Potholes Crocodiles and Varnish

At the moment I am propped up against a wooden shack like bar, the breeze is coming in off the sea and this is the first time I have been cool in about 10 days. I have my bag with me and I was about to dip in to it and get out my blog, that I had written, a day ago. I have been so far from technology these days that I have taken to writing on paper!! In my book, however now my clever words are in a bunk house over the other side of this resort, so I will have to rely on my brain.

After 9 hours of driving am not sure how well my brain is functioning...and it wasn't normal driving, it was 'Hold on...sorry...aaah' (swerve) Mozambican driving. It was like being on a computer game however it was real. That is always a worry when I start dodging the HUGE holes and think, wow this is just like a computer game... I have to remember it is reality and so I had to really concentrate. There are no rules in Mozambique when it comes to driving, I actually could and did swerve all over the place only to be be faced with other drivers coming towards me doing exactly the same thing. But am here, we are both safe and Mary Jo my most relaxed traveling partner seems never to be baffled by this way of driving at all.

This is true to say I have faced many fears over the last few days, my fear of...well driving on bad roads. My fear of heights, I climbed up the side of a very tall waterfall, my fear of snakes. I was told just as I was about to climb up the mountain, I was told of a large green mamba...I hate snakes. I thought, Mamba? What Mamba!! I am climbing up this waterfall, well up the side of it. I did and survived although I fell down three times on the way back. And a man named Segundo, who may I add is the father of 27, yes 27 children, helped me down. Well he stopped me with his foot and laughed, every time I slipped.

Another fear was this, we were on our way to another school to share the books and for me to act out the story of The Red Chicken. No one told us that we would have to stop the car and walk a lot of the way, nor did they say we would be carrying our books across a crocodile infested river. I said to our smiling friend Domingoes, 'Are there crocodiles in this river?' and he held his hand over his mouth and laughed. "Yes there are crocodiles in theees reeever' What I didn't say was that we were in a boat...'Phew!' But this is a river that has 'taken' 5 people this year. We were escorted in a dug out boat by another man called Varnish, what a great name, pronounced 'Verneeesh'. This man who was shot at in the war and the bullets bounced off him, or on some occasions turned to water. He said he had gone to a witch doctor to put a magic spell on him but now any one can shoot him as he had the spell taken off. We asked was this magic or just luck and he said that was he secret that he could not share with us. I love this place.