Nico spots this unusually colored lizard and sneeks up for a photo. It appears to be in the process of changing its coloring to blend in with the background.

I am not quite sure what these children are hunting for but every morning they can be seen wading through the shallow waters in search of something.

Our last sunrise at Matembwe. Although it is beautiful here, Nico and I are starting to feel ready to begin the journey home.

Once they figure out he’s got game, it is as if he is just another member of the community and play continues. Talk about the power of sports to bring people together. Several older boys and adults eventually come to watch as news of the one-legged white boy playing soccer spreads through the village. Nico has as much fun playing soccer with these kids as he has had doing anything else on our vacation.

Later in the afternoon, Nico and I leave the resort and walk into the nearby village. A group of about 30 boys are playing soccer and Nico decides he would like to join them. As he approaches the group they literally surround him staring at his missing leg and unusual crutches. Undaunted, he manages to communicate his desire to join them in the soccer game (more of a 5v5 tournament actually) and despite the fact that none of them speak English, he is out on the field in a matter of minutes.

Today is the first day we truly relax. After we each enjoy an hour long massage in the morning, Nico lounges by the pool while I sequester myself in the loft and spend the day reading Three Cups of Tea, the story of a failed K2 summit attempt which led to a life long mission to bring schools to the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Jeanine thought it would be a good read given our Kili adventure. I can highly recommend it.

Despite the day’s snorkeling activity, Nico and I were totally relaxed by the end of the day and enjoyed the waning light from our beach chairs.

Our bungalows were adjacent to an area on the beach were several wooden boats were undergoing repair using traditional methods.

I nearly had a heart attack when I almost walked right into this spider. It was larger than my fully outstretdched hand and her web covered a diameter of 5 or 6 feet and was situated across the path I was exploring.

A daytime view of the entrance to our dining venue of the previous evening.

This is Nicolai’s first time snorkeling and he is anxious to jump in. The water is supremely beautiful, if a little cooler than one would expect. Fortunately we were both wearing wet suits.

Despite our plan to lay on the beach all day, we quickly opt for a half day of snorkeling out on the reef and join a dive boat headed that way.

It takes little time before Nicolai locates the perfect place for relaxing in the warm sea breazes.

Nicolai befirends a stray cat as we relax on the beach before breakfast is served.