LOST!!

Well, it’s been quite a bit longer than I intended since my last post.  Thursday and Friday were a bit hectic, as I will describe in a minute.  Then, we were gone most of the weekend without internet and, when we finally returned home last night, we didn’t have any power.  So prepare for a long post.  I have quite a few stories to share!

There are few things that scare me more than being lost. One of those few things is being lost in the dark.  On Thursday night, I discovered something new that tops the list…being lost in the dark in the African jungle. 

Our friend Jonas heard about Manguzi hospital through a friend of a friend who happens to be a pastor in Manguzi.  The night Jonas made German schpaetzl for everyone, he invited the pastor, his wife, and the child they are caring for to join.  They seemed like nice enough people, but a little odd.  They offered to take us to Kosi Bay, a place not too far from Manguzi where a series of lakes joins up with the Indian Ocean.  They told us it would be a short hike into the bay from where they park and then we would be able to snorkel and have snacks on the beach before coming back.  Sounded like fun to me!



Bryan and I before we knew what we were getting into



On the drive there, I began to wonder just how normal these people were.  The woman went on a ten minute tirade about how the Zulu medicine men are working for Satan and trying to kill the human race.  Now, I agree that some of the plants they use can be quite toxic, but the Zulu medicine man is a tradition that is hundreds of years old and a well-respected leader of the Zulu people. Perhaps there are some who are not as well-meaning as others, but I am doubtful that they are trying to destroy all of mankind. If so, they haven’t been very successful considering how long they’ve been around.

When we arrived at the park, they parked the car in a random field which I found a little strange.  Turns out the whole reason we were hiking in was to avoid the 20 rand (~$2.50) entry fee.  It didn’t bother me at that point though because a short hike sounded nice and like some much needed exercise.  The first stretch was straight up the side of a hill.  The view from the top was breathtaking, but also enlightening.  There was NO WAY a 30 minute hike was going to get us to the ocean, which we could just see at the end of the horizon.  We walked for about an hour and a half on a path made of sand and no more than a foot wide. It was not easy walking.  I was lucky to be wearing my tennis shoes, but others were stuck making the trek in flip flops.



The ocean in the distance

Eventually, we reached water.  Unfortunately, the water on the opposite side of the bay was somehow better, according to the pastor.  So we trudged through water up to our thighs (most of us not yet in swimming suits), then climbed straight up and over a piece of land that jutted out into the bay.  Since I had taken my tennis shoes off for wading, I did this portion barefoot…not a good idea. On the other side of this land, we finally reached the appropriate destination.  There were only three sets of snorkeling gear; the pastor, his wife, and Jonas got them and took off into the water.  The rest of us sat on the beach for a bit and enjoyed what was actually a very beautiful view.  After less than 30 minutes, they returned and told us to hurry and pack up our stuff because it was getting dark.



Near: the beach we arrived at, Far: the beach they insisted was better



That should have been my first warning sign.  Instead, about 5 minutes into our return hike, I heard the pastor say “Oops, we’ve gone the wrong way,” and THAT was a very clear warning sign.  Within ten minutes it was dark.  Not just nighttime in the city dark, but moon behind the clouds in the African jungle dark.  As we walked along the water, we began to see hippo poop everywhere.  At this point I should probably tell you that, in our entire packet we received about South Africa, THE ONLY safety warning was this: “do not get between a hippo and the water at sunset.”  Well shit. When I asked the pastor’s wife about it, she said “oh yes, they are certainly the most dangerous animal around.” My follow up question about what to do if we saw one was answered with a bleak “I’ve no idea.”

As you all know, unfamiliar situations are not my strong suit.  By this point my mind was racing.  I didn’t know whether I was more afraid of being lost, trampled by a hippo, or bitten by one of the poisonous snakes who live in the bush (aka jungle).  “Just don’t walk in the bush,” the pastor told me.  This was exceedingly unhelpful seeing as the sand we were walking on, single file, was the only thing in sight that was not bush. Thank god, two of us had thought to bring flashlights.

I could give you a play by play of the next hour and a half, but it mostly consisted of the four of us getting increasingly anxious as the pastor got more and more lost.  He kept stealing our flashlights to look for the turnoffs he had missed.  Then he would walk really fast ahead so none of us could see a thing, including where he had gone.  At least four times we had to turn around and retrace our steps before branching off in another direction. Basically, to sum it up, it was the most scared I have been in a long time, possibly ever.  When we came around the final corner and I saw the truck, I could have cried I was so relieved.  It was a very quiet ride home.  I think we were all biting our tongues to keep from speaking what was on our minds which was, unanimously, “if you offer to take four tourists on a hike through the wilderness, either know where you are going or do it before dark.”



My camera died before darkness set in, so here's a less frightening picture to enjoy



Well, this post turned out to be quite long.  I think I will go ahead and post it along with some pictures for everyone to read while I work on another post about our weekend in Mozambique.  Should have that one up by tonight U.S. time.  Hope everyone is well!