April 7th, 2009 - Today was an exercise in futility. My morning was spent driving around in circles . . . literally. I was trying to get to a place known as Air Bari. There is a port there and I read that it may be possible to hire a boat to take me to Pulau Moyo, a nearby island to the north reputed to be beautiful. Allegedly, there is excellent snorkeling.
I wanted to give diving a try but that fizzled (see yesterday’s post). [Author's Note: I later met a Swedish gentleman who confirmed that the island was indeed beautiful and the snorkeling in fact excellent. Damn it.]
So I follow the signs for Air Bari but that only gets me so far (i.e. not far enough). I’d say I took about five wrong turns and made the same loop no less than four times. I did stop to inquire more than once but people seemed to have no idea about what the hell I was talking about (I'm growing accustomed to that reaction). I am having real difficulty making these people understand their own language. How many different ways can you pronounce ‘Air Bari’? Not sure but I think I tried them all (high tone, low tone, with a lisp, etc.). Someone would finally make the connection and say, “Ahhhhhh, Air Bari!” I realize I have an accent but I did not mutilate the name that far beyond recognition….did I?
