For New Year’s, we’d planned to get a whole sheep to cook on the grill. Everyone had loved the pig on a spit at Christmas so much that they wanted to repeat the experience. I offered my French language skills to Nadeem who was organising it. A few days before New Year’s Eve, we went to the market and negotiated a price for a whole sheep. We had discussed getting it delivered at 10am on the 31st. But by 11.30am on the 31st it still hadn’t been delivered and Nadeem was fretting as was I! We hopped in a cab and went straight to the market to try and work out what happened. We didn’t say a word the whole drive there – the two of us panicking and bearing the full weight of the group’s potential disappointment on our shoulders. Our mood changed, however, when we found our seller who had the sheep ready and waiting for us but just couldn’t get it delivered – PHEW!!! A local then carried the entire sheep on his head (wrapped only in part by a sheet of brown paper) from the depths of the meat market straight into the boot of a taxi for us. Nadeem and I could finally breathe. We had a sheep.
And everyone loved it.
After a few further hiccoughs, this time on the drive to Karfiguela Falls (namely a massive hole in the road and irrigation pipes that were too low to pass under), we finally arrived by 3pm, had a late lunch and then headed straight for the falls.
The falls were incredibly refreshing, particularly after several days of bush camping and no showers, as well as hotter (read sweatier) weather. They were also a remarkably good cure for a NYE hangover. There are two main spots we based ourselves in – one with a pothole
and one with a deeper pool underneath a series of cascades where we could let the water pummel our heads and shoulders.
For dinner, ‘The Desperate Tent Wives’ (Karen, Katie and Andrea) prepared a banquet for us as they were on cook group duty while Nadeem proudly looked after the sheep.
Some locals joined us, started playing music and then taught us how to play their instruments.
Local kids joined us too and danced with us until they were told to go to bed.
The night’s activities disintegrated from there with lots of drinking, sitting around the sheesha pipe and all-round silliness.
Garrett stayed up and celebrated every single New Year’s around the world, including the Canadian one at 8am our time. Josh stayed up too and hence this is the state he was in on New Year’s Day…
We had an awesome brekkie on New Year’s Day and then spent most of the day at the falls. Dom and I went to see the nearby Domes
and when we got back, we saw Ivy giving the local girls a yoga lesson – too cute!
Shaun had been chatting with one of the young boys who offered to show us around his village so a few of us jumped at the chance and were introduced to many of the villagers and even got to see inside his hut which he currently shares with his brother.
We were also treated to this incredible sunset through the palm trees.
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