Beach Time

---

Happy Easter everybody.
We are currently in the beach town of Tofo, still on the southern coast of Mozambique. I appreciate all the messages people send me, and emails, and facebook posts, etc. In other words, I like the attention. We have spent 8 nights here, and are leaving for the capital city of Maputo tomorrow. Tofo is a popular travel destination for South Africans, and right now is spring holidays for both Mozambique and South Africa. Needless to day the place is littered with tourists, though it is more of a destination for families than for backpackers at the moment. Mozambique is not as friendly as Malawi, and also much more expensive. Our bank accounts have survived by staying in dorm rooms and cooking our own meals.
Our time in Tofo has been extremely fascinating. We both are in the midst of a need for some "down" time. The desire to see everything and do everything has faded, partially because "everything" gets expensive, and after 4 months on this continent we are feeling a little burnt out. Our time in Tofo has been great, because if we need to do nothing all day long, we can. Lots of reading (as usual), and we've also managed to squeeze in a few activities. I rented a skimboard for a day, to get warmed up, and then decided I was ready to surf. I spent two days trying to get up on waves far too big for my skill set, and finally on the afternoon of the second day I rode some. Quite a rewarding feeling, especially because most of my time was spent being treated like a rag-doll in the undertow. Tofo definitely has its fair share of superb surfers, and while they are fun to watch, it gets frustrating when you can't seem to even stand up.
Today we had our water-related hilight of the trip. Forking over a lot of money, which most people do here everyday, we headed out for a 2 hour snorkelling trip. We saw a devil ray, and a few dolphins from the boat, and then got to interact with the sea-life. We found 5 separate whale sharks, and swam with all of them. For those who are unfamiliar with whale sharks, they are the largest fish in the world. We saw a baby, at 4 metres, all the way up to a full grown male who reached 7 and a half metres. Swimming next to these fascinating fish was awe-inspiring, and definitely worth the money. A must-see for anyone if they ever have the opportunity. Almost as exciting was when our boat hit top speed approaching the beach, and 5 ladies went toppling into a pile in the bow as we hit the shore.
We head to Madagascar in a week, for a month of action packed adventure. From there, Will and I will most likely head in a different directions, after a pretty incredible 5 months. Many people say while travelling in Africa, a month feels like a year. I feel like these 4 months have flown by, and I am guessing a month in Madagascar will seem even faster. It is exhausting, and frustrating, to be in a world so different from your own. But that is what makes the good times so much more rewarding. Take care all,
Graham

---