Blogs from Mozambique, Africa - page 19

The Nampula TCO rep had guessed we'd get to Vilankulos by about 5PM but her estimate is conservative by 100%, 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. ... read more

Unfortunately whale shark season finished several months back, and my interest in diving near Vilankulos wanes as soon as I hear that news. However S and I investigate an overnight dhow "safari" leaving the following day - it offers a night of camping on one of the islands of the Bazaruto Archipelago, plus snorkelling and walking, with transport being in a traditional dhow (with the main propulsion provided by a non-traditional outboard). It's expensive (not appreciably less than my land-based safaris in Kenya and Tanzania) but holds the promise of seeing interesting sealife including whales and dugongs. Our other companions are four thirty-something San Franciscans on a world tour after having been made redundant. They're inclusive in that admirable American way, and seem to be reliving some of their college days going by the cooler of ... read more

The TCO bus is an anomaly in African transport, like a readable passage in a Harry Potter book. Though not hitting Argentinian heights of comfort, it makes the 16.75 hours to Beira pass in a trauma-free fashion. The promised toilet and AC are present and correct, and the secret to reaching our destination in just one day lies in infrequent stops and certainly none for fruit and veg shopping. I wonder if the ripping sound I hear is the tearing apart of the very fabric of African travel. There is one cause for concern, however, and it unexpectedly revolves around Westlife. The bus has insufficient DVDs to last the duration of the journey and, though we only get one showing of "Operation Delta Force 2:Mayhem", the Westlife Greatest Hits DVD gets repeated. I consider myself as ... read more

I reach the chapa park at an awkward time. The chapa to Ilha is already nearly full, meaning the boon of an imminent departure, but the vehicle is one where the front row of seats and an uncomfortable backwards-facing bench share legroom that is only adequate for one or the other. It's to the disappointment of all that my long legs are added to this mix. A foreign couple comfortably settled on the back seat view me with undisguised contempt, marking them out as French. The journey to Ilha is fortunately on a decent road, meaning the battle to prevent my right foot from going numb lasts only 2.5 hours. I'm relieved when, twisting round to face the front, I see the causeway leading over to the island. There's a slalom course of red and white ... read more

On July 16th, we wntered Mozambique. This was by far teh hardest boarder crossing that we have had yet. It took 3.5 hours just to get into the country. If felt like a morning well wasted, especially since we all knew that we were only going to drive through the country. The terrain of Mozambiqu is beautiful. there are loads of rolling grassy areas with large rocky hill sides. The boulders that make up the rocky formations reminded me of the Kevin Bacon film Tremors. There are loads of Boaboa Trees, which if I am ever able to post pictures you will see them. They are my favorite trees in Africa. Most of the communities we saw were clusters of small brown huts. The are that we drove through is called the Tete Corridor. The only ... read more