Got Stuck in Tofo

Only 6 minutes left to type, but things are going well. I found it too difficult to leave Tofo and ended up there for 3 weeks. I've fallen in love with diving and may return in February to get my Dive Master's. Anyways, I met a couple Brits and a South African girl that were traveling around and ended up catching a ride with them on Friday into Maputo. Although we'd only known each other for a couple of days, they threw me a great birthday party complete with a nice dinner and bumper cars. In England they call them dodge 'ems. Today we're leaving Maputo and headed to a nice beach south of here a few hundred kilometers and then I'll move on to Swaziland. Maybe. I've found that traveling with set plans is pointless. Again, I'm doing well and don't worry if I don't update as often as I'd like. I got a few emails of people worried about my safety and such, but I'm loving this trip. I'll see you all in a few weeks.
Much love,
brett

All is Going Swimmingly

Just like the last few updates, this is just to let you know that all is well. Sorry that so much of these stories involve tales from SCUBA, but the alternative would be a description about beads of sweat dripping from mein brow on the beach. My days basically are halved between time at the SCUBA center, and reading on the beach.

Speaking of SCUBA, it's gone very well. My total time underwater is about 4 hours, 30 minutes as of a couple of hours ago. My dives have continued providing me with the opportunity to listen to humpbacks sing, but yesterday while diving I got to see something incredible. Manta rays, which can have a wingspan greater than 15 feet across were swimming around our group. The key is to try to remain still and let them get used to you so that they feel comfortable approaching. After several minutes of acting like a stone, one swam directly towards me and banked right over my head, maybe 3 or 4 feet above me. They're so graceful and gentle, it's not scary to have such a massive creature approaching you under the sea. In addition to that, there have been massive loggerhead sea turtles, moray eels, schools of fish, color changing octopi, various sting rays, and lots of very neat coral.

I think tomorrow morning (maybe Tuesday) I'm going to leave Tofo. I'll stay in Maputo (Mozambique capital) for a couple of days and figure out the best way for me to proceed to Swaziland. As usual, I'll continue to update you all along the way.
Much love.

Tofo Tsunami 2007

Last night was mildly eventful. Jeremy, Dan (this random British fellow we met), and I went out to eat. As we were walking though the market area, someone came up to us and with hushed and grave tones, she said "Have you guys heard about the tsunami warning? There was an earthquake in Indonesia and they're expecting a tsunami to hit the coast here around 10pm (this was at 7pm). The government is recommending everyone to get away from the coast and seek higher ground." At first we were all thinking of Thailand and the mood over the dinner table became quite morose. Then finally we decided that there wasn't much we could do about it, so following dinner we headed back to our guest house, Fatima's. The scene there was mildly humorous because there were people packing up their gear and heading out in an attempt to get inland. Your three brazen heroes scoffed at the idea of a tsunami and we sat in the bar drinking, waiting for zero hour to arrive. We kept watching the ocean waiting for a massive amount of water to come in, but thankfully that moment never arrived.

This morning Jeremy left and headed back for Zambia, so from here on out, I'm on my own. I'm planning on being here for another four or five days before starting the trip to Swaziland. Tomorrow I'm performing my deep dive at Manta Reef and will hopefully see some of the famous manta's with wingspans over 10 feet wide. Then, on Saturday I'm hoping to do an ocean safari which takes a boat out looking for dolphins and whale sharks and upon seeing them, you get out and snorkel with them for a bit. That should make for some interesting stories.

Certified

The last several days here in Mozambique have been pretty great, but busy. Jeremy and I spent basically 8-17 at the SCUBA place trying to fit our 4 day course into a meager 3 days. It involved reading, tests, and practicals. It helped to reassure me that grad school isn't that appealing to me. SCUBA diving has been an incredible experience. We had 4 dives in the Indian Ocean and saw a whale shark, moray eels, all kinds of crazy fish (e.g. lionfish, etc.), and listened to humpback whales sing. So far the deepest depth we've dove to is 16 meters (50 ft.). After Jeremy leaves I think I'm going to get my deep diver's certification which will allow me to dive to 40 meters (130 feetish).

This place is beautiful. We can sit on the beach and watch humpback whales blow water into the air and then breach several meters into the air only a few hundred meters offshore. I'm really enjoying my time here and the beauty of traveling without a set itinerary is the option of staying as long as you want at a place. I'm probably going to spend another week or so here just being on the beach and all that. As my return date to the states nears, I get more excited to get home.
See ya'll soon.

Relaxación

After three straight days of waking before 6 am, Jeremy and I have finally arrived here in Tofo, Mozambique. Today we actually got to sleep in. This place is very beautiful with azure waters and fine sand to walk on. We just took a walk through the town to get some towels to lay on, then we're headed to set up our scuba classes in a moment. Luckily my Spanish is beginning to come back a bit so talking with people has become easier. This time tomorrow, I should be swimming with whale sharks.

Can You Repeat That?

Most people don't know that the main language in Mozambique is Portugese. This language is very similar to Spanish, so I keep trying to throw some of that out there in order to be understood. At one time, my Spanish was damn good, but I haven't spoken it in so long. So, as I try to talk to the locals, all that comes out is a amalgamation of English, Bemba, and Spanish. The locals kind of laugh at how stupid I sound, but so far it's worked to get me food and beer, so what else do I need? Tomorrow morning, Jeremy and I head out to the beach to begin the week of relaxation. Hooray!

A Long, Weird Day of Travel

My travels are currently underway. Yesterday I flew from Lusaka, Zambia to Johannesburg, South Africa. I had the good fortune of being on the same flight as Annie and Jeremy, so when we made it to the airport, we just had to kill some time before getting picked up by the backpacking place we were staying at. It was bizarre because I finally had to say goodbye to my number one compadre and neighbor, Annie, after two years of being each other's support network. Really a sad occasion.

Some guy named Mike picked Jeremy and I up to take us to Eastgate Backpackers because we needed some place to kill time while we waited 12 hours for our bus to leave for Mozambique. Mike was hopped up on some sort of amphetimine or stimulant because he was the most fidgety, nervous, hyperactive individual I've ever encountered. It provided many a laugh for Jeremy and I throughout the day. The bp was near the Eastgate Shopping Center so Jer and I walked over there to see what western style commerce was all about. It is the first time that I can ever remember being so weirded out about anything. It wasn't due to the bulletproof-vested, gun-toting guards located everywhere (JoBurg is the most dangerous city in the world), but everything moves so fast and there is so much auditory and visual stimulus neither of us could really handle it. As an easy out, we ducked into the movie theatres and caught a showing of Transformers. That was pretty awesome, by the way.

As the hour of our bus departure crept in, we got a ride to the bus depot and had dinner at an American themed restaurant called Buffalo Bill's where all the servers donned cowboy hats. The music was a Lionel Ritchie album, followed by Clarence Carter, then by a host of 80s classics. Very western-stlyed American.

Our bus was in theory a very comfortable double decker, but unfortunately, we were at the end of the line and had to sit in the only two seats that faced the people in front of you with a table in between. It would be great if you were traveling with 3 other people because cards would be an option, but alas, we did not know our neighbors and they took all of the foot room and cramped our style. So the night was passed in a fitful sleep during the 12 hour trek.

Rambler's, Let's Get Ramblin'

Tomorrow morning I start my month and a half of travels. At the terrible hour of 5:15am, Jeremy and I have to get in a taxi and head to the airport to catch my 7:30 plane to Johannesburg. Upon reaching Johannesburg, I'll kill some time in the afternoon before catching an overnight bus to the Mozambiquan capital of Maputo. After spending the day there, Jeremy and I will take off to Tofo and spend a week or more hanging out on the beach, getting SCUBA certified, and going marlin fishing.

As previously stated, I'm then headed to Swaziland, Lesotho, and the beaches of South Africa. I have purchased my plane ticket home and am scheduled to finally fly out of Cape Town on October 23 and then return to Des Moines International Airport late in the evening of October 24. After that, I'll be visiting all of you.

Take care all and I'll see you soon.