17 June, Friday Hugo’s birthday
Hugo is 20 today – one week after Andrej
celebrated his 20th
birthday! He
and Andrej have pitched their tent on a small beach, 10 steps from the water’s
edge. Willie and I walk down to sing for Hugo and to congratulate him. It is so
special to have him and Andrej celebrate their 20th birthdays with us on this trip –
unforgettable for all.
We decide not to drive too far, because we are tired and we had 3
days of long traveling on difficult roads. We drive along the lake to an area
called the Chinteche Strip: a beautiful stretch of northern lakeshore lined by
hotels, lodges and camping grounds and one of our waypoints take us to Makuzi
Beach Lodge – nestled between the lake, a pure white sand beach strip, a
mountain-hill on the one side and dense vegetation. When I saw it for the first
time words like paradise, idyllic, sublime, serene came to mind.
Richard, the manager helps us to find a camping spot on the grass
overlooking the beach and lake under a big shady tree. Sammie meets Holly, a
feisty, energetic Jack Russell with her puppy Nuggett and it takes a little bit
of time to become good, but awkward looking friends: a black terrier with 2
white dogs, less than ½ his size, chasing one another and racing down to the
beach. Sammie discovers that the water of the lake is fresh, not salt, and it
is cute to watch him go into the lake and drink water there.
It is beautiful and picturesque and one cannot
get enough of the beauty. Later
the afternoon the 4 of us paddle to a small island: Hugo and Andrej in kayaks
and Willie and I in a shaky canoe. We have Sammie with us and he is not happy.
All the way there his heavy moaning-cries accompany us. 5 boys follow us to the
island in there canoe carved from a tree and they are fascinated by Sammie –
scared at first, but Hugo joins them and with his reassurance some of them even
stroke Sammie’s head. Andrej and Willie are in the canoe on our way back with me
in a kayak. I really like it and I cannot believe that I’ve not tried it before.
We want to go out for dinner since it is Hugo’s birthday, but the
restaurant is out of our price bracket, even though it is a 3 course meal which
looks lovely. I would really like to do it, but cannot find peace about spending
the money and the both Hugo and Andrej are positive about it which makes it
easier. I make a goulash with the last of the German sauces I have and it is
delicious. We sit around the fire, play backgammon and the guys watch a movie
later the evening.
Hugo is 20 today – one week after Andrej
celebrated his 20th
birthday! He
and Andrej have pitched their tent on a small beach, 10 steps from the water’s
edge. Willie and I walk down to sing for Hugo and to congratulate him. It is so
special to have him and Andrej celebrate their 20th birthdays with us on this trip –
unforgettable for all.
We decide not to drive too far, because we are tired and we had 3
days of long traveling on difficult roads. We drive along the lake to an area
called the Chinteche Strip: a beautiful stretch of northern lakeshore lined by
hotels, lodges and camping grounds and one of our waypoints take us to Makuzi
Beach Lodge – nestled between the lake, a pure white sand beach strip, a
mountain-hill on the one side and dense vegetation. When I saw it for the first
time words like paradise, idyllic, sublime, serene came to mind.
Richard, the manager helps us to find a camping spot on the grass
overlooking the beach and lake under a big shady tree. Sammie meets Holly, a
feisty, energetic Jack Russell with her puppy Nuggett and it takes a little bit
of time to become good, but awkward looking friends: a black terrier with 2
white dogs, less than ½ his size, chasing one another and racing down to the
beach. Sammie discovers that the water of the lake is fresh, not salt, and it
is cute to watch him go into the lake and drink water there.
It is beautiful and picturesque and one cannot
get enough of the beauty. Later
the afternoon the 4 of us paddle to a small island: Hugo and Andrej in kayaks
and Willie and I in a shaky canoe. We have Sammie with us and he is not happy.
All the way there his heavy moaning-cries accompany us. 5 boys follow us to the
island in there canoe carved from a tree and they are fascinated by Sammie –
scared at first, but Hugo joins them and with his reassurance some of them even
stroke Sammie’s head. Andrej and Willie are in the canoe on our way back with me
in a kayak. I really like it and I cannot believe that I’ve not tried it before.
We want to go out for dinner since it is Hugo’s birthday, but the
restaurant is out of our price bracket, even though it is a 3 course meal which
looks lovely. I would really like to do it, but cannot find peace about spending
the money and the both Hugo and Andrej are positive about it which makes it
easier. I make a goulash with the last of the German sauces I have and it is
delicious. We sit around the fire, play backgammon and the guys watch a movie
later the evening.
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