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Published: September 4th 2012
I spent Tuesday in Vilanculos town, saying some goodbyes to my friends here and simply enjoying my last few hours in this special community. On Tuesday evening, my particular friends (Francisco, Custodio, Chamussudine and ‘Joy’) came over to Baobab for one last time with some fish, traditional Mozambican food and a few bottles of ‘Tipo Tinto’ – the local rum! Francisco and Custodio cooked dinner for us all and made a fire near the beach. I provided some music and we had a brilliant evening eating and drinking under the stars, around the fire in true African style… Having known these boys for at least 18 months now (apart from ‘Joy who I met during this latest trip), they really are like family to me and I value them so much as people- they are extremely skilled, have so much ambition to succeed, and such good hearts!! Another reason why it is always so hard to leave Vilanculos…
Wednesday morning was spent packing up my belongings from the small hut at Baobab, which has been my home for both my visits to Vilanculos this summer. I then said my goodbyes to the lovely staff at Baobab and made the trip
to the airport, accompanied by Francisco, Custodio and Chamussudine :o) Saying goodbye to them was very tough, but it was great to be able to say I’ll be seeing them again before too long! (I’m already planning a return trip to Vilanculos next Easter, during my school holiday in Ghana).
The journey from Vilanculos to Johannesburg went smoothly, and I then relaxed for a while in Johannesburg airport, as I had about 4 hours to wait for my flight. My relaxed nature was, however, short-lived; on approaching the check-in counter for ‘EgyptAir’, I was told that the evening flight had been cancelled. After having travelled around Africa so much, though, I have realised that it is simply not worth becoming worried about these events, and ‘EgyptAir’ arranged a lovely hotel for me. By this time it was about 9pm., and I was feeling fairly exhausted and glad to be spending the night in a comfortable bed!
I enjoyed a little bit of luxury in the hotel on Thursday and then made the trip back to the airport in the evening, as I had been told that my flight had been rescheduled for the same time on Thursday night.
It was not as straightforward as this, however, and it’s these times when I think someone is definitely trying to tell me that I should not be leaving Mozambique, as I often encounter flight problems whenever I try to leave!
The ‘EgyptAir’ flight takes a route through Cairo, and although I had a seat on this flight, the connecting flight from Cairo to Accra was fully booked. After about an hour of deliberation, they decided the best option was to arrange another hotel for me, and book me on a flight with South African Airways on Friday morning, that flew directly from Johannesburg to Accra. So, I was back at a hotel on Thursday night, pretty fed up but comfortable at least!
I finally flew out of Johannesburg on Friday lunchtime and arrived in Accra early Friday evening, absolutely exhausted and tired of wearing the same clothes for too many days, but very relieved to be in Ghana!! I was met by the daughter of the headmistress of my school, and she took me to their house. My apartment is currently being painted, so I am staying with the headmistress of the school and her family for a
few days. They’re such lovely, hospitable people and after a fairly difficult journey it was great to be welcomed so readily into some one’s home. I spent the weekend relaxing and getting to know more about my school, and seeing a bit of Accra.
Accra is a big, busy city and it’s really interesting to be experiencing such a different part of Africa. I am looking forward to the challenges and rewards that the next 10 months will bring in my teaching job at Alpha Beta Christian College, and the stories I will be able to share with many of you! :o)
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My last morning on Vilanculos Beach
