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Published: February 19th 2013
Another present time blog, although I will have no internet till we get back, so the rest of my blog will only be published after the trip.
A touch of the Moz bug.
It's that time of the year again. 2013 looms ahead of us and we need some goals to work towards before the rat race digs its claws into us. Time to plan our trips for the year ahead, so we sit with a calendar and see how we can fit in our travelling and holidays. After all, we need something pleasant to look forward to, don't we? Most years we decide to have a short break around February/ March and head for a destination where we can relax and do just what we want. This is 'our' time! But of course we want a bit of adventure thrown in as well.
Have you ever been bitten by the Moz bug? Beware! Once it gets you it clings on like a leach! Yes, we are heading to Mozambique again, a short overland/road trip to Ponta Malongane, where we will be camping and then we will come back via Kosi Bay. Technically we will be in Moz but in reality we will only be about 15 km out of South Africa. Still, we will have crossed a border, so there is some planning to be done. In reality we are in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town is Ponto Do Ouro, which doesn’t consist of much, and with a few basic supplies, amenities etc.
Planning, planning, planning…..and then packing!
A couple of important items that need to be done and taken with:
Passports, of course.
Third party insurance is compulsory if you are taking a vehicle across the border, and vehicle papers are needed too for our car as well as our trailer.
Money – most of the stuff you buy is on a cash basis.
Lots of prep before the trip, but it's old hat to us, as we have done this plenty of times.
I have lists, yes, you may laugh, but it makes life easier and there is lot to remember but we can be sorted and packed quickly.
Vehicle list - if your car breaks down, you are stuck. Not easy to get assistance in remote places. The last 15 kilometres is on a sand road. There are certain tools and equipment worth taking.
Camping list. - one needs to be self sustained, as supplies are limited, but we will spoil ourselves by eating out occasionally
A good first aid kit is essential as there are no medical facilities close by. You have to cross the border to the closest hospital .......valuable time///be as prepared as you can be.
Once again it's a case of packing everything including the kitchen sink. Some people camp simply and others do it in style. I like to think we are middle-of-the-road campers.
Do we really need all this?<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /> <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
Those of you that camp should recognise some of the items we take with:
Trailer with tent on top; bedding; food & some drinks - one thing one can always find in another country is alcohol. Water – you need to take your own drinking water as there is only borehole water not really fit to drink. You can of course use water purifying tablets, but it is easy enough for us to bring our own.
Fridge/freezer – to keep food cold or frozen and of course a cold beer for hubby!
Compressors for the tyres as we will need to deflate our tyres; recovery gear, as you can get stuck even in the short 15 kilometres, as the sand is soft and if it has rained there are some wet patches that look easy to cross, but believe me they can be quite deceptive!
Dive equipment.
Table, chairs, gas cookers as the electricity is also limited – we may use nothing with an element – that includes the kettle!
Gazebo....and so the list goes on!
We probably overdo it a bit when it comes to the packing. Is it worth all the effort to pack so much stuff and haul it to our destination just to unpack it again? Most definitely! Some of the best beaches are in Mozambique and if you love diving, there are some good dives too. Even though one is just over the border, you will get a good taste of the Mozambican culture as well as a bit of South African culture thrown in for free, gratis and for nothing! It will be hot and humid so hopefully we will be able to swim, but the down side is that it is Cyclone season till end of March so we don’t really know what to expect.
We set off at the crack of dawn and depending on the traffic and road works, will spend about 8 hours on the road. Looking forward to hearing the sound of the sea.
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
We are looking forward to your blogs of Mozambique...
For us this year we ware doing our travels early, which is bad for the budget...we can't go that long without a trip so we will probably get in something by the end of the year. Linda is presently with our daughters, son in law and grandson at Disney World. I had my post op with my surgeon who fixed my broken ankle, and told him that I AM leaving for Beijing in 4 weeks. He kind of stared at me and told me to see him just before I leave. I repeated that I AM flying to Beijing in 4 weeks. I could see him thinking...we'll see!