Skip to main content

Swimming with dolphins!

Today was one of the coolest days of my life (I've said this phrase so many times since I moved to Africa, I know). Instead of beginning the journey back to Malawi today, Kelly and I were convinced to stay another day on the island by our newfound traveling friends. (We also decided to stay because so far we had only had one chill day and three full travel days!) This morning, we got on a boat at the dock on the island and headed out to sea. After maybe 20-30 minutes, we began to see dolphin fins on the water! We got our snorkeling gear ready and when we got close enough, we jumped in the water and swam to find them. I (and two others) caught up to them and swam quickly after them. At this point I was DIRECTLY above them in the water, and I could count all 10 of them as we swam along together. It was the craziest feeling ever just swimming along with these dolphins-watching them flip over and swim upside down and couple up and swim in pairs. The water was bright turquoise and you could see the sand below them the water was so clear. At times they would swim up to the surface and then they would only be like 3 feet away from me. I could see their shiny gray skin and kept thinking of when I was shark diving in South Africa...except these guys won't eat me! It was such a surreal feeling. Eventually I got so tired from swimming along to keep up, the water changed to a darker blue where it was harder to see them, and we came close to our boat, so I came up for air. Getting back in the boat, I was shaking from adrenaline, and my arms were tired from swimming!

At that point, I was satisfied with our trip already. But THEN, we took the boat over to an old wrecked ship and got out to snorkel. There wasn't SO much coral, but there were plenty of brilliantly colored fish in amongst the super old ship remains. I'm so sad I don't have an underwater camera because I couldn't capture the beauty of it all to show you all at home! So after that, we hopped back on the boat and road to a giant sandbar in the middle of the ocean. It looked like a little baby beach in the middle of an intensely azure ocean. We got off and wandered around for a little bit-finding sooooo many starfish and shells and taking loads of pictures. 




By the time we got back on the boat, we were all sufficiently sunburnt and tired. It took us a little over an hour to get back with Kelly and I laying on the front of the boat lounging in the sun but wrapped in our zitenje to protect our shoulders and faces. Rinsing off all the sand and salt in a cold shower back at the place we're staying at was super refreshing, but I still can't get all the sand out of my hair! 

Now we're just sitting back, enjoying the sunset and some beers, and hoping to enjoy some more fresh seafood again for dinner. 





Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

"Bland" American Food

Here in Liberia, more than I've ever experienced, people talk about America. The linked history these two nations share creates an intriguing dynamic. Many people go to America to study, to buy a house, to find a job, to visit family, or simply to see the place. And this is normal. Now, across the globe everyone eats right? Food brings us all together across cultural, socioeconomic, and geographical barriers. I often get the question from people curious about America and wanting to travel there, 'what do Americans eat?' In Liberia, people eat rice every single day. It is their staple food, and they cannot go without it. (They also ask me if there is rice in America.) Sometimes I answer by going into descriptive detail when explaining that Americans don't necessarily have a “staple” or traditional food and that our food culture tends to reflect our varied melting pot society and geographically diverse environments. The ones who have visited the State...
Read more

Where the hell am I?

Reverse culture shock. You don’t think it will actually happen. But then it creeps up on you. Going from Malawi, even the capital in Malawi, to Cape Town, South Africa has been like going from zero to 10,000. There are so many choices at the grocery store, so many expensive cars and pothole-less roads, so many smartphones, and so many women wearing trousers and leggings all around. The skyscrapers are enormously tall and construction of new ones is happening with massive mechanical machines. People rush around with headphones in, completely tuned out of the world and their surroundings. Shops are chock-full of material goods, all set up enticingly, and restaurants have so many food options. People are a beautiful blend of mixed races and cultures. There are wide sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks, and stoplights. The produce and meats at the grocery store are all wrapped up in plastic. I feel so lost and over stimulated. What happened to my simple, village life? ...
Read more

Moving to the Big City

April is coming to a close, and I need to do another update on my life. A whooooole lot changed this month, but the biggest changes were my location, my job, and my health. Last month in March, a bunch of emotional things happened. Two of my closest friends left Liberia, dry season heat was at its peak and making me miserable, and the lack of work at my site was reaching a tipping point. I thought long and hard about my options. My favorite little 9 month old is almost walking I felt torn. I didn’t really want to leave Liberia, but I also wasn’t sure how much more of my situation I could emotionally handle. I felt like I’d lost control over every aspect of my life; my well-being, privacy, daily routine, and happiness all felt dependent on my environment and the people around me. I tried not to stress about this realization, but I also felt like I’d reached an inescapable and unhealthy place. Thankfully, things sort of fell into place all at once. As I was...
Read more