crocodile pond (?)

A few weeks ago we went with some friends out to Mts. Nairuco--the place about 45 minutes away that has a small lake, some orchards, and a restaurant.

It is always so fun to see the boys explore and be with other kids their age and just...be boys. Wesley and I always enjoy taking a quite walk when we are out there and soaking in the beauty of all things green and living...and especially the unique rock "mountains" that are typical of this area of Mozambique.

Well, just after we got back from our outing, we heard that (gulp) the owners of the place had recently discoverd that a crocodile had somehow found its way through the streams that feed the lake and had taken up residence there.

(Incidentally, I do NOT have a picture of the crocodile).

But you can imagine how we felt in retrospect--reliving all our fun memories and looking at the pictures of the kids splashing around in the water! Granted, I spent a good chunk of my childhood playing in rivers in the middle of the jungle that had plenty of camen (South American aligators)...and Stefan spent most of his childhood swimming in the Amazon River on a daily basis...But somehow, inexplicably, it is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT when I imagine that crocodile in that pond watching my sweeties swim.

That is not to say we feel it necessary to avoid the place altogether. In fact, we just went out a few days ago with some of our colleagues over the holidays. But this time the kids stayed OUT of the water. And stuck to fishing.