Happaje New Year

This morning I chatted to a nice Austrian woman about travel and she was interested in getting some tips about Eswatini and Mozambique. I was happy to share, probably rather animatedly.

I read in the pool, but rain stopped play. Rain that leaked copiously into the poorly maintained room of reeds that I’m staying in. I decided that a good solution for a wet bed is to get drunk for New Year so that I won’t notice the drenched mattress. So I made my way gradually down the beach towards Paje, stopping in various beach bar shacks, enjoying the friendly greetings from people I’d met in recent days. The weather was alternating between rain and bursts of sunshine, and I got further drenched walking along narrow sections of the beach at high tide.

The beach boys and hustlers were out in full force for New Year’s Eve. It would be handy if people would realise quickly how tight-arsed I am and that the chances of me organising an impromptu kitesurfing lesson or random jet ski hire are practically zero across my lifetime. Usually some Swahili can turn a hustle interaction into a more genuine bit of friendly banter.

I went to a bar that has been a nice hangout spot in the past. I had some beer and a rarely spotted blue curaçao cocktail in honour of friends at home who practically destroyed me with that spirit on Halloween 2020.