The Lazy Lagoon is, despite first appearances, a mangrove covered island concealing untamed wilderness, largely maritime wildlife that reveals itself chiefly with the turn of the tides.
Heading out there from the fisheries, there's a strong current visible heading northeast, and I am thinking this might not be an ideal place for the kids-or anybody else, for that matter-to swim. Once we land on the banks at the Lazy Lagoon, we again disembark on the sand banks and head for our rooms.
There's a main wooden tent-like lodge, at least twenty feet in height, that serves as reception area, bar, and dining hall in one. There are no windows anywhere here, but with the temperatures easing past 90, that should be a given. Luc, the manager, greets us and debriefs us about the place. Strong current, no swimming on the bayside. Electricity at designated hours only, limited water. Check.
On our way to the lodge, we quickly find out that the place, save for the wooden lodges, is probably in the same state as it might have been when first discovered centuries ago. Shrubs, vines, and other plants crisscross each other across the paths, forming a natural botanic tunnel for the guest to walk through. According to reports, there will be antelopes, lizards, snakes ( though non- venomous), fish eagles, and various other species. Again, with all of public opinion focusing on the game parks in Tanzania, it is easy to forget the luscious biotopes with the teeming wildlife around the coastal area.
Might sound like Amani Beach all over again, right? Far from it. Aside from the limited water and power, there is no internet access or TV. In other words, we are virtually cut off from the world and any outside communication. Oh well, it's called Lazy Lagoon for a reason. This is where you will literally leave your business at home.
Heading back toward the pool with the kids, I hear a disheartening shriek emanating from the thick shrubbery. Man or beast, I am wondering. It literally sounds like somebody's being flogged. There, again. After a while, I decide that a human being couldn't possibly emit all of those sounds under his own free will. TV? Somebody with mainland withdrawal?
Luc the manager himself is Belgian and quit the first world and the west years ago. Disheartened by life in modern civilization, he decided it was time for a break from the fast paced 21st century. He would need a place to get away, reconnect with nature, but still be within range of power and water, if needed. The Lazy Lagoon fit the bill perfectly. I ask him whether he already thought about going back. He cracks a smile, gazes out at the ocean, and says, "Would you?" I can see his point.
And for most of the day we are lazy. I do little more than hang on the hammock-really a hanging cot-on our porch and listen to the waves roaring on the beach a mere ten feet away from our doorstep. It's funny what you think about, how easily your mind wanders once the distractions like work, traffic, or the internet are no longer there. Most of the time you lie there and think, your mind hovering over the endless miles of ocean in front of you. There is not even a boat in sight. Blue water, blue sky, and that's all you're going to get. No Royal couple and their baby, no Kardouchians, no World Series...take it or leave it.
The next day, we walk along the beach in the morning at low tide. There are stranded starfish...forget it, consider them beached. There's an easy souvenir. We come across dozens of crabs, fish wiggling through the knee deep waters, and sea urchins that quickly punch out their spikes at the first sign of danger. The kids take this all in stride, are more interested in building a sand castle with a moat than watching the wildlife along the coast.
In the early afternoon, as we head toward the dining area for lunch, I hear the sound of a crying baby in the middle of the shrubs somewhere, the same area where I positively heard the sound of a human being being flogged the day before. So the Twilight Zone isn't gone yet. TV. Has to be TV, or a video, right?
Later in the evening, Luc reveals the culprit...a parrot named Scarlett. Bash accidentally steps on Scarlett's tail, and the bird reacts by venting against her owner, Luc, by biting down on his shoulders and hands. Not only does this bird have a sick sense of humor, but a temper to go with it.
The best thing about the island? Sitting on the porch of the lodge, gazing out at the waters, and watching fisher boats pass by. In other words, doing nothing. Wooden ships, on the water, very free and easy.
Heading out there from the fisheries, there's a strong current visible heading northeast, and I am thinking this might not be an ideal place for the kids-or anybody else, for that matter-to swim. Once we land on the banks at the Lazy Lagoon, we again disembark on the sand banks and head for our rooms.
There's a main wooden tent-like lodge, at least twenty feet in height, that serves as reception area, bar, and dining hall in one. There are no windows anywhere here, but with the temperatures easing past 90, that should be a given. Luc, the manager, greets us and debriefs us about the place. Strong current, no swimming on the bayside. Electricity at designated hours only, limited water. Check.
On our way to the lodge, we quickly find out that the place, save for the wooden lodges, is probably in the same state as it might have been when first discovered centuries ago. Shrubs, vines, and other plants crisscross each other across the paths, forming a natural botanic tunnel for the guest to walk through. According to reports, there will be antelopes, lizards, snakes ( though non- venomous), fish eagles, and various other species. Again, with all of public opinion focusing on the game parks in Tanzania, it is easy to forget the luscious biotopes with the teeming wildlife around the coastal area.
Might sound like Amani Beach all over again, right? Far from it. Aside from the limited water and power, there is no internet access or TV. In other words, we are virtually cut off from the world and any outside communication. Oh well, it's called Lazy Lagoon for a reason. This is where you will literally leave your business at home.
Heading back toward the pool with the kids, I hear a disheartening shriek emanating from the thick shrubbery. Man or beast, I am wondering. It literally sounds like somebody's being flogged. There, again. After a while, I decide that a human being couldn't possibly emit all of those sounds under his own free will. TV? Somebody with mainland withdrawal?
Luc the manager himself is Belgian and quit the first world and the west years ago. Disheartened by life in modern civilization, he decided it was time for a break from the fast paced 21st century. He would need a place to get away, reconnect with nature, but still be within range of power and water, if needed. The Lazy Lagoon fit the bill perfectly. I ask him whether he already thought about going back. He cracks a smile, gazes out at the ocean, and says, "Would you?" I can see his point.
And for most of the day we are lazy. I do little more than hang on the hammock-really a hanging cot-on our porch and listen to the waves roaring on the beach a mere ten feet away from our doorstep. It's funny what you think about, how easily your mind wanders once the distractions like work, traffic, or the internet are no longer there. Most of the time you lie there and think, your mind hovering over the endless miles of ocean in front of you. There is not even a boat in sight. Blue water, blue sky, and that's all you're going to get. No Royal couple and their baby, no Kardouchians, no World Series...take it or leave it.
The next day, we walk along the beach in the morning at low tide. There are stranded starfish...forget it, consider them beached. There's an easy souvenir. We come across dozens of crabs, fish wiggling through the knee deep waters, and sea urchins that quickly punch out their spikes at the first sign of danger. The kids take this all in stride, are more interested in building a sand castle with a moat than watching the wildlife along the coast.
In the early afternoon, as we head toward the dining area for lunch, I hear the sound of a crying baby in the middle of the shrubs somewhere, the same area where I positively heard the sound of a human being being flogged the day before. So the Twilight Zone isn't gone yet. TV. Has to be TV, or a video, right?
Later in the evening, Luc reveals the culprit...a parrot named Scarlett. Bash accidentally steps on Scarlett's tail, and the bird reacts by venting against her owner, Luc, by biting down on his shoulders and hands. Not only does this bird have a sick sense of humor, but a temper to go with it.
The best thing about the island? Sitting on the porch of the lodge, gazing out at the waters, and watching fisher boats pass by. In other words, doing nothing. Wooden ships, on the water, very free and easy.
