Mikadi Beach, Dar-Es-Salaam

Tuesday, September 6, 2006

We dabble our feet in the swimming pool for a while where many of our group are swimming, and then the four of us decide to take a walk along the beach.

The white sand is incredibly soft and I spot numerous little sea-shells. I also pick up a white and empty sea-urchin shell.

I have no intention of taking these things home with me. Too hard to get through customs. I just liked picking them up and holding them for a while.

I think back to when I was a girl and collected shells: what a time I would have had on an African beach!

We notice a sign that says : Warning! Thieves operate on the beaches past this point!" As if, any criminal would come along, see the sign, and say 'whoops! musn't steal on this side of the sign!'

Sadly, on the other side of the sign, along the beach there was a fair bit of garbage strewn along.

Our Exodus group had one last official meal together tonight, down on a long table on the beach, bought with the last of the money from the food kitty: calamari, fish, chicken, vegetables, and yet one more of Pete's now- renowned cakes in honour of Philip's birthday.

There were farewell speeches by Wayne and Pete, as only Anne-Dorte is travelling on to Zanzibar with us. Oh, it was sad, this feeling of the last real night of our group together!

Pete, who is usually a man of few words, decided to tell us all an African story, and told us the tale of how God made the hyena from the spare parts of other animals. Pete makes some absolutely realistic hyena sounds!

Later, the whole group gathers again in the moonlight around the pool. The conversations ramble on to a huge variety of subjects: life back home, psychology, politics, travel.

My favourite memory of this evening is lying on my back at the pool-side, looking up at the bright stars, and listening to Wayne's tales of his travels in India and Africa. He has got some very funny stories, although they are mostly of the kind where they are probably not so funny at the time.

Like the one that involved diarrhea, sliding down a hillside, and being watched by very curious little children.