The Manzini Transport Strikes have been going on for the past few weeks. They started when the city council decided to move all east bound transport to another location. The operators were furious and they stopped all transport in and out of the city. I got caught in the craziness on my way back from Camp GLOW. A bus which I had just missed had turned around and let everyone out. Apparently the operators called the bus driver and threatened him that if he didn’t return to the bus rank, they would burn his bus down. Following this we’ve been put on travel stand-fasts for transportation strikes, teacher strikes, and various other stints occurring through the country. Needless to say, my friends and I were excited to get out of Swaziland and relax by the ocean!
We stayed at a hostel in Vilanculos. Vilanculos is an 8 hour bus ride from Maputo and absolutely amazing. Crystal clear blue waters, a pool and bar overlooking the ocean, and wonderful seafood. Everything I could ask for and more! I had the pleasure of doing two dives in the archipelagos and was able to relax on neighboring beautiful islands. The best surprise: seeing a 1.5 meter long turtle! Much taller and larger than me. It was amazing.
We met a Moz PCV who lived 15km from Vilanculos. He lives on the beach. Incredibly frustrated with the situation, I had to leave the conversation, cool down, and convince myself that these past 2 years in Swaziland were lessons learned, a great opportunity and a time of growth. This is all true, and I would never take back my experience from the past 2 years, but I do sometimes think about how much happier and content and full of life and energy I’d be if I had the ocean? If I was a Moz volunteer who lived on the coast and who had easy access to the water, how different my experience would have been.
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