Blogs from Mozambique, Africa - page 12

Dear All Greetings from Mozambique! Wow – what an exotic place to be in, and although just nextdoor to Malawi, a completely different country with a completely different feel to it (starting with the fact that people speak Portuguese here...!) I must admit this different feel was a major shock when I first arrived, and my initial sentiment was one of missing Malawi actually and a desire to go back, which was a bit of a surprise. But fortunately I stuck through the feelings and am having an amazing time right now – different, but amazing! I am currently writing this from a super lodge located on the shores of the Lake Cahora Bassa, the 5th largest reservoir in the world, in the remote, far north-west of the country. Mozambique is primarily a coastal country, with ... read more

It's rumoured - between travellers, in the guidebooks, and on websites -to be full of pickpockets, hustlers and con-men, and I'd hoped to bypass it by catching a dhow from Tanzania to Mozambique. But with the dhow non-existent, my only option was to cross the border via the somewhat notorious Rovuma River crossing. And it turned out to be everything it was rumoured to be - a beautiful place to be fleeced, but fleeced I was. The crossing began with a bent Tanzanian border official who demanded 2000 shillings (80p) to leave the country. I refused and bluffed, at which point he let me pass, only to point out, behind my back, my rucksack on the truck to one of his cronies outside. I took it as a signal to leave as quickly as possible, and ... read more

Week 8-10 Tofo/Tofino Beach Day 49, April 13th, we woke up at 4:30am to catch our 5:30 bus from Maputo to Tofo Beach. The backpacker had a cheap bus $600MT/per person ($20US) door to door to there beach front property Fatima’s Nest, a mere 250 miles up the coast. Bargain transportation comes with strings attached. The 30-seater bus arrived at Fatima’s seemingly half way full with luggage and people. The 9 of us going were wondering how they would fit all of our luggage and us inside the bus, as there was no under or above storage. Within a half hour we were all loaded and situated in the elementary school like metal seats with straight backs and little cushioning. Best-case scenario we would be there in six hours. As we pulled out we were all ... read more

Thursday April 7th, 2011 Off the Coast of South Africa Latitude 28 degrees 21 minutes’- Longitude 32 degrees 34 minutes east Yesterday we were in Maputo, Mozambique and it was a nice clear day. Our four day crossing from the Seychelles Islands was some of the roughest seas we have encountered since we left Fort Lauderdale. The dawn brought a soft light spreading across calming seas with a pleasant cool breeze from the southwest. As we rounded the headland and came into the bay it was easy to see why the Portuguese had made this their main seaport for over 400 years. The protected natural harbor was large and easy to navigate. There on a raised promontory the city of Maputo watched over our approach. Mozambique achieved independence from Portugal in 1974. From a distance the ... read more

Birthday Shenanigans So… I often have mixed emotions when it comes to my birthday. I get really excited, but there are always tears (ask Alicia… she has seen many and doesn’t understand why I always cry on my birthday) This year the lead-up was tear-filled and filled with – what the hell am I doing in my life questions that my poor roommate got to deal with daily. I had nothing major planned for the weekend, but when Michelle’s postponed Christmas party got postponed yet again –she decided we were heading to Maputo. So Friday afternoon we set off in the Polo. I have driven every time, but Michelle offered to drive my car (hers is a bit of a lemon). Hanging with Michelle is hilarious – it is like a comedy of errors. On the ... read more