Now or never

Not only does the Inhaca Island just off the coast of Mozambique boast the ultimate holiday scene of white sands and clear blue waters, it also has a hidden village that illustrates absolute simple living.
This secluded village is neighbour to luxury villas, yet it is home to no more than 100 humble residents, oblivious to (what is known to us as) the real world.
Villagers spend their days collecting food from the ocean on their doorstep or coconuts from trees while others socialise at a tavern made just like their homes.
It’s difficult to escape the smell of fish, dead fish is all around the village left to sun-dry until it is deemed ready to eat.
“Everything we need to survive is here.
“Look at our food, our huts are made of mud and thatch and the fresh air away from the city is all we need,” said a local who for the day claimed the title of an inexperienced tour guide.
If the villagers need extras they go to the local shop or catch a boat to the town.
The local shop sells almost everything from hair extensions to Vaseline and even coffee for the occasional caffeine high.
A small school that looks no different to the huts is filled with children of all ages, they don’t need to wear a school uniform.
Visitors are greeted with excitement by the pupils, they pose for photos not knowing the reason for the photos being taken.
Adults on the other hand try to make some money by asking tourists for a payment after smiling for a photo.
They accept currencies other than their own Meticals and so do the local shops, they know tourists don’t really mind spending.
A small structure in the middle of the village is marked as the bathroom.
Sharing a crude shower, toothpaste and a toilet is nothing out of the ordinary, they’ve never experienced the luxury of their own bathroom.
A shower is simply a bucket of water.
While many of us consider electricity an essential to daily living, villagers don’t know its value.
They don’t have televisions or mobile phones, some of them heard about it but don’t understand its function.
Simple living indeed.
By sharing stories and getting a glimpse into another’s life, both the inexperienced tour guide and I were amazed.
Not only was life so different but in those few hours on the island, we gained unspoken, unheard of and often unseen experiences.
Humility versus superiority, simple versus extravagant and hassle free versus stress - all these characteristics - the life of an ordinary villager versus that of an ordinary city lady.