Maria was on top form, and was eager to get going. It's a great feeling, when you feel like you can go on forever, regardless of your load or weather conditions. This was a good inspiration to me, because I was at a low when we started, but picked up the pace rather quickly. 
As we started going down to the river, we hiked through the most exquisite forest. It was as if we had walked into a fairy tale, and all sorts of magic surrounded us. Dante and Katryn soon got lost, playing around, chasing lizards or each other. Guru, who is now officially part of the family, just lay watching them, waiting patiently while we all absorbed the magnificent energy present here.
We continued on, and once we got to the river, we couldn't find anywhere shallow enough to get through. We saw a guy on the other side, canoe in the water, attached to a rope which he was using to drag the canoe behind him. We called to him, to find out if there was either a shallow enough bit where we could cross, but couldn't see, or if he could get us across with his canoe. He said that he had just seen a shark - not too big - swim by, so he wouldn't advise crossing, so he offered to somehow get his canoe to us, but it was at this moment when the ferryman made his appearance. He saw us leaving the reserve, and came down especially to give us a ride across. WOW!!!
The little boat was big enough for all of us, and this time I made sure he knew that Guru was part of us, so therefor he was going in the boat. He had no problem at all, only Guru refused to get in the boat, instead he swam across. Now, this is a very wide river, with a strong current, but Guru is a die hard, special breed of dog. We tried to stay close to him, urged him on, but the ferryman kept assuring us, that this is a local dog, and that they are strong, and are used to this. I guess he proved as much...
We met some cool people on the beach, but Maria didn't want to waste time chatting, she was a girl on a mission, so we continued ahead. We hiked for a while, and when it was close to 12am I suggested we rest at a little stream where we could prepare lunch. We cooked up a quick Soy and Rice, but it suddenly became so hot, we had to get out of the sun. The only tree nearby, was a little upstream, so I went to check it out - Perfect!
We sat in the shade until it was a little cooler, and then continued on again. The coastline was rocky, with hardly any sandy beaches, so we followed the path along the grasslands. We passed a couple of homesteads and knew that Lambazi bay couldn't be much further anymore. We started seeing many faces, as we passed the first holiday cottages. The nicest lady, Jenny Dutton, handed us the coldest cans of Just Juice, and nothing has ever tasted that good, ever! They told us about the Drifters, Wild Coast Inn, on the other side of the river, and said we might find accommodation there. We weren't planning on staying in any Lodges or Inn's along the way, didn't even know this one existed, but we went there anyway. Thought we could get something to eat and drink, and maybe go on.
Once we got to the Drifters however, there was no way that we weren't gonna stay here. This is just what the doctor prescribed! Warm bed, hot shower, gorgeous rooms, lovely restaurant, and good company. There were so many faces, people on holiday, a couple from London, a big family, and our hosts, Otto and Adri were just amazing! This place is so worth it! A rare find in these parts.
We sat around, chatting with the guests, exchanging stories and had a brilliant time. I went to have a shower before dinner, because I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, and needed to freshen up. Been a long day, and we've been roughing it for a while now.
Dinner was fantastic! There was so much food, it was Divine! It was just a pity, because my tummy wasn't feeling too hot! Think maybe the soy and rice didn't go down that well, but that was preventing me from enjoying this beautiful feast before me! I didn't even have dessert!
We sat with the couple from London, and they were such fun people! He had an injury to his ankle, so they couldn't continue their hike, but instead spent their remaining days here. They are leaving for home tomorrow morning.
I am so tired, I'm virtually falling asleep at the counter, so I excused myself and went straight to bed. I fell asleep almost instantly. This didn't last long however, as my stomach was turned upside down, and I was doubled over in pain. Okay, yeah, so I was awake much of the night...
