Year 2 - Week 14: The Game

The party lasted well into the morning. The discotheque doesn't really get going until 1 in the morning. We ended up staying out until around 3 o'clock. Under normal partying circumstances, this would be okay, because normally I have absolutely nothing to do or nowhere to go the day after.

Today, however, was different. The truth is, I could have stayed in Chimoio on Sunday and gone back on Monday. But I had 100 papers to grade, and doing that after a long travel day would not be pleasant. So instead of sleeping all day, I lay on the hardwood floors for 90 minutes -- until 4:30 -- and then made my way out. This should be lovely.

The day did not start out promising. When I got to the chapa stand, everything heading south to Maxixe, Vilanculos, or Maputo was gone. This day was going to require some luck. Then, while at the chapa stop, I got stopped by two police officers who asked for my passport. I busted out the Peace Corps ID as well and explained what I was doing here. They then asked me for some money so they can have some beers (really, at 5 in the morning?). I then straight lied to them. I told them that I made as much as a first year Mozambican teacher, which is almost true. We make about fifty percent more, but fifty percent of a small amount is still a small amount. They understood, and I walked away paying nothing. The most shocking part of this scene for me though was that even though it was 5:00 in the morning, and I had been up for 24 consecutive hours, my Portuguese was still on point.

This was only the beginning of a long week of travel for me. With a trip to Maputo coming up on Wednesday, this would be week-long contest between me and Mozambique's transportation "system".

Just as I finished talking to the officers, a chapa pulled up heading for the EN1. Perfect. I got in, and for most of the rides, looked at the backs of my eyelids. I was never really asleep, but I might as well have been. As we got to the crossroads, the sun was just making its way up. I figured it was better to get there early and wait then get there late and miss something good.

My planning paid off. After thirty minutes of waiting, a sweet truck pulled up. I thought he was going to blow by me, but he stopped just ahead. He was going way south -- beyond the crossroads for Machanga, and even beyond the crossroads for Mambone. It was in that moment that I made a major decision: fuck Machanga, I'm going via Mambone.

The car didn't go as fast as I hoped, but it was steady, and it was a whole hell of a lot faster and more comfortable than a chapa. And even though the man had music pumping at an absurd level for the ride, I still slept the entire way. This day was actually shaping up. Muzungu: 1 - Mozambique: 0

I arrived at Maluvane in good time and only had to wait about fifteen minutes for a truck to head into town. This ride was slow, and we had to make a small detour off the main road, but I was still at the river by 11:30.

And then the wait began. Sundays are always a slow day at the river, and midday is a never a good day. There were three of us waiting at the river, and the boatman needed five people to cross. We sat for a while, waiting for two more people to show up. We asked if we could just go, but he insisted on getting his fifty Meticais for his work. Fifteen minutes later, I made another decision: I offered to cover the additional twenty Mets. I stayed patient long enough, and if a measly twenty Mets is all I need to pay to get us going, this is money well spent. Once across, I walked back to Machanga. I was home by 1:30. Not bad, seeing as the chapa from Beira won't get in until at least 4:15.

Being home early afforded me the luxury of eating a quick lunch and then passing out for most of the day. This was a good sleep, and I knew that even after the nap, I would still sleep well during the night.

Without Richie here, things are uneventful at night. I made a quick dinner, checked some email, and then crawled into bed early with a book.

Sunday was literally the first night this year that I slept through the entire night. It didn't matter that my fan went off sometime in the middle of the night. There was a slight breeze as it was, and I was gone.

Hour for hour, Monday was probably the most I've worked this school year. I was grading papers by 8:30. I committed myself to finishing one of my classes before lunchtime. It was painful, especially since this was the, uh, slower of my two classes. Even so, they still did well. Most of them did well, although there were some epic failures.

I made myself a quick lunch, and right after eating, I was back to work with my better class. As I expected, this class did much better. 95% of this class passed -- as opposed to 76% in the other class. Despite the actual grading being easier, it still took my three hours to get through the exams.

I had a couple hours to relax before the energy came on, but once the energy was turned on, I was back to work. The math teacher here came over with a request for me to type up some exams. Seeing as there was nothing else to entertain me tonight, I used this to fill my night. I got done all of one exam and half of another before the lights went out. All in all, an extraordinarily productive day.

There was more work to be done Tuesday morning and fortune was on my side. When I woke up, there was something very different going on. The energy was on. And it stayed on. This is awesome. So this is what civilization is like. I spent the entire morning banging out the second exam from last night, and then another two exams. In between exams, I also made myself a delicious stir fry brunch. A day without using charcoal: what a beautiful thing.

I didn't have much of a class to give today. I saw both of my classes today and all I had to do was return and go over exams. But that didn't mean my work was done. The math teacher caught me peeking in his class, and he asked me to come in. I was happy to do so.

This day got interesting though. They were doing work on permutations on combinations, which I haven't done since, oh, high school. So I learned the stuff with these kids. But then, the teacher put up a problem that just didn't seem right to me. We ended up getting into a rather humorous argument about the whole thing. He was convinced he was right, and I wasn't sure. This was years behind me, after all. I still stuck by my guns.

Once I was out of the class, I went online in search of some information about this particular problem. And what did I find: nothing! Absolutely fuckin nothing. I was riding high, but then, another math teacher burst my bubble and said he was right. I asked for the proof in the book, but neither of them could find it. I'm inclined to believe them, but I'd be more convinced if I saw the actual rule in a book.

On this third night without entertainment, I was feeling it a little bit. This place does get lonely when it's only one of us here. I managed to keep myself busy with cooking and cleaning. And before I knew it, it was time to go to sleep.

Day two of the game between Mozambique and me began early. I was on the move for Maputo at 6:30. I knew this was going to be a long day. It was just a matter of how long it would be. Right off the bat, I had luck on my side. Three people were waiting at the river and I was the fourth to fill out their boat. I didn't have to wait long for a truck to head to the EN1. Then things got good.

I got a ride in a Land Cruiser down to Inhassoro. The guy did 120 kilometers per hour the entire way, and I didn't have to pay for the ride. It was by far the fastest I have ever arrived in Inhassoro. After a quick chapa ride to Vilanculos, something truly amazing happened: I got a ride from a guy in a Mitsubishi Pajero heading all the way down to Maputo. 2-0 Muzungu. And I only had to pay half price. 3-0 Muzungu.

My original plan was to take my time on this trip, stopping in Maxixe on Wednesday, Xai Xai on Thursday and arriving in Maputo on Friday around noon. But we were in Maxixe so early that I might be able to arrive in Xai Xai. It was a gamble, and well, I like to gamble. "March on" I said, and so we went.

This is where things got interesting. As the sun started to set, we started to slow down. Significantly. I was not happy about this. Even on the shitty road north of Xai Xai, he should have moving at a decent clip. And then I realized why we were going 40 kilometers per hour: the car's headlights were barely on. Great. After not being passed by a single car on the first half of a trip, we got passed by every car possible after 4:30. It was like the Eleventh Commandment: "Thou shall pass Lee's formerly awesome boleia". Point for Mozambique. 3-1.

And then the rains came. This was an incredibly angry, one of the storms that you could hear before you could see. The sky rumbled like there was an earthquake in the clouds, and lightning provided far more illumination than the car's shitty headlights could provide. Finally, just as we arrived into Xai Xai, the rains came and they did not stop, like the Cahora Bassa dam was just emptied. My ride told me that he could not take me where I needed to go in Xai Xai because it required passing a police check point and they would have dinged him hard for his headlights. He was also going to stay in Xai Xai for the night and would pick me up tomorrow morning to Maputo.

So he leaves me in an absolute torrential down pour. Thanks. A lot. By good luck, a taxi pulled up behind me and I was able to get a ride to where I needed to go. 450 Meticais later, I was nearly broke. Just to put that in perspective. I spent a total of 355 Mets to cover the hundreds of kilometers from my house to Xai Xai, and then paid 450 more to cover the last 15 kilometers. Add another point for Mozambique, 3-2 Muzungu.

My night in Xai Xai was brief and uneventful. I ate dinner with my Volunteer host and we discussed the March Madness bracket. I have seen exactly zero minutes of college basketball this year so I had no idea what was happening. I was in bed by 10:00, knowing that I had to be up at 4:30 to get my ride to Maputo.

One of the things about traveling here is that you as the traveler have absolutely no control. You don't control when your car arrives. You don't control how fast it goes. The only semblance of control the traveler has is how much you pay. On chapas, the price is fixed and generally known and consistent. Boleias tend to run equally as pricy or cheaper. With such little control, you really have to put a lot of trust in other people. And I, even after the ride last night, put a lot of trust in this guy.

Ilidio told me to be on the main road at 5:00 on Thursday morning. Of course, 5:00 came and went without seeing him pass. But then, at 5:15, here it came: a Mitsubishi Pajero. And then it just kept going, right on by me. You asshole. This was bad news. I hoped for the best. There has to be more than one Mitsubishi Pajero in this country. I called Ilidio and asked where he was. He said he as ten minutes away. Phew, okay. Ten minutes later, the correct Pajero rolled in and it stopped for me. We were on the road to Maputo, cruising. 4-2 Muzungu.

I was in Maputo by 11 in the morning, a whole day ahead of when I was expecting to arrive. With all this extra time, and my doctors appointment a whole day away, I decided to go to the Peace Corps office to hang out. I didn't do anything for much of the day. The Peace Corps office has internet so I spent a fair amount of the day doing absolutely nothing productive.

Before heading out to dinner, I went to drop off my stuff at my hotel. The hotel where Peace Corps usually puts us was being renovated, so I was staying at some random place not particularly close to anything. But there was hope: the sign at the entry boasted about television, WiFi and a pool. True to their word, there was a pool with a swim-up bar, a router, a television -- and air conditioning and bathroom with a toilet and hot-water shower -- you know, luxury items.

A whole group of us that were in Maputo went out for Indian food. The Indian restaurant in Maputo is pretty good. Every time I've been there, I've ordered something spicier, so I asked what their spiciest item was. I thought I could handle it. I was wrong. I managed to get through all the meet on my plate, but I could not finish the rice. It was just too spicy. There is a fine balance that needs to be hit between spiciness and flavor. As long as a food is flavorful as well as hot, I'm okay with it, but this was hot for the sake of being hot. Still pretty good though.

My optimism about the hotel quickly faded. The router was down and the television only had three working channels. At least there was still a hot shower and air conditioning. I went to sleep clean and cold, just like in America.

The appointment I had with the doctor wasn't scheduled until 5:00, so I made my way back to the office Friday morning to hang out. Besides the benefits of internet and comfortable couches, the Peace Corps office was a particular item of interest to us Volunteers: satellite television. With ESPN. Which was airing a replay of the Kentucky-East Tennessee State opening round game. I was glued. Hell, I was entranced. I could sit here all day and just watch this. But after ten minutes of game time, people wanted to head out. I begrudgingly left, but at least I had some deliciousness in my future.

A group of three of us headed downtown to Maputo Shopping Center, one of the best parts about Maputo (for me, anyways). One of the Volunteers claimed that there was soft-serve ice cream on the top floor. You don't have to tell me twice -- I was there. This vanilla soft serve was delicious, and only ten Mets. It was so good and so cheap that all of us indulged and got a second. I also purchased a new cell phone. The phone that I've had for most of my time here is all but destroyed. There is no longer a keyboard -- just a big white pad where keys used to be.

I had a couple hours yet before my appointment, so I headed toward the doctor's office and went on the hunt for an internet cafe. It was just late enough in the morning that people in California might be awake enough to talk. I'm fortunate to have some early-risers amongst family and friends.

This was a truly stupid doctor's appointment. It was just a check-up to make sure I was feeling okay. I didn't really need to doctor to tell me I was feeling okay. I knew I was feeling okay, and the only way he was going to know was by asking "How are you feeling?" But Peace Corps wanted me to have this appointment, so I came down for it. Of course, the appointment lasted all of five minutes. At least I didn't have to wait three hours, like last time. The appointment went as I thought. He asked how I was, I said I was fine, and that was about it. Wonderful -- so glad I drove two days for a five minute appointment.

I went to the Peace Corps office straight from the doctor's office to drop off my results. I could have dropped them off in the morning, but doing so would have meant not being able to return on Saturday, and I really wanted to get out of Maputo. It's funny: Maputo has all of the amenities, but I'm always so anxious to get out. The thing about Maputo is that everything is so damn expensive. We eat in Machanga for less than fifty Meticais a day. A meal in Maputo can easily cost 300 or 400. I like internet and air conditioning, but I also like not being broke. As such, I decided not to go out for dinner, but found some place that delivered and was relatively cheap. I ate quickly, showered slowly, and went to bed early, knowing that another long travel day was ahead tomorrow.

My alarm was set for 5:00. Having packed last night, I was on the move by 5:15. For the first time, I caught a chapa to the bus stop instead of taking an expensive taxi. I know exactly where the buses for Vilanculos are and I was heading in that direction when some guy asked me where I was going. I told him I was going to Vilanculos and he said that's where his chapa was going. I was skeptical, but I decided to take my chances. This chapa looked far more comfortable than a regular bus and I decided it was worth the risk.

I was very much wrong. Even though I got on the chapa at 6:30, we didn't leave until 8:00. People were pissed off. I was pissed off too, but I stayed stoic. Other people were a lot more, um, expressive. Around Xai Xai, the driver decided to put up a sign for Maxixe. I asked the cobrador (money-collector) if this would arrive in Vilanculos and he said no. I thought I was pissed, and then I saw the lady behind me. She was outraged. I would be okay as long as I got some of my money back, which is always a task. Once those guys have their money, they do not like to give any back, but I managed to get my 100 Meticais back.

The woman behind me was not so lucky. She was heading in the right direction but wanted to arrive in different town, which would require a boat or a separate chapa. She, like me, was lied to by the chapa guys. While I took my misfortune in stride, she decided to get angry. When she, along with another lady, got out of the car, she went nuts. I've seen people get angry, and I've seen people get angry on chapas, but this was the first time I've ever seen anyone hit the driver and cobrador. On an otherwise slow travel day, this brought a smile to my face. I'm calling this ride a draw. 5-3 Muzungu.

The truth is, I should have stayed in Maxixe on this night, but the gambler in me wanted to make it to Vilanculos. If I made it to Vilanculos by the night, I could take the chapa to Mambone on Sunday. I headed out to the street and tried to catch a ride. Everything that passed me was staying local. There was one more car heading my way and then I would try to get a chapa. The gods, once again, were on my side. This car was heading all the way to Beira and he wanted to move. 6-3 Muzungu.

While the road was good, he did 160 kilometers per hour, the fastest car I've been in during my time here. But then we hit the infamous Massinga road, where the recommended speed is 60. He took this to mean 100. I would have been okay with this, but then we hit this huge pothole and the car bounced so high that I hit my head on the roof of his car. At this point, I felt that a seat belt would be a wise choice, because if we got into an accident, I would be the only one walking away from it. Once we got through the misery of the Massinga road, he was back to doing 160. I got to Pambarra around 6:30 and after catching a truck to Vil, I was in town by 7:30. Just another ho-hum fourteen-hour travel.

I got to the backpackers where I like to stay and ordered food immediately. This was a fast night. Cheeseburger and french fries -- the only food I had the entire day -- a quick shower, a glass of water, and in bed by 8:30. There was more travel to be done tomorrow, but this would be quick and easy -- one chapa and a boat road.

No matter how badly it goes tomorrow, Mozambique can't overcome my 6-3 lead from this week.