TAN: Lazy Lagoon

Up at 5:15 a.m. I sit out on our porch working on the computer and watch the world go by. Granted, I would normally consider lounging on the porch fairly unproductive, here however, a bounty of fascinating things parade by.

The local fishermen off to an early start. Riding wind and current toward their quarry.

These Guinea Fowl spent a good long while putting around pecking at breakfast.

A kingfisher and a skink are some other notable participants in my morning’s entertainment.
Around 7:30 a.m. I head off for a walk along the beach. I end up hiking way down the beach on the ocean side, cross at the isthmus and back on the landside of our island. The ocean side is pretty much a constant of reef, ocean and sand with the exception of a solitary palm.

Crossing over the landside was like entering another world. Gone are the signs of humans. Here amongst the mangroves, the only tracks on the black sand beaches are those of the shore birds, the tiny island deer, and recently spotted serval.

Enter the Dr. Seuss-esque world of the mangroves.

A friendly hermit crab.

As I get closer to the lodge, I come across a great many brightly stripped fish and brilliant red crabs scuttling amongst the rocks in the reef. It isn’t even breakfast time yet and I have already had a days worth of new discoveries.
As we are in a pinch for music to add to the footage for the DVD, we have been asking if any of the Kiswahili speaking staff might be able to sing for us. Today we are rewarded with the chef, Julius coming out to do a couple of numbers for us. He has made a special effort to get dressed up. He looks very dapper and his voice is amazing.

We work through the rest of the afternoon. In the early evening I head out in the 12’ Laser sailboat so we can get some sunset sailing footage. My relative inexperience as a sailor, the strong current, the offshore wind, and faulty equipment, conspire against me to leave me with no raise able sails, adrift and headed to the mainland. Eventually the powerboat is sent out to tow me to shore. The others are curious as to whether I was scared. My reply to them is, no. I was more frustrated than scared. I figured I could get to the mainland and spend the night there if worse came to worse. I am grateful that they sent the powerboat though.

My nemesis, the Laser.

When the powerboat is done performing my rescue, it takes the other guests back to shore. Amazingly, we have the island to ourselves. We enjoy another delicious dinner and put in a couple more hours of work before tucking in around midnight.