So, after the morning's snorkeling, I had the 'swimming fever' and while the wife read in the hammock, I stayed in the water. Couldn't believe how warm the water was, made Petone in Summer feel like the Antarctic. (Indulgent note-to date I have now swum in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Seas I have been include Tasman, Mediterranean and the Dead). Finished the day with a seafood platter (groan..too much tentacular goodness..) and a crazily bright moonlit beach stroll with wifey.
The next day, Sunday, Franatee and I watched the blazing sunrise over the mangrove trees on the beach then wistfully packed up and left the resort.
(a wife and her possum puppet)
We had only gone a short way down the dirt road before we were waved down by two cops, one brandishing an AK-47. It was their lucky day. One of us, whom I will not name because they have been sufficiently shamed already, had forgotten to put on their seat belt. It was a fair cop.The hapless road-safety-cautionary-tale passenger stumped up the fine to the cop (the same amount as a speeding ticket apparently) and we got underway again, leaving the cop with a machine gun as he roughly pulled a Tanzanian out of another car. A seatbelt fine in Africa of all places...
We stopped in Tanga on the way back and waited an hour and a half for the best Indian styled fish curry in the universe from a place by the harbour. Its ruined any other fish curries for me ever again, it was amazing. We were stopped by cops AGAIN an hour or so later, again with spurious speed radar gun readings. 'Revenue gathering' indeed. They took our driver aside to beg for sodas in lieu of a fine. Our driver was unmoved and we took off again.
Some hours later, almost home, we stopped at the outdoor area at hotel in Same for a coke and a break. We knew there were monkeys in the trees but we thought they'd be cool with the dog that was accompanying us strolling around with us near them. We were wrong. The monkeys went insane. Trees filled with at least 20 angrily screaming monkeys, while their big surly leader came down a tree to eyeball the- by now unsure and steadily nervous- dog. We placed the dog back in the car before it was attacked. Some monkeys surrounded us humans from above, crashing branches and dropping bits of bark and fruit on us while others sat in a tree near the car intently watching the dog. We hastily finished our sodas and exited the area, little demonic furry faces screeching at us silently through the glass of the car windows..I'll never under estimate monkeys again. (In retrospect, eating the small bananas with our cokes was probably not the smartest thing to do either.)
(don't be fooled by their serene appearance-THEY ARE KILLERS!)
The rest of ride home past the sights of Africa was uneventful. Got back to Moshi under a red sunset. The colour of a monkey attacked dog's blood...anyway.
The last 4 days were some of the most relaxing days we've had here. It made the wife and I reflect on the fact that it had been a long, long time since our last proper couple-romance, non-altruism- related, indulgence-intensive holiday. Good to have a break.
But now its back to reality. And our toilet starting to leak again last night after at least the 10th visit of a plumber...sigh
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