Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Notes From My Forest Journal (Entry 2)

No closer to leaving, the rain is trapping us here, but we’re still riding a wave of happiness associated with being on an adventure.

Everyone took a big nap and we found fresh fruit ad vegetables. We pulled the dishes from the boat -- full of water!

We had an impromptu Lingala lesson too - I’m learning so quickly! Lingala seems a lot simpler than Kiswahli - something I’m thankful for.

I imagine we’ll end up spending the night here -- something I won’t complain about. Being in a forest again reminds me of falling in love in Kenya.

Adam is finally beginning to find love in Africa too -- seeing nature, real nature, not even at its purest but still many worlds away from anything he’s known or seen - is eye-opening.

People at home would point a finger here with cries of poverty, but this hut and this life is without the superfluous. Just around this small “Ndako” -- this house with no walls and no boundaries - there is a bounty, provided by the surrounding forest: Pineapple (ananas), Plaintains (makemba), Bananas (bitabi), Squash (maboke), coffee, and tobacco plants are visible while just sitting here.

Some other fishermen pulled up to the shore too, and I can only imagine their surprise at seeing whites in this fishing camp!

Our relaxation is no diminished though. We drank the remainder of our morning tea, still hot in its thermos. We found local lemons too; soft-skinned and super pungent, and garnished our tea with them.

It’s refreshing to finally see Adam at peace. He’d previously been so anxious, so on-edge, but the wavelength of the forest, slow and wet and undulating, perhaps can put anyone at ease. I can only imagine what it will be like when we actually get to Yoko - real forest nature, hopefully unperturbed by even small, symbiotic civilization such as this.

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