, and if felt like last year. Yay. I stayed in Chokwe until the 11th, when I headed down to Maputo myself so that I could hang out with Nanosh and Jenna, and take care of other, last-minute things in the city. Got back to Chokwe with the crew on the 15th, spent the weekend there, enjoying Nanosh’s new toys and good, solid meals. Then, headed out to Hokwe on the 16th, where Jenna and I spent all last week. On Friday the 21st, we went back into Chokwe – and back into excitement. The week in Hokwe was very relaxing – if only because there’s nothing to do. I did a lot of reading. So back in Chokwe, we lived it up and went to the Palhota to enjoy excellent chicken and beers, and did a lot of home cooking. On Sunday the 23rd, Jenna and I came back to Hokwe so she could start giving lessons at school. Yesterday, I did more of the same, doing some shopping and lounging around. Tomorrow is my last day in Hokwe and early Thursday morning (27th), I go to Chokwe to say goodbye to everyone. Early Friday morning (28th), I go to Maputo to take care of final preparations for my trip home. Saturday (29th) I take a bus to Johannesburg, Sunday the 30th I take a night flight to London and on the 31st go from London to Prague. I stay in Prague through the 4th of February, when I leave for the States and get there that afternoon.
This is it.
Final thoughts?
I thought that I would be writing reams at this point, offering some conclusion to my experiences, but I still find myself focused on the next step in my travels, and not very preoccupied with the long-term future or the past two years. I guess that’s because I know it will all be put into perspective when people start asking me inane questions and I give them mutually unsatisfying answers. Or maybe it will all come together in the flight from London to JFK. But I feel like, once again, if I somehow try to put the last two years in a box, I will cheapen it and label it an “experience,” something that can be ignored and only referred to when necessary, as opposed to a directional shift in my life. At this point, I feel that coming home is a shift in the wrong direction, but a necessary one. I know I’ll find some way to pick up where I left off – here, not there. But that last point scares me, because I have so many good friends in the States who I don’t want to lose – and I don’t want to be so far away from my parents again. So I think I need to find something that balances all of these – fame and fortune are secondary, of course!
But, really, the one thing I know I have learned beyond a doubt is that people are more important than experiences. I had lots of cool experiences on my trip, but the time I’m spending with Jenna an d Nanosh now, and the time I will spend with everyone back home, is vastly more important. And though I see a duty to the world as my destiny and my desire, I won’t let it get in the way of friends and family. I never thought I’d learn a lesson so independent of the experiences I’ve had here. But I guess that could be a final thought.
Peace,
John
