Maybe It Was Fate

When I was in fifth grade everyone had to pick a country out of a hat and do a project on it. I was a bit jealous of the people in my class who got countries like Germany or Japan because I got a country located somewhere in Africa that I had never heard of before. I never imagined that twelve years later I would be sitting by the beach in that very same country attacking a gigantic platter of seafood with an Aussie and a Brit. I don't think that I took much interest in the school project at the time but I'm making up for it now that I am here in Mozambique.

It seems Africa is a place you experience more than you see. There aren't a whole lot of attractions or sights to see but there is incredible wildlife, breathtaking scenery and generous people. It's a faraway place you hear about or see on television but can't begin to comprehend until you're there.

After leaving Cape Town I made brief stops in South Africa's cities of Port Elizabeth and Durban. I got to see some amazing scenery that included ostrich farms, mountains, beaches, cows, grass huts and school children.

I ended up in the Kingdom of Swaziland a few days ago. There are about one million people in the small, peace-loving nation and probably about two million cows. I toured a traditional Swaziland village and my guide also showed me the nearby waterfalls. I also got to see the traditional Swaziland dance. On the walk back I had my first monkey spotting. There must have been fifteen of them just hanging out in the trees. I also saw a gigantic lizard that I thought might be a crocodile so it made me pick up my pace a bit.

I'm really liking the backpackers scene. I get to meet all kinds of great people from all over the world. The South Africans I met in Swaziland were originally from India and were incredibly generous and eager to share their cooking (they let me sample some local lizard that they cooked. Don't know if it was the same one I saw earlier that day) The Finnish people I met there were also great fun and "love to disco". I met a Brit and Aussie on the way to Maputo, Mozambique and we are headed up to the coastal city of Tofo together tomorrow (that's if the cyclone has passed).

To the beach!