Sumwe Journal

june  back in the land of blood red sunsets, elephants in your front yard and a fast beating heart. it is so good to be back, to hear the thousands of different species of birds, to smell the smokiness of the fire and watch the sparks drift amongst the sky littered with stars. i stare into the embers of the fire, it's like staring into a soul, a soul full of life, just like africa. letting an ice cold beer slip down your throat as you listen to the low whooping of the distant hyena. the coolness of the night makes its way into your bones, but you don't care, you need to be out, out beneath the stars and with the sounds of the nocturnal animals. and then, hot, very hot. the dry air of the day and glaring sun, beams down on you through the open window. the dust fills your nose, but it feels so good to be in the bush again, using all your senses. watching and observing the signs of the bush, you discover so much more. the alarm call of a francolin and the staring eyes of prey into...

 I N D O N E S I A 0.7893° S, 113.9213° E Walking a long the streets of Bali you can find smokey incense dancing in the damp air and dainty frangipani's adding to the spicy fragrance. The temples are the monkey's playground, in between massive tree's with roots and branches that hang down to the floor, it is a scene out of the Jungle Book with Rudyard Kipling.  The Nusa islands are settled within the bluest water. Smiling locals wave us by, asking questions about South Africa, and singing the song Waka Waka by Shakira or shouting out 'Nelson Mandelaaa'. You can tell they are warm individuals, happy to help us around their island homes.  Swimming in the shallow reefs and becoming turtle friends, its amazing to play in the light warm currents of the Indonesian sea.  Food. Street food everywhere. Delicious and not sure what we are eating haha. Colours. Colours at the end of the day, warm and vibrant. Filling your heart with satisfaction and feeling utterly conten...

red, orange sand that contrasts delightfully against deep blue oceans rusty browns are the colour of villages, woven palm tree houses and warm smoke coming from coconut husk fires leafy greens way above in the sky, trailing long windy palm stems up to the forest of fronds above

approaching the small island infested with palm trees, i can see old wooden boats tied to a tree, moving with the ebb and flow of the tide. a bunch of guys milling around turn their heads as we arrive in the harbor. we hop off the boat and the light rain continues to fall but we are not bothered by it. taking in the scenes around me, it feels good to be on a new island. a few locals arrive on scooters and we each jump on the back of one and head off along dusty roads, blinking as the rain still falls down into our eyes. hiding in a little cafe we sip on some coffee before continuing to explore the island. we stroll around the streets, taking in the new smells, new faces and smiles. an old couple with wrinkled skin and milky eyes just watch us go by. you can tell they have seen many faces pacing by, and many changes through the years. flowers burst colour in between green shades of the many trees, hibiscus, frangipani and some other tropical flowers i have never seen before. an...

a slow walk to the beach, like i do every afternoon, listening to the sounds around. i watch the sun shine through the huge leaves that have created a thick, green canopy just above my head. soft sand sticking to my toes and soon i can hear the sound of the waves. this section of the island is one of my favorite, the tallest palm trees stretch up beyond the clouds. i feel so small here, and feel stillness. its as if for a few moments the earth slows its spinning, giving time for the suns warm light to caress my eyes and skin.  just before i reach the beach i can hear distant voices been spoken, muffled by the waves making mysterious stories. the distinct smell of smoke drifts to me, mixing with the smell of the ocean. i join the guys standing around the fire and the mysterious stories continue. my eyes wander to the magical colours of dusk. tainted with pinks and other warm shades of oranges, the evening sky is love. the sea reflects this love by shining these colours ...

On the Indian Ocean This place is so full, in the coolness of the night, billions of stars shower the sky, in the early morning it is still, the only motion is that of the sleepy waves. I have seen so many incredible things just in the short time that I have been here. Deep blue and turquoise colored crayfish, eagle rays that fly and glide on the surface of the water and baby turtles, just hatched from their nest and crawled out from their hiding place. It is so beautiful to see the new life of these tiny babies.  One of my favorite evenings was a fishing trip. We get onto the little dingy before the last bit of the days light disappears. As soon as we are out of the calm lagoon, we are drenched with some bigger waves. Holding on and non-stop laughing we go on, into the blackness that surrounds the island. After a while we get to the spot where we need to drop anchor, the waves aren't as crazy here.  But the stars out when there is so little light aroun...

Mozambique, what a raw, undiscovered beautiful place.  Where the dust is stained red and the palm tree forests line white sandy beaches.    Massive palm trees which line the roads high five us as we drive on along the dusty roads. . We pass small villages along the way, each bustling with dogs, cows, goats and happy barefoot children  playing in the sand. We stopped at some of the villages to top up on supplies of the local beer, dois M, pou and their famous peri-peri sauces. Windows are open with the warm air rushing in while slow reggae songs play in the background, you tend to loose yourself to the feeling of mozambique. Out of the car and into the sea. The water is warm and glows an iridescent blue. The salty air tickles your skin as you walk across the sand and the sun gives you warm kisses. The markets are filled with wooden curious, beautiful paintings and sarongs waving in the breeze. The locals carry fish to be filleted and sold to you soon ...