Easter

It was a rough start to a great day. I woke up hung-over from too many mango margaritas the night before but managed to pull myself together, refuel on one glorious mini-bag of Cadbury eggs my mom had the foresight to send with me in January and convince Erlan to come to church. The rest of our friends bailed, opting instead for the beach. Throw out all your conceptualization of quiet, reverent church. At the Vine Memorial Baptist Mission, the noise level competes with that of a booming nightclub, the dress is more entertaining and the energy is palpable and contagious. These people can really belch out a tune and they take every opportunity to do so. They dance with equal enthusiasm, hips gyrating, hands clapping. You can feel their faith. Loud amped up drumming and some bold African dresses make the scene complete. People here, young, old, fat or thin are not afraid to make a fashion statement and wear vibrant, bold colors.

For the afternoon, we hopped on some motorbikes and roared off to Baptist falls. After a few stumbles, one fall for Erlan and one marriage proposal for me, we made it dust-covered to the trail. Hiking through the village toward the falls, we accumulated an entourage of young boys ranging in age from 1-16 (picture to come soon!). Together we splashed in the water, climbed the waterfall and shared a snack of groundnut-pineapple sandwiches (one of my favorites, and a big hit with everyone). Unable to find a ride back, Erlan and I hiked the two hours back to town and finished the day with some warm beer. It was a very happy Easter indeed.

Me in my African Easter dress and beads! My camera is having problems, so I was stuck documenting the morning with my computer.