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Blogs from Tofo, Southern, Mozambique, Africa
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August 30th 2012
I was up at 5 a.m. to pack my tent away and get the bus to Tofo, just under 400 km up the coast. Fatima's Nest where I was staying in Maputo, also had a place in Tofo and provided a shuttle bus, door to door. Except this wasn't exactly the case. They picked us up in a minibus and brought us to the bus station, where we were transferred on to the local bus to Inhambane, about 20 km from Tofo. The local bus usually only goes to Inhambane, but this one brought us all the way to Tofo. It was a long, uncomfotable 8 hour journey though. Tofo is all about the beach and even though it was late afternoon when we got there, I still had time to have a swim after putting ... read more
May 30th 2012
My absence of 2 days can be explained by illness, and yes, I thought I was going to die! Who knows what bug I caught or where I caught it? Conditions are not sanitary here, really, I've been sharing bathrooms and bedrooms and regulators etc....so I caught something. I became so ill I actually called the manager to get a doctor for me. That is not done here, but Steve, the owner of the dive shop Peri Peri, and his wife Martina, the volunteer I have mentioned regarding the orphanage, were at Casa Do Mar visiting the owners. Steve tested me for malaria, Katie brought pills for temperature, they iced me down, and gave me electrolytes. The hospital is the last resort, here. I am now off to get Randy at the Inhambane airport, so I ... read more
May 28th 2012
I spent a miserable night last night. On my way to bed I discovered that our electrical outlet quit working, so I had to go downstairs and sleep in the middle, airless, windowless, storeroom/bedroom. The mattress (if you can even call it that) was so thin I could feel the bed slats, so I decided to put the mattress on the floor. I did get a fan and had it on all night. I woke up aching. I then changed, went upstairs and turned on the faucet…no water. Shit. So I decided to check into Casa Do Mar a day early. I then did a two tank dive this morning. The ocean was a bit rough, with swells. The first reef was 30 minutes out, called Outback. No mantas, leopard sharks, bowmouth guitar sharks, leatherbacks or ... read more
A Trip for the orphanage and another owl
Published: May 27th 2012Africa » Mozambique » Southern » Tofo
May 26th 2012
Well, I missed my dive this morning. No, I wasn’t hung over, I felt ill during the night, as did my roomie, Leslie. After imbibing a lot of alcoholic substances, the group went to Tofo Tofo, a restaurant in the village. Dinner was delicious, I think it was the ice that made me ill. Ice can be a danger as we all know. I should have stuck with the bottle. I managed to “sneak” away after dinner, Daniela had quite a few cocktails shall we say, and insisted I go to Fatimas with them to dance with her. I asked Patty to distract her, which wasn’t a problem, and I headed home, taking the shortcut through the woods. Leslie insisted on walking me to the fork, and it is good that she did, because I would ... read more
A very eventful day in Tofo and a tawny owl
Published: May 23rd 2012Africa » Mozambique » Southern » TofoMay 23rd 2012
Today has been so eventful I really don't know where to start. I guess I will start this morning. Leslie (my roomie) and I walked down to the market, I wanted to buy a couple of things. She had to leave for an ocean safari after 30 minutes or so, at which point every guy in the market bombarded me. They need to eat, feed their kids, they are my friend, they make good price....omg. It went on and on. And yes, I bought. I also ran away, down the road to Fatimas, a sort of beach bar/restaurant. Two guys followed me, but when I shook my head they left. I guess they didn't want to get the Fatima staff upset by hassling their customers. Fatimas is nice...a lovely place to sit and just watch the ... read more
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May 21st 2012
The big event today was a non-event....nothing on the ocean safari. Two whale sharks have been sighted at Barra Point, so we are going to head that direction tomorrow. Also, four Great Whites have been sighted not far from here, apparently it is unusual to see them in these waters. After my last experience with one I can't say I'm anxious to meet one in open water, the cage was rather helpful last time. Today it rained, and it is cold for the first time since I've been here. Chilly. It will be cold on the water tomorrow. The water temperature has dropped 4 degrees since I've been in Tofo, so winter is coming (Stark words). Rain and wind shut down the power here in Tofo, so we've been without power a few times today. An ... read more
May 20th 2012
Back in Tofo after a LONG and bumpy ride back in a van that rides rougher than a go-cart! Ouch. Of course, in the 2 days I was gone a whale shark was spotted on a dive, a tiger shark, and a gray reef shark. Apparently the strong currents bring them in. Of course, the flip side is that the visability was 4 meters (12 feet). To see a tiger shark within 12 feet would be a harrowing experience I think, but often when you are afraid of something, if you dive with it once, you feel fine about it. I actually jumped in the water the other day when we sighted a Hammerhead Shark. Sadly, I didn't see it. I've always wanted to see one. So I am unsure about the way the rest of ... read more
May 17th 2012
Crazy day. Today is Daniela’s birthday, and right now Felix is baking her a cake and playing some techno disco music. Where to start? First, I received an email that Rex is not doing very well and he is in the hospital. (My father-in-law). Apparently he has fallen and broken his tailbone, has a ruptured lumbar disk, and has had a somewhat difficult time cognitively. I’m very sad about it…he will go into rehab after he gets out of the hospital. I hope cortisone will work for his disc. It is troubling to watch our parents become infirm, it certainly lets us know that time is passing. I am glad he has done so much travelling in the last 5 years, he has been everywhere. None of us know when we are going to have problems, ... read more
May 15th 2012
I missed blogging yesterday, but I was so busy I came home and collapsed after the talk on Manta Rays at Casa Barry last night. Andrea Marshall is so charismatic…her passion for the conservation of the Manta Rays is infectious. I am seriously considering doing a trip with her in March, a 3 week dive/research trip to Raj Impat and Indonesia. I want to help support this effort to the best of my ability. Yesterday we did an ocean safari, no whale sharks or manta rays. Andrea arrived here 10 years ago to do her graduate work, and 10 years later there are 87% FEWER MANTA RAYS. I’ve been here a week and I’ve seen only one manta, and no whale sharks. The reason for this is obvious: today, on the way to Outback reef for ... read more
May 10th 2012
Another day with no diving or ocean safaris…..most of the group are learning to dive today, which leaves four of us with nothing to do, Marcel, Pieter, Ben and I. Our coordinators from All Out Africa had to leave to renew visas and so nothing has been scheduled for us, but we have been notified that tomorrow we will be on an ocean safari (which is out on the boat looking for whale sharks). Yay! Hopefully I’ll be able to post whale shark photos tomorrow! So I was up at 715a.m. (can’t sleep late here), had peanut butter and toast for breakfast, then decided to go and check out the beach. Marcel came along. I’d like to fix my daughter up with Marcel, he is a sweetheart. How many 23 year olds want to hang out ... read more
