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Published: October 22nd 2007
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Maputo
Shithole. Went there because we had to. Got out as quickly as possible.
Tofo
Our main reason for making this long and painful journey here (and it was painful - 4 hours in a cramped transit van from Swaziland to Maputo, then another 9 hours in an even worse van with dodgy but very loud reggae music playing, while sitting next to people that can't have washed for a month) was to catch up with one of my best mates from London, Willsy, and to see the little stretch of paradise he calls home. From the minute we unfolded out of the van, it was blatently obvious as to why his original planned stay of 2 months evolved into 2 years. The beaches are huge with numerous breaks dotted along the way, the water is nice and warm, the night sky is amazingly clear, and the little town is quaint and stocked with authentic African souveneirs. The people are also really friendly here, if not a little too friendly!
We settled into our apartment smack-bang on the beach, stocked the fridge with local beer, cracked open a bottle and waited for the sun to go down. Good times
were on their way. It really doesn't matter about the lack of amenities that you normally take for granted in life like TV, hot water, red meat, supermarkets and internet access, because everything you need here is right on your doorstep - literally! Having well and truly adjusted to "African Time", we accidentally bumped into Will catching a wave outside our apartment back early from his holiday(?), and set about our first of many reunion nights at the local backpacker bar, and his home, Bamboozi. It probably wasn't a good idea to hit the old local rum "Tipo Tinto" so hard that night because, with Will being a PADI Diving Instructor, we had booked ourselves onto our 4 day Open Water Scuba Diving Course starting the following day. Lucky for us though, the first day only entailed watching DVD's, reading books, and learning about the physics of diving. A bit tedious when all you want to see is the fishies but it had to be done.
The fun really started on the second day when we actually got to put the gear on and get into the swimming pool. It is a really weird experience the first time you
breathe underwater but once you get used to it, it's actually a really peaceful thing to do, and the feeling of weightlessness is amazing. As part of the course, we had to go on 4 sea dives. It really is a different world under the sea, and some of the sights in Tofo are in the top ten dive sites in the world. The marine life there is abundant andf the coral reefs are packed with many varieties of fish, all of which are as inquisitive of you as you are of them. We bumped into Octopus, Scorpionfish, Lionfish, Loggerhead Turtles, Moray Eels, Trumpetfish etc. while listening to the song of Humpback Whales all around us. We even had a couple of Devil Rays check us out while hanging around at the 5 metre safety stop. Because we are only Open Water Divers we could not go any deeper than 18metres but we are now really to continue our courses and go diving in other parts of the world. Would recommend this to anyone. It does help if your mate's your instructor though!
After our final exams, we had celebratory drinks, and the following day we went out on
Whale Shark
The Stoners of the Sea an "Ocean Safari". We donned our snorkels and masks and jumped out of the boat right into the path of a Whale Shark swimming no more than 1 metre below the surface. These guys are absolutely massive creatures, getting up to 19 metres in length, and it's quite a shock when they swim towards you with their mouth open, even though they don't have any teeth. the biggest one we saw was about 10 metres long, and you really do feel so insignificant swimming next to something this size. I also had a huge Manta Ray swim right underneath me, but unfortunately it didn't want to come up to the surface for a photo. I guess they're camera shy! Sal went out for a surf at dusk the following day while nursed a hangover (yes, another one!) and all too soon our time in Tofo was over. We will truly miss this place, not only is it paradise to look at but we also met some really great people here, and experienced some of the best times of our lives so far. Keep doing what you're doing Tofo, we'll be back!
A Final Note On Africa
We've had some
Lionfish
Mikes Cupboard Dive Site fantastic times in Africa but now as our travels are nearing their end, we're not quite sure where South Africa as a country is headed. The crime rate there is growing constantly with over 52 people being murdered every day and one woman being raped every 12 seconds, and from the local white people we have met and talked to, it's quite obvious that they don't feel safe in their own homes. Burglar bars, alarm systems, barbed wire etc. are a must just to comply with insurance regulations. While we were in Richard's Bay, fishing on the beach, Stevo had to leave his car unlocked with nothing inside and the windows rolled down just to ensure that the windows aren't smashed by marauding locals looking to steal a cd or anything of value. I sincerely hope that S.A does sort itself out in the future because the sights there are breath-taking and I think all travellers and locals alike should be able to experience the country safely.
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