Mozambique

Africa » Mozambique
June 15th 2009

Published: January 27th 2010

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Exodus

Tank

watching over her dive boat in Tofo

Sorry it's taken us so long to finish this update, but we're finally at the last blog entry, and Mozambique. I have to start by saying that Mozambique truly exceeded our expectations. Not that we were exactly sure of what to expect. Dave brought a book with him so we looked through that, we talked to people along the way who had been there, and we tried doing some research online, but we still didn't have a clear picture. Even spending three weeks in South Africa didn't reveal any definitive information such as border crossings and how far we could get in a 2 wheel drive car. We kept hearing either very negative or very positive things so we decided to wing it and take off without any plans. So, away we went in our tiny breadbox car and took it one day at a time.

Our first stop was Zavora, a wonderful introduction to the gorgeous, breathtaking Mozambique beaches. We enjoyed the tranquility of Zavora Lodge for a couple of days, and then headed for Tofo. Tofo is a very small, relaxed town consisting of a few small hotels, places to pitch your tent, some good restaurants, a couple

Mozambique Sunset

of beach bars, amazing diving, an insanely beautiful beach, and great people. We were there in the off season and it felt a bit empty, but we heard that in the busy season it can be too crowded, so I'm glad we went when we did. Between eating big plates of prawns and barracuda, diving with mantas and whale sharks, and shopping in the local market, we met a great group of people. Thanks again, and congratulations on your new operation, Peri Peri Divers!

We knew we wanted to spend the bulk of our time in Tofo, but we also wanted to explore more of the coast. So we made our way up to Vilanculos for a few days. We heard that this was the last stop before the road got really bad. We encountered a 90k stretch of road that really has me wondering what the really bad roads look like - ditches 4 feet deep? But the car made it and we had a great time sailing and snorkeling around Margaruque, an island which is part of the Bazzaruto Peninsula. We also had a very fun night out at Afro Bar with our local chef and bartender.

Mozambique

typical "good" dirt road

After Vilanculos, we camped for a few more nights in Tofo, and then decided to spend a night in Maputo. We heard from many people that it was not worth stopping for, that it was a dirty, dangerous place and to stay away. But luckily, we also heard about it's rich history, Portugeuse architecture, vibrant nightlife, and friendly people.

To sum up Mozambique: Andy, Dave, and I cried as we made our way across the border and left (I am not exaggerating at all). The culture really got to us and we knew we would miss it. I definitely plan to visit again.

After crossing the border we stopped for a night at The Kruger View Backpackers. With views of Kruger Park (Crocodile Bridge), a beautiful atmosphere, and a friendly host, it was the perfect place to reminisce and discuss our plan for Johannesburg for the next few days. Two days that would not only mark the end of our time in Africa, and with Dave, but would also be the last two nights of our 15-month trip.

We stayed at a great house-turned-guesthouse and spent the day driving around Johannesburg and went to the Aparteid

Zavora

Museum. The Museum was an extremely emotional experience, even for us non-South Africans, and very educational as well. We ended the last day of our trip by going to the Butcher Shop restaurant again, and celebrating the last fifteen months with a few bottles of good South African wine.

Relunctantly, we left South Africa for NYC (via a 12-hour layover in Doha). Although we were eager to see our family and friends, we were extremely sad to say goodbye to our nomadic, vagabond life. I will never be more thankful to myself, and to everyone we came in contact with along the way, for the wonderful experiences that we will have forever.

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