So we're going to an elephant reserve to do some overnight camping and we're going to have a little braai by the praia.

But what do you bring to meet the elephants? Pants, paints, shorts, scrabble, bathing suits? Can you bring an acoustic guitar? What if the elephants don't like the songs? Don't tell me you've never seen pissed off pachyderm? It ain't pretty. They huff, snuff, snarl and stomp their feet and flap their ears as if to fly away. Imagine something as cute and spunky as Gidget, as unpredictable as a Flying Nun, crossed with an ornery Snuffleupagus. All the while, keeping in mind, that at any time they could just walk on top of you. (There's a puzzle there somewhere). ((I think)).

We're going with our friend Matthew. He alleges he goes there and camps all the time. In fact this is like the 3rd time he's invited us and the first time we've been able to take him up on the offer. He's been here in Mozambique forever. He served 2-years in the PeaceCorps (at or very near Shelby's PCV site). In fact that's how we met Matthew... sort of. He knew Shelby. And we spoke on the phone once... then many African Moons later we actually hung out. And now he works just one building over from where I do and is kidnapping us and taking us deep into the Mozambican wilderness!

So, tomorrow at 6am he's coming to pick us up. We drive down to the marina and catch a ferry that will carry all of us and his glorified tractor of a green landy across the Maputo Bay to Ketembe. From their we head south towards Ponta D'ouro. "In the far south are endless dune-backed sands at Ponta do Ouro , beloved by South African fishermen and divers." And the roads are just as infamously bad. Most people drive several hundred kilometers out of the way and into Swaziland just to avoid the road we will be driving on tomorrow. Me and my motion sickness are very much looking forward to the whole voyage. But Matthew assured me it's five+ hours of pure bliss. "You can hang out on the roof of the landy! Once we get into the reserve, I'm often the only one in the car."

These are all bold claims. We will report back with the facts... in traditional Moving To Africa fashion.