Peter led me through the busy paths between the closely arranged wooden "sheds" of the village, first to one guesthouse and then to another. They had a clean basic room for about US$1 and a popular pool table. I got Peter to find me a padlock so I could lock the room and then we wandered once again through the alleyways this time looking for a place to eat. When we parted we agreed he would call for me at 0700 to help me find a boat to the "mainland". I bought a beer and took it down to the lakeshore - now bathed in moonlight. When I got back to the guesthouse the local lads were keen for me to play pool. I played three games and just lost each of them. Considering the last time I had played was in Mpulungu in 2001 I was quite pleased.

Fri 10 Oct
I don’t know what time the light went out or the blaring music stopped. Surprisingly I slept well. I woke at 0630 dressed, packed and was about to go and find a toilet when there was a knock on the door. Peter and younger brother Reiness were here to collect me. (I think Reiness had been summoned, as he was more confident with his English.) The village was glowing in the early morning light; the water looked slow and soupy. At the lakeshore there was a crowd of people waiting and many boats anchored, but nothing about to go. Peter told me it was on it’s way and that it would leave at 0700. (I imagined the "driver" was brining it around from the "depot".)

When the pirogue first arrived it came in so the bow was on the beach. This made it easier to load with enormous baskets of smelly dried fish. People waited patiently, then they pushed the boat back out into the water and propped a ladder against the bow. I said thanks and goodbye to Peter and climbed aboard.

We must have stopped six or more times around the shores of the same and neighbouring islands before we started the long stretch across the open water to the mainland. After about three hours it occurred to me that the folks sitting on the wooden roof might be more comfortable and may be enjoying a better view so I climbed up to join them. The sky was still a threatening grey but it was less claustrophobic.