Sun, Fun and Lobster "Tales"

Well, its my last weekend in Maputo until mid-August and so far, it's been a damn nice one!  I had a rather long, boring week of which I enjoyed a stomach issue and an off the charts kidney infection, but time and some medication have apparently cured all.  Now that I'm feeling better I can very much appreciate how crappy I felt.  Glad that's over and happy to not have contracted malaria - that's how I ended up at the clinic due to my co-workers insisting because of my nasty symptoms.  So, back to the weekend ...  I woke up early on Saturday, enjoyed a cappuccino with a delicious pastry, and then walked miles looking for the Central Market - which apparently is not where it's shown on the map - next time I guess.  Then I received a call from a friend and ended up having a fantastic Saturday afternoon.  Naby and his friend Carla picked me up and we headed down the way to the drive along the waterfront - beautiful! We sat outside at a few beachfront saloons, met some fun people and drank numerous beers before heading to the famous Fish Market.  Now that was a blast - bought some lobsters, ate peanuts, drank more beer and thankfully I was with locals so they kept the street vendors away.  Seriously, these people swarm you worse than the flies around the fish - it gets incredibly annoying after a bit.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Fish Market, didn't have to hassle with the vendors and later indulged in some delicious lobster tails.  I'm now schooled in how not to get ripped off there as well, so my next trip solo should go swimmingly :)

beachfront drinking

Fish Market - with fish

Enjoying late afternoon lobster

I'm hopeful that today will be just as much fun, but most likely a bit more low key with tomorrow being a work day.  It's stunning here, mid 80s, sunny and with a constant ocean breeze.  I have a morning of completing a few job applications, then a walk, followed by some lunch, most likely a Sunday nap and then preparing for my over-nighter in Xai Xai tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to that trip and have a little shithole room booked right on the beach, so I will for sure be reporting on that later.  I will miss this place when I head back to Pretoria but will be back soon enough.  It also might be nice to enjoy the greatly reduced cost of living in South Africa as compared to here if even for a couple of weeks.

When I return to Pretoria, I will hopefully have a few apartments to choose from and finally will no longer be living in a hotel or room-for-rent.  I love where I'm staying in Maputo but am kind of missing cooking and feeling like an actual space is my home.  I've been here close to a month, so it's time to get settled in - even if I am traveling back and forth, it's still nice to feel like I have someplace to go "home" to in the end.  This will be a theme that continues upon my return to the US as I don't have an official home there either anymore.  Looks like 2013 and the start of 2014 will be a bit of the Adventures of the Gypsy Hillbilly Wino.  But I'm going to roll with it, enjoy the journey and take in all lessons, good and bad, that come my way.  I have an excellent companion in adventure, so we will be making our mark somewhere together and it will be something nice to share with another person.

Speaking of adventure, I've started to line up a few affordable options which have been greatly helped by the fact that I have access to so many people who live here and therefore make great suggestions and hook a Wino up with contacts.  I think the adventures will begin in September so I'm really looking forward to them.  Being so close to Kruger National Park makes day safaris possible, Cape Town is for sure on the list (complete with wine country) and possibly a once in a lifetime jaunt to one of the most beautiful places in the world - a short trip to Seychelles!  I really hope that one happens, but it's in the "maybe" column.  However I did find a very affordable place to stay and a cheap flight, so I'm ready to make some magic happen.  The financial objective of my 6 months here is not to travel all over the place, but rather to stay afloat and afford the move to Denver or LA upon my return ... with a wee little bit to tide me over for a few months while I continue that bitch of a job search back home.  I'm going to load up my dog Django, my kitty Fat Kid Ninja, my special friend and head west!  Economic recovery my Hillbilly ass... but I remain hopeful that my THIRD return back to the US of A results in actual gainful employment :)

I hope everyone has had an incredibly enjoyable weekend - I can't believe that it will be August next week!!  I recently realized that I have not enjoyed a full summer at home in four years which seems weird to me... but I'm not sure how much fun they would have been in the muggy hotbox I fondly call home - global warming is a thing - even with excellent companions!  So, enjoy what looks to be a week 's break from the heat back home and I will continue to indulge in the winter season here.

Drink of the day:  a perfectly chilled chardonnay!