Crime and tide

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The Nampula TCO rep had guessed we'd get to Vilankulos by about 5PM but her estimate is conservative by 100%!,(MISSING) a pleasant surprise. Sadly, we aren't actually dropped at Vilankulos but at the junction from which it's a 25 minute chapa ride distant, but the chapa - more like a Sudanese boksi - leaves immediately and we soon find ourselves on a street corner in the centre of Vilankulos.

We've barely disembarked when a Portuguese woman offers us a lift to wherever we want to go. Our first choice, the delightfully-named Zombie Cucumber hostel, is full, as is the woman's subsequent suggestion Dolphin Dhow. She then suggests Baobab Beach, which turns out to have a couple of spare huts. It's amusing to see the woman's interaction with her young daughter, who appears to be her assistant. The two of them expect nothing in return for their lifts and phone calls, though the woman gives us each a brochure advertising their transport service.

Despite this friendly welcome, I soon take a dislike to Vilankulos. The town is too spread out for what it contains. Unlike the north of Mozambique, it appears that all local people here speak English, which is a consequence of the droves of holidaymaking South Africans in the area - this not only makes Vilankulos feel less of an adventure but opens up more opportunities for hassle. But the thing that really gets me is the constant warnings about personal safety. Everyone says it's unsafe to walk around at night, with caution required even during the day. This just isn't right - Vilankulos has a population of about 40,000, so it's hardly a metropolis, which to my mind means that it's just not possible for people to repeatedly commit crimes without everyone knowing who's responsible. Draw your own conclusions.

I like Baobab Beach from the get-go as they're playing Eiffel 65's "My Console" when we arrive. This feeling is cemented later when I hear the same group's remix of Kim Lucas' "All I Really Want". But I'm not here to listen to cheesy Eurodance, though that's reason enough to be anywhere. For me, Vilankulos' draw is that it's the gateway to the Bazaruto Archipelago. From the hostel, I can see the islands of the archipelago, separated from the mainland by a stretch of water in shades of blue ranging from turquoise to aquamarine. The sea is shallow, as evidenced by fishermen wading only waist-deep hundreds of metres from shore.

The beach at low tide is strewn with seemingly abandoned fishing boats, but high tide sees them back afloat and ready for action. North of Baobab Beach is a fish market, offering the crabs, calamari, and - especially - prawns that Mozambique is famous for. The hostel's outdoor showers provide me with my first hot water in the country.

Baobab Beach has an enormous collection of friendly dogs that are all eager to share your food but don't hold it against you if you wolf the lot. Less appealing is the voraciousness of the local mossies. They're brazen, landing in plain view on hands and arms, and don't appear to obey the normal dawn/dusk rules as I find one guzzling greedily on my heel several hours after sunrise.

The hostel's noticeboard reveals that there's a local car hire company called Merkin.

I do a disappointing overnight safari to the archipelago (blogged separately) then kill another day in Vilankulos getting laundry done. From there, it's south again.

Dull but possibly useful info
i. Took the TCO bus from Beira to Vilankulos, which left at 4AM from the TCO terminal (location unknown), cost M800, and took about 7 hours. This was a double-decker but had the same facilities as the Nampula->Beira single-decker. You're dropped at the intersection with the road going to Vilankulos - I paid M50 for a chapa ride to the town, but I later heard it perhaps should be M15.
ii. Vilankulos is annoyingly spread out - because of that, plus the fact that (at least at this time of year) it's quite full, you might want to book ahead so that i) you have a room, and ii) you might get a free lift to it.
iii. Stayed at Baobab Beach, paying M500 for a hut with mossie net. The shared showers have hot water about 50% of the time - no idea why not all the time. The place is about 15 minutes' walk from the centre of town and supposedly it's dangerous to walk this at night. The bar plays excellent music and serves OK food.
iv. There's Internet at Complex Muha for M100 per hour (also Dolphin Dhow for the same price). I tried Complex Muha and it was a decent speed. The facilities in general looked pretty good (it's only been open since December 2008) so might be worth trying there for accommodation.
v. The Millenium BIM ATM accepts Mastercard but only dispenses M3,000 per transaction.

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Photos

Hut
Baobab Beach

My hut
Baobab Beach

Small boat
Dolphin Dhow

Wood carving
Dolphin Dhow

Dog
Baobab Beach