Travel friends

I thought it about time to write about the friends I have made while travelling.

In Mozambique I met Hanna, Myles and Jess. Hanna is Finnish, Myles Brittish and Jess American. Jess and Myles are one lovely couple. We clicked, us four, and spent a happy plus-minus week travelling from Maputo to Toto to Inhambane (remember pronounced N-yam-ban-e) and finally to Vilankulo. Jess is an amazing teller of stories and we would inevitably be left giggling after one of her many stories about everyday life that ended up being like a gripping 2 minute movie. Myles is just as funny, and would have us giggling at his stories of living in England and Nairobi and then going to study abroad and then applying for a foreign exchange semester to go back to Nairobi to spend time with his friends. And one thing he always warned us about:

REMEMBER THAT PEOPLE AT HOME WILL NEVER BE THAT INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT ALL OF YOUR TRAVEL PHOTOS.

Hanna and I spent many happy lazy hours on the deck chairs in Toto sharing a couple of 2M beers and crunching on slightly burnt carstanias (cashews, coal roasted and salted). And spent many hours swimming in the waves or walking through the markets.

And then we parted and it was sad but I soon came to learn that travelling friends are intense and for a short period of time and just a lot of fun.

In Nkhata Bay I met Amy, Kwame (not travelling, from Nkhata Bay/Mzuzu) and Sari and we hit it off - my Butterfly friends. We formed the Dreadlocked Mermaid intercontinental gang, including Viola, Emily and Cat. This idea was concieved on one lake swim when I climbed onto a rock that angled out of the water, and while sitting on the rock in a 'mermaid pose' I declared myself a mermaid, a dreadlocked mermaid and invited Sari, a fellow dreadlocker to join me. And then I told the others that they must join as well. We may sound like a cheap 90s pop band...

Also at Butterfly, I met Matt. And Sarah and Liam (the Irish people). Matt and the Irish people and I were going to travel in a train carriage together from Mbeya to Dar es Salaam. Liam came down with Malaria however and so Nemone took one of their tickets. Matt, Nemone and I. We bonded in out 15 hour train station floor sleep and then our 24 hours train ride to Dar. We bonded lke no one can understand. In those almost 48 hours we developed a friendship like no other. Matt looked after Nem and I so well. In Zanzibar we all met up again and well, there is something about having shared those expeience that have made us comfotable and happy in each others company. Matt left about a week ago and Nem left 3 days ago. How sad that they have left my life, for now.

My Irish people, they too left a while ago and it was sad, no longer waking up to them in my house. We lived in the same house, renting rooms. We were a big bussling group: Me, Matt, Nemone, Sarah, Liam, Dulla (Zanzibar), Faisl (Zanzibar), Matthias, Sean, Robyn, Kati. And one by one they left - Matthias, Sarah, Liam. Matt. Sean. Namone. Kati.

Friends come and go and it is bitter sweet meeting and leaving the lovely people behind each time you move (or stay as in my case, with everyone leaving Zanzibar). But we always exchange email addresses and should anyone find themselves in the home place of the many friends, you always know you will have a place to stay. This is life, changing and moving. And it is a wonderful lesson to learn that nothing in life in constant, that this too will change. And it is important to live in the present. All the time. And enjoy the people while they are here with you. What fantastic, special and beautiful experiences I have had!!! I am blessed.

In closing, there was a horrific ferry accident off the coast of northern Zanzibar, traveling to Pemba. There were many people returning to Pemba after Eid celebrations in Zanzibar. There should have been 600 people on board. There were 800-1 000 people on board. There may have been more. Because the ferry was over loaded and there was no proper documentation of how many people went on board, there is no recod of the people who may still be missing. Reports vary, but it seems up to, close to and over 200 people died.

Dulla lost his sister on that ferry. My friend was broken on Saturday. I borrow a translation that I found on another blog. It is a sign that appeared somewhere in the island. It is somber but beautiful as well.

Brothers and Sisters of the islands of Unguja and Pemba: This is an announcement of the deaths that took place today there in the ocean because of the sinking of MV Spice — it is already down, nothing more will come out. God bless the dead and give them a good place in heaven. They have already passed, we are going the same way.

(http://blog.contrarymagazine.com/2011/09/notes-on-a-zanzibar-tragedy/#.Tmx2hzJGgJE.facebook)