Very un Australian Mate!

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After spending days at a time travelling between destinations in NTHN Mozambique, our journey from Ihla do Mocambiqe to Pemba was refreshingly straight forward, not forgetting ofcourse the standard fight for a fair price and resulting argument over change with local vendors and conductors keen to try and pull the wool over our eyes. Even after misreading the map in our guidebook and walking the long way to Russells Campismo, about 10km long, we still managed to arrive mid afternoon. Russell was an expat Aussie from the Sunshine Coast but he wasn't around when we arrived. The only other guest was a Belgian named Gareth who had ridden his pushbike from Durban and who quickly apologised for not giving us a lift when he had passed us earlier that afternoon. One of the staff showed us where we could pitch our tent and also the hot water showers for which we'd been excited for several weeks. It was a simple, yet very effective idea that used two buckets of water, one cold and the other on coals. Voila! Hot water! Not half an hour after enjoying my first hot shower in almost a month I realised I had left my watch in the shower, but when I returned to fetch it, it was no where to be seen. Russell had materialised and I asked him if any of his staff had perhaps found it and handed it in, but all he could say was that I must have lost it someplace else and that his staff weren't like that. Like what? Being polite I agreed that it must have been hiding under something in the tent, but after searching several times that night I resigned myself to the fact that my Christmas present from Danielle was goooone! It was the first time in two and a half months in Africa that any of our posessions had gone walkabout. We made a note to be even more diligent from that point on. It was a pity that the watch had to go missing at Russells because we really enjoyed our brief time there and decided that we might return after visiting the Quirimbas Archipelago to chill out for our last few days in Mozambique. In our day and a half in Pemba we found a cafe serving great coffee and delicious pastries that like so many of its country folk, let itself down when they tried to rip us off blind! (To date every single monetary transactiuon in NTHN Mozambiquue had been a struggle and it was beginning to become tiresome!) We were able also to spend an un interupted afternoon on a beach that we had all to ourselves and which then put on a spectacular and fiery sunset for which we'd found ourselves some cold sundowners. Little did we know then that it would be the first of several amazing sunsets that we'd see from the beach across the "road" from Russells, as the taxi that we'd organised to take us to the bus station at 5am in the morning to commence our journey to Ibo never showed up. We were quite pissed off that NTHN Mozambiquans had been trying by any means possible to rip us off, but when we offered an honest way for someone to make some money, they didn't bother getting out of bed. Seeing as though Russells was quite a way out of Pemba our only other option was to start hitching, and quite unlike us, we couldn't be bothered. The fact that it took us a further three days to organise onward transport, again in the direction of Ibo, didn't matter in the slightest as the afternoon prior to our previous intended departure, our Glaswegian friend Tiff, along with Israeli (Dutch) Tom and our Saffa friends from Ihla all arrived ensuring that we had no shortage of drinking buddies. If we weren't enjoying beach and or hammock time, or the music, shade and atmosphere of Russells popular bar, we were in Pemba trying not to get ripped off at our new favourite coffee spot, the fruit and veg market or even the internet cafe. As previously mentioned, every transaction was a headache and we were beginning to wonder at what point do we just abandon principle and pay the rip off price or not enter into negotiations at all. This was too much for poor Tom, as being the man of principle that he was, would quite often end up in a heated debate with a stall holder or shopkeeper about ethics and what it took to be an astute business person, particularly amusing considering 98% of the locals couldn't understand a word we were saying! In fairness however he came away the conqueror as often as he did the conquered, but at what cost? I just couldn't be bothered! I was on holiday afterall. If I wanted to get that worked up I could go back to Stella and atleast get paid for it! There was thankfully one vendor in town who was content to take our money without any hastle, probably because we rocked up at his bottleshop every day without fail for our Paradise gin and vodka. A bottle of paradise was 60000Mts, less than $3 Aus, yet at the bar it was 50000 for a single g&t. In preparation for our journey to Ibo five of us pooled some money and bought enough supplies of fruit, veges, bread, biscuits etc, juice, water and paradise to sustain us for several days. When at the 11th hour our lift again fell through we decided to flag Ibo all together, as not only had it so far proved a pain in the arse to access, several travellers whom we'd met coming the opposite direction said that it wasn't worth the effort anyway. Oh well, although disappointed, the prospect of spending a few more days at Russells wasn't unpleasant, especially as the World Cup Football - Copa do Mundo was about to start, and Danielles bday,21, was only a few days away. it didn't take us long at all to go through our supplies as Russells kitchen staff decided to help themselves to as much as they could plunder. There was thankfully one honest staff member who went out of his way to help us around the kitchen and even gave us some of his own stocks in repatriation for that of ours which had been pilfered. In the meantime Gareths shaving gear had suffered the same fate as my watch. When as a group we told Russell of his thieving staff and what had been taken he didn't show any care or concern in the slightest. We wondered if it were something of his that went missing would he perhaps show more interest. Fortunately for Russell none of us were that way inclined and still only slightly had the thefts detracted from the great time that we were having at his place. For the opening night of Copa do Mundo we put on a large party that not only saw me fall well and truly off the smoking wagon (just over a month i lasted) but resulted in a whopping hangover only so far paralleled in Africa after my 30th bday celebrations and then two days later after the miraculous and courageous come from behind victory by the socceroos over the Japs! an occasion that evoked many an Aussie Aussie Aussie...but also marked the last time that we saw our Australian flag. As we were all coming to the end of our respective visas, and patience for the thieving staff, we again had to start organising transport, this time with the eventual goal of Tanzania in mind, and for Tiff, a very imminent and unwanted flight home from Nairobi. On our last night a group of about ten of us went to a local seafood restaurant for an extravagent farewell dinner and 30th bday celebration for Danielle. Tiff smuggled in a chocolate cupcake and candle and much to her embarassment we managed the ceremony of a happy bday singalong. Our final venture into Pemba was remarkable for two reasons, firstly because the Indian man whom we hitched a lift with was so taken by Dani that he insisted she accept his gift of an un opened 750ml bottle of Johnnie Walker Red, even before he found out it was her bday, and then, even more remarkably, our rip off coffee shop quoted us the right price first time! All that was left to do was settle our bill with Russell who laughed at us when we suggested that we qualified for a long stay discount (we didn't go so far as to tally up the value of our goods that had been flogged!) and wait for our ride to Mocimboa do Praia. We'd stayed nine days which was so far our longest stay, the previous being six in Capetown. Seeing as though Russell himself had a hand in organising our lift with his mate we were fairly confident that it would be third time lucky and not only would we be able to leave Pemba, we'd also be able to escape what we'd dubbed the curse of the Hotel California "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!" Wishful thinking. An hour after we were supposed to be on the road we phoned the guy to find out that he'd already left after good old Russell had told him that we'd changed our minds. All Russell could say was that we should buy more beer and that he'd have to charge us for another nights accomodation! Fortunately for us one of the expat bar stools learnt of our plight and told us he'd drive us to a junction some 50km in the direction we were headed provided we were ready at 5am the next morning when he left for work. So desperate were we to get on the road we assured him that wouldn't be a problem and then sealed the deal by promising him a bottle of whiskey if he indeed showed up. Without really meaning to we preceeded to have another farewell party and when our ride arrived precisely at 5am he was probably glad that his drunken passengers, minus Danielle, were sitting in the outside tray. Russell however had disappeared on a bender sometime in the night and there was no one to leave money with to cover our bar tab, not to mention for accomodation, even though we'd not set up the tent and simply sat in the bar drinking. We certainly weren't going to leave it for any of his thieving staff to find. Sure enough by the time we reached Mocimba do Praia that afternoon Russell had put the word out amongst his mates that we'd done a runner, and one of them - the guy who was supposed to give us a lift in the first place, found us and got Russell on the phone who of course wanted his money. It was either that between us we'd had so much stuff stolen, or the fact that Russell didn't care, let alone offer us any compensation that even though we'd left without paying our bill from the previous night, we did so with a clear conscience. Anyway, who's responsibility, knowing that we were leaving, was it to ensure that he or someone else was on hand to take our money? I guess we found out afterall how quickly Russell changed his tune when it was something of his that went missing. I reluctantly gave his mate enough money to cover the beer we'd drunk, but there was no way I was giving him anymore to cover our "accomodations." Russell would just have to like it or lump it! Hopefully by reading this (I plan to send it to him,) he'll realise that if he spent less time worrying about how much beer he and his expat mates drank, and more time getting in tune with the rest of his guests, not forgetting his staff, situations like this could be avoided, as could us telling everyone we meet along the road, "Yeah, Russells Campismo is a great spot, but the staff are a bunch of thieves and the owner doesn't give a stuff! Very un Australian mate!"

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Photos

Dhow sunset
One of the many amazing Pemba sunset images.

Pemba fashions
Complete with salad bowl head piece.

Travel Buddies
From left; Gareth,me,Tiff,Dani,Tom and Russell at the back.

Cheap and fresh
It doesn't get better than this. Fresh lobster, $3!

Private Box
Copa do Mundo Australia v Japan. This was the last time we saw the Aussie Flag.

Mark Viduka fan
Pussy cat was an interested spectator

Hammock time
Dani making the most of some down time.

Two of my favourite things.
Eating and beaching

Chef friendly
Not only was he one of the only friendly staff members, he took a perticular shining to Dani.

Sunset Silhoettes
A local Fisherman returning to shore at the end of the day.

Comments

[Zain and Anna]

Ibo/Pemba
Read your blog about Pemba - we stayed at Russell's Place too. Russell wasn't there at the time but the staff were outrageously lazy! Enjoy the rest of your trip, Zain and Anna