Mozambique
After saying goodbye to Tal and Michal, we head west towards Mozambique; it’s a long drive to the Indian Ocean, which we’re definitely going to have to do over the next two days.
We’re planning to cross the Zambezi at Tete, one of the easiest crossings in Mozambique, there’s only a few points you can cross this huge river.
By the time we arrived in Tete, it’s already getting late – there’s nowhere south of here to stop for the night, so we find a campsite, which was actually just a bars’ carpark… We celebrated the Jewish New Year (which we’d promised Michal and Tal we’d do) in the traditional way – with fish heads (we didn’t have any apples or honey)
The first night’s camping with Jenny and Keira is quite a warm experience. Tete is known for being the hottest place in Mozambique and tonight is no exception. We’re in for a long, sleepless night, not helped at all by the near constant construction work going on in the carpark.
Thursday September 13th 2007
The drive south to Beira is a gruelling 1000km drive, for the most part on thankfully great roads. Keira and Jenny take the chance to “rest their eyes”, apparently they didn’t actually sleep…
We arrive at Biques Camp just before sunset, in time to enjoy some well earned sundowners on the beach. Biques is right on the coast, the beach is our new home and their bar has not only a pool table but also a huge TV and projector for tomorrows rugby world cup clash between England and South Africa.
We’re introduced to the foulest drink I’ve yet to taste by a very frank middle-aged South African who takes a special liking to Keira… AguaDen (firewater) tastes like battery acid, which is probably a fairly prominent ingredient. I have to drink the girls’ shots for them (after the first one they’ve refused all others) they arrive thick and fast from the mostly older south African regulars, by the time we leave to set up the tent I can hardly stand up... All this booze after such a long day is quite a shock to the system.
Friday September 14th 2007
Jenny takes the initiative and takes us on a tour of Beira, navigating us as best she can with the Bradtt guide to Mozambique, we sample some of the cities colonial architecture.
The highlight by far was our lunch at the restaurant ‘picnic’; it’s a truly remarkable place, the waiters all wear ill-fitting, ancient tuxedos which are literally falling apart at the seams. We’re the third table here this lunchtime, giving the restaurant a total of around 8 customers, we’re outnumbered 2-1 by the staff, who all seem to have just one task to complete each. We have a waiter bring our bread, one brings the drinks, another brings the starters (and so – on).
The silence in the place is deafening, we’re left to stare in wonder at the ageing miss-matching décor. It’s all too much for us, we’re breaking into fits of laughter, which at times is more than a little embarrassing. Keira suffers the most and at one point actually has to spit out her last sip of water.
All in all it ends up being the funniest lunch any of us has ever had.
The rugby that evening wasn’t quite as funny, England failed to score and South Africa walked all over us. The injury to the only English player to turn up (Jason Robinson) made the evening even bitterer. All of this was compounded by our fellow drinkers– 99% of whom are South African; it’s like having to watch the game in Wood Green.
Leaving Beira the next day, Jenny and I are trying to forget the game and Keira is being careful not to rub in too much salt. We’re heading to Vilanculos, home to Baobab, a previous haunt of Keira and her friends.
Vilanculos was hit by a tropical cyclone last year and Keira is a little disappointed to find baobab largely destroyed and the atmosphere significantly different. After two nights and some great seafood we’re heading south towards Tofo and the diving on offer there.
Tofo Scuba has a great reputation, they’ve been recommended by four separate travellers I’ve met on my journey through Malawi and Mozambique, once we arrive in Tofo, we head straight to them and check out the dives on offer. After arranging for two dives the next day we enjoy our sundowners on the beach.
We stay at Fatimas Nest, a campsite right on the beach. There’s a bunch of great people here – we’re slipping in nicely to beach life…
There’s a communal kitchen. Thais, a great Brazilian girl kindly invites us to dinner… It seems the constantly changing community of travellers here are a special bunch.
(me, Thais, Rohnie, Yemmi, Benjie, Sara and Elena)
Our first dive here is to a shallow reef just inside the bay with just an 18m depth. It’s the first time Jenny, Keira and I have ever dived in the ocean, so it’s probably best we’re starting out with an easy reef.
The first challenge for us is doing a negative entry from the boat, we have to expel all air from our BCD (buoyancy control device) and kick straight down to the bottom after rolling backwards off the boat. It’s a new technique, and a fun one…
The reef is teeming with life, there are lots of small reef creatures to see – but no Manta Rays or large game fish – they’ll come later on the reefs outside the bay.
Our first ocean dive is completed and we’re all looking forward to diving with the really big stuff out at the Manta and Giants reefs.
Most of our time in Tofo is spent chilling on the beach and socialising with all of our new friends… Keira and Jenny have to go back to Vilanculos soon to pick up Lorraine, a friend of Keiras who’ll be joining us for a week in Tofo.
We do two further dives at Tofo Scuba, at Manta Reef and at Giants. Both are spectacular, seeing Manta Rays glide above you, blotting out what little light there is as they go is quite incredible. On the 35 minutes ride back from Manta reef we spot a shark – but not the plankton feeding whale shark which we’re looking for but a 2/3 metre hammerhead. It’s unusual apparently for these waters, but not unheard of. Great Whites have also been spotted on occasion visiting the same reefs as the three of us.
The scuba diving is just one side of Tofo life…. The other side is a constant party. The crowd of people changes daily – bringing fresh travellers from the US, South Africa, Europe, south America and the rest of Africa. For 10 days however, there’s a core group of us, who are all staying longer than we expected to.
Thais has organised a football match between two years of the teacher training college in Inhambane, the nearest large town to Tofo.
After cramming everyone into the car, we head to the town for lunch and onto the football match – which is scheduled to start at 3pm.
Our lunch takes a little longer than expected, and after a stop to use the internet, we’re running late… Not to worry – everything in Africa starts after it should, even a football match, which given the absence of floodlights should finish before sunset. We arrive at the start of the second half, to find the players struggling on in near-darkness.
At the start of half time the score is 0-0, there are some good players here – and both teams capitalise on some great set pieces 2-2 at full time. It’s now dark however – and the penalties are taken in almost pitch darkness.
The last penalty, the deciding one, went like a rocket, it was a firm strike, but no-one’s really sure whether it went in. The player didn’t seem to think so just after the kick (although he soon changed his mind after the question was asked by his supporters) so I guess he missed, but then it’s anyone’s guess in this light. Thais makes the call and the goal was not allowed. Thankfully it’s a friendly, so the match doesn’t end in a brawl, Thais makes the presentation under the only light in the area.
Keira and Jenny leave to collect Lorraine from Vilanculos, they’re gone a few days, which is a bit of a blur… in the best possible way.
By the time the girls return, the parties are in full swing, Lorraine settles into Tofo beach life effortlessly.
It’s a full moon today, which means a big party at Dinos, a restaurant just up the beach, the photo explains a lot about the evening.
It’s a very different affair to the full moon party I shared with Michal and Tal in Malawi, which consisted of 5 guys sitting around a campfire singing “full moon-a-party, full moon-a-party” for about 3 hours (until someone came to tell them to be quiet, which was the end of the ‘party’).
One of the highlights of the evening was meeting Mary and Sue, 18 year old American acting students – whose enthusiasm for their drinking game “circle of death” was not diminished by the fact that they will forevermore be known as “Mary and Sue” and will have to dance like monkeys on the dancefloor whenever I tell them to.
Brett, Elena and I just take to dancing like Austin Powers for the rest of the evening.
After a few more parties, more late nights, and many more new friends, we have to think about leaving. I’ll miss Tofo, but I’ll be back… Watch this space.
[moz tofo beach.jpg, moz tofo beach 1.jpg, moz tofo beach 2.jpg]
I’ve had an amazing time with everyone here… especially Sara, Raoni, Elena and Benjie.
The morning after the party was spent reminiscing over breakfast, filling each other in on the blanks left by Tipo Tinto (the regional rum)
Brett – an American peace core volunteer who’s just finished his 2 year stint in Zambia, Keira, Jenny and I leave and head towards Maputo, the capital of Mozambique which is nothing like the rest of the country.
After just one day in the city, we’re feeling like getting out again… city life after a few weeks in Tofo isn’t what the doctor ordered, so we head south, through deep sand tracks and dunes, towards Ponta do Ouro, a beach resort which lies on the South African border.
Brett and I hire a surfboard, and incredibly I manage to stand up on the very first wave I catch… It’s an exhilarating feeling – but one I’m not able to recreate in the following hour of surfing.
It’s getting close to the arrival of my parents – they fly out to Johannesburg to visit me and the rest of our family in South Africa, it’s off to Swaziland, where Keira and Jenny will leave M and I to continue their journeys – Keira, is off to Cape Town, then the UK and Jenny flies off to New Zealand to continue her round-the-world journey.
As soon as we arrive at Grifters Backpackers, there comes a terrible, familiar grinding from the gearbox, the drivemember’s gone again and there are apparently no parts in the whole of Swaziland.
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