Sail Away to Paradise

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To say we set sail early in the morning is not entirely true as there was not a breath of wind to speak of, so it was under the power of the small outboard motor that our dhow left Vilankulo and the African mainland, bound for the tiny island of Margaruque, our first stop in the Bazaruto Archipelago. As it was low tide Capitano Mattais took the extra time and caution needed to safely navigate through the rock reefs, sand banks and fish farms, and once successfully in open water afforded himself some laughs at the other capitanos who had run aground and were now helplessly waiting for the tide to rise. Among the stranded were two capitanos who had been unsuccessful in acquiring our business the day before. It was an unblemished sky under which we basked whilst we got to know our crew and fellow dhow mates. In addition to Capitano Mattais, there was Duma, our guide and translator and Chef Alfredo who was already busy serving tea and coffee that he'd heated in the cooking pit built into the hull of the dhow. Our dhowmates included our South African friend Stanton, a young Swedish couple that were fresh off the boat and so fair they doubled as nautical beacons, and Sven the Dutchman and his Mozambiquan girlfriend. Mia, I'm surprised I can even remember her name, was the most sour looking thing we'd ever come across and made no attempt whatsoever to interact with anybody, including her countrymen and crew, and for the most part Sven. For almost the entire safari she sat with a towel covering her head sending text messages from her mobile. Dani and I decided that the sex must have been off the richter scale because at $140 US for two days on a dhow we couldn't see any other reason for Sven paying to bring her along. It took us a couple of hours to reach Margaruque where we spent an hour or so snorkelling a rock reef before lunch. We started at the northern tip of the island and with the strong current drifted to the southern end. The snorkelling was better than any we'd done in Africa to date and the colours and variety of marine life were extensive. The reef however was razor sharp and we all managed to come out with cuts and scratches, except ofcourse for you know who, who didn't bother to get wet. Alfredo served an amazing lunch on the beach and soon after we were again "sailing", this time for Benguerra where we would spend the night. There was no rest for Chef, more tea and coffee and the best African Popcorn one could ever hope to experience. On Benguerra we stayed at Gabriels which was rustic and threadbare at best, however we felt quite priviliged as Gabriels was being demolished within a week or two to make way for a five star eco friendly resort. This was bad news for backpackers as Gabriels was the only budget accomodation option within the archipelago, but at the same time it was great news for many locals as exstensive and free staff training in Business, Hospitality and English had already commenced. Once on Benguerra we had the afternoon to do as we pleased and we set about exploring. On the other side of the island we came across a very strange phenomenon. Millions of hand sized crabs, running in unison towards the ocean then turning and fleeing like children before the approaching white water. Without trying to sound blaize' it was as every almost deserted, tropical island should be - an endless white sandy beach, turquoise waters, too many palm trees to bother counting and the most intense, blood red sunset we'd ever witnessed. It was seriously so amazing that we didn't even bother taking photos as not even the most "supa dupa" camera would be able to capture what we witnessed. For atleast an hour after the sun disappeared below the horizon the world had a firey red glow to it. Chef Alfredo outdid himself and we enjoyed a seafood dinner by the bonfire and again on the beach that included as many lula (calamari) steaks and mackerel fillets as we could eat with pasta salad, freshly baked pao (mozambique bread) and a mango and papaya fruit salad. Our bellies were so full that we were unable to manage anymore than laying on the beach and admiring the stars that were so bright and seemed so close that if we could muster the energy we'd be able to reach up and touch them. I'm positive that Gabriels was designed by an Irishman as the door to our open air hut was fitted with a flyscreen! Even with a mosquito net I was continually awoken by that annoying high pitched zzzz that only a mosquito centimetres from your ear can produce. Needless to say when I surfaced the next morning, any patch of skin that hadn't been claimed by the resident bed bugs was now surely malarious! Thankfully Alfredo was on hand and after I soothed my itching body in the Indian Ocean he sorted me out with strong coffee and matabisho muito bem! (a most excellent brekkie!). We decided that the food alone was so far worth the money we had paid, and we still had lunch to look forward to. Whilst the others laid on the beach Dani and I got stuck into the dishes and then the loading of the dhow. We were of the belief that the sooner the chores got done the sooner we'd be able to set sail again, and it was looking promising for the afternoon as a steady breeze had materialized. It was a direct headwind however as we motored towards Two Mile Reef for a morning snorkel. As its creative name suggests, Two Mile Reef does infact stretch for two miles, but after our session more creative names came to mind. These included "Bloody amazing coral reef, two miles long" and "All the colours of the rainbow, underwater, for two miles." It was by far and away the best snorkelling we'd ever done and blew not only yesterdays snorkelling out of the water, but all the snorkelling we'd collectively done in SE Asia, STH Pacific, Maldives and Seychelles. After an hour or so Dani and I were literally dragged onto the boat by the others who were keen to get to the actual Island of Bazaruto which is one massive sand dune. Bazaruto wasn't too far away and even though it was low tide and we again had to navigate the channels and sand banks it didn't take us long. From the top of the sand dune we were afforded spectacular 360 degree views over the whole of the archipelago and as hard as we looked, we couldn't see another dhow. By the time we re united with our dhow and awoke our crew the breeze had been upgraded and the tide had risen just enough to enable us to sail almost directly to Benguerra where we indulged in our final succulent Chef Alfredo meal. Over lunch our crew made a point to come and thank Dani and I for our help and efforts at making the safari a successful one. This was particularly touching as gestures of thanks and gratitude are generally not in an Africans nature. The afternoons sailing back to the mainland was peaceful and therapuetic. There is something to be to be said about gently rolling with the swell whilst listening to the water splash against the bow and the wind cut the sails - until the rudder snaps that is! Out of no where the wind and swell doubled and for the few minutes that it took the boys to drop sails and rig up the outboard it got a bit frantic. Poor Maria, the former nautical beacon and now mosquito spotted, jellyfish stung lobster was so freaked out she took refuge below deck with the bags until we convinced her we weren't going to sink and that it was safe for her to come out. To their credit, Duma, Mattais and Alfredo who was so shattered he nearly ended up in the drink did a sterling job not only in those few moments of madness, but indeed for the two days we were at sea. We were greeted at the beach by not only Sail Away welcoming staff, but also a handful of beach boys who thought that whilst we unloaded the dhow in waist deep water it was a good time to sell us the usual - curios, jewellery, ganja, coral, mobile phones... There was even one optimistic tout who told us we looked as though we'd had a crap safari and that if we came with him tomorrow he'd ofcourse give us a special price! Back at Boabab BP we'd heard of two separate robberies involving tourists, one in broad daylight. The mood amongst the backpackers was tense. We were pleased to learn however, that a group of of about eight, including Dave and Dave (two massive Brommie geezers!) were planning to walk across town to the bus stop at four in the morning. We made it ten. Thanks to Alfredo we didn't need dinner so all that was left to do in Vilankulo was pack up our stuff and get ready for another ridiculously early start to what would no doubt be another long and arduous journey to Beira.

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Photos

Bazaruto Archipelago
We really did have it all to ourselves.

Look at that Mo!
The wind was obviously in our hair. On top of the dhow and indeed the world!

Asleep on lookout duty.
We'd love to make a coffee table book on the strange places Africans can sleep!

Dani under sail
No motor power needed today when Henderson is at the helm!

Lunch
The fish tasted good too!

Sailing and popcorn
Alfredo, behind Dani and Stanton whipped up the best damn popcorn!

Paradise
It was a perfect day!

Camp spot
An endless and almost deserted beach!

Our trusty dhow and crew
Waiting patiently which in Africa usually means sleeping.

Bazaruto Island sand dune
It took about half an hour to climb and only a few minutes to slide down!

Comments

[Sasha]

Wow
How beautiful those beaches are..