That whale shark trip was the highlight of my experience on Mozambique, but I continued to have a good time the rest of Thursday anyway. After lunch we decided to laze around in true spring break fashion on the beach. We went back to that dive shop with the restaurant and laid out on the deck chairs. The boys went back in the water. Since Liquid Adventures didn't offer any sweet t-shirts to commemorate our experience I wondered into the dive shop to see what they had to offer. They had sweet t-shirt, alright, and I'm sure I pissed off the guy at the counter by asking to see every shirt they had and then flip flopping between which ones I wanted to buy. In the end I bought two; one for me and one for a friend. I also got some exciting post cards (which I have since sent out and since been recieved). Once I had my pile of goodys I went to pay, but of course the power was out and I was paying with a card, so I went outside where the other girls were laying in the sun to sit tight and wait for power. I didn't feel like having the life sucked out of me by the sun so I wrote some post cards I bought with cash then and there on the beach. Then I sat in the shade and drew in the sand. Then I watched a guy attempt to windsurf. Then the power was back and I bought my swag- hooray!
That night for dinner we walked down to the market end of the beach and ate dinner at a bar/restaurant called Dino's. It had fabulous food and a fabulous atmosphere, so after dinner we sat in the sand outside and enjoyed some rum while playing the improv one word story game. After that, Dino's was beginning to buzz with other foreigners. The Australians we had met earlier in the week were there, along with some Aouth African teenagers, and a few locals. It was the kind of place where you can take off your shoes and leave them in a corner while you dance. We all had a blast and by the end of the night I was one of the last ones standing, so I helped shepard people home. Zach and I ended up getting a ride in a truck half way down the beach with the Australians while everyone else walked. Suckers. We enjoyed the stars and lay i the sand for a while before heading in. The night sky in Moambique is brilliant, the air was warm, and the waves were making a comforting racket.
The next day was rough for some people, but nevertheless we packed up and left early to get on the road back to Maputo. It was a long ride and we had an extra passenger; a Canadian named Shaun we met in Tofo was looking for a ride to South Africa so we told him he could ride with us. He stayed with us in Maputo when we stopped for another night. We went back to the fish market since it had been so tasty the first time. The second time around we were more prepared and when the same guy who ripped us off the first time approached us and tried to get us to use his kitchen we took satisfaction in telling him to bugger off. We chose a different place and sat down for another tasty seafood feast. Once again, by the time we were done eating we were the only people there. The market was dark and deserted and in the parking lot our combi was all alone. Just before crossing the street someone- maybe Chris- noticed some suspicious characters hanging around the combi. The rest of us scoffed and boldy headed across to the vehicle. There the guys swarmed us and attempted to get in the combi with us, but I didn't feel like dealing with their shit, so I pushed passed and blocked the door so that they couldn't get in. Everyone else got in the combi pretty fast and we secured the windows and told Lesh to drive. He wasn't and we were getting increasingly worried because the thugs weren't leaving. Drive! Drive! We shouted. Lesh explained that the thugs were demanding money and threatening to break off the rearview mirrors if we left without paying. They said we had hired them to watch the car- a lie of course. We told Lesh to just back up real fast and it's their freaking fault if they get run over. Lesh did, no one got run over, and we escaped with just one of the thugs slamming the window with his open palm. TIA.
The next day we left early (after a stop for breakfast at a delicious little bakery!) and drove for about seven hours to South Africa and to Pretoria, where we were spending the night. It was a hot and cramped ride so we were all thankful to be out of the combi and at our hostel, which was called Pretoria Backpackers. No sooner had we gone to the reception desk then Shaun had disapeared. He had said he needed to go to Johannesburg to meet a friend, so we assumed that's where he went but he didn't say anything and we haven't heard from him since. Did we sacre him away? Probably. His loss, because Pretoria Backpackers was a luxurious place with a jungle courtyard, complete with Greek statues and a koi pond, and the inside was cozy, lavish, and spacious. We three girls got our own room with real beds and a TV! The boys had to share a dormitory. There were ample bathrooms- with hot water!- and a kitchen and dining area. A hallway leading to the front desk area had book cases stacked with Coast to Coast Backpacker's Guides to South Africa. There were three different editions and they were all up for grabs. We later found out that Lesh took bags and bags full, ostensibly to sell to costumers of his travel agency. Maybe he just though they were funny, though, which they are. We took time to shower and recouperate before getting dolled up and heading out on the town. A storm was blowing in and as we stepped out of the cabs at Hatfield Square the rain started coming down in sheets. The boys scampered for Subway and McDonald's while we three girls went to a Spur in search of nachos. It was a companionable dinner. The boys found us after a while, reporting that they had had three different dinners at three different fast food places. Ah, South Africa! McDonald's, how sweet thou art! It was time to head into Hatfield Square itself, which is actually a square of bars and nightclubs. This particular rainy night it was full of high schoolers since the college students were all away on spring break. We didn't care though. We had a great time making the most of our brief trip to Pretoria. Later, when the rain was still pouring, we made a run to McDoanld's and had a kingly feast. Then it was back to Pretoria Backpackers where we all passed out pretty quickly. In the morning I woke up the delightful sound of a summer thunderstorm outside while wallowing in my cozy bed inside. Everyone else slowly came around too and we dutifully packed up our things, wishing we had more time to spend in Pretoria. It was mutually agreed that McDonald's would be our last stop in town before heading out to Gabs. Most of us got a Micky D's breakfast because they absolutely refused to sell us any lunch items. Howevere, while Zach was ordering the magical changing-of-the-menu occurred so he went ahead and bought six sandwhiches and a medium fry. I don't know how that turned out for him, but probably not well. We got back in the combi, booted Diannah out at the trains tation so that she could go to Joburg to be with her boytoy, and then headed back to Mos Eisley (Gaborone). There was a brief amount of excitement when we crossed the border and there was a rain/hail storm, but outside of ten minutes that passed. Then we were back at UB and everyone was a little depressed. Ah well, all's well that ends well.
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