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Published: April 1st 2015
Past travels There's a patch of sand in Mozambique. An isolated patch of sand that was calling us. It was fairly remote and would take a while to get there. We hadn't explored it yet but had discussed the option for years. From past experience we knew that travelling through Mozambique and on soft sand it could take far longer than anticipated. Why not make a decent road trip out of this? The total distance to Pomene was approximately 1200 km. The distance we would travel from the border to Pomene in Mozambique itself was about 700 km. Once we left the tar road it would be about 50 kilometres to Pomene, the first section was red sand and the rest soft beach type sand. An average GPS would probably tell you it would take you just a bit more than an hour's drive to do those 50 kilometres. Ignore that! Having read reports on forums the general consensus was somewhere between two to three hours, which was more feasible. February is the hottest and wettest time of the year in Mozambique with a good possibility of cyclones, but we were prepared to take the chance. With some planning and
research we decided on the following route:
Day 1: Johannesburg to Komatipoort where we would spend the first night.
Day 2: Komatipoort, through the border at Recano Garcia and head to Zavora for two nights.
Day 4: Zavora to Pomene for four nights.
Day 8: Pomene to Tofu for three nights.
Day 11: Tofo to Bilene for 1 night.
Day 12: Bilene to Johannesburg
Zavora After work on the Friday we drove through to Komatipoort and spent a pleasant night in a B&B, then had an early start to be at the border at 6am. As usual there was a long queue waiting to cross the border but thankfully we didn’t have battery problems like we did on one of our previous trips
Bitten by the Moz bug and it's name is not mosquito! By now we knew the procedure and crossed the border fairly easily. As usual there were some interesting sights as we drove through the outskirts of Maputo. Although it is still Southern Africa there is definitely a different feel to it. Evidence of the rainy season was there as well, with large puddles of water everywhere. There were many improvements on the
EN1 and even some of the buildings sported a new coat of paint, undoubtedly sponsored by Vodacom and Coca Cola. We turned off for Zavora
Tripping through the latitude thrilled to be going back . We had spent a couple of nights there on a previous trip and loved it. We were lulled into a pleasant state having left the tar and most of the traffic but after driving through thick mud we heard a disconcerting grinding noise. We stopped the car but couldn’t see any blatant evidence of a problem apart from huge amounts of mud caking the wheels. We decided to continue and once we were at Zavora which was only another 5km away and then Paul would play the role of bush mechanic again. Does it ever happen that we travel without him having to work on a vehicle? Strangely yes, but we have certainly had our fair share of issues with vehicles; ours and other peoples. Arriving at Zavora this time we had a site on top of the dune, but nicely sheltered against the wind and just as well, because the wind howled continuously. Was this a warning for us? Pomene is literally a patch of sand between
two bodies of water and if a cyclone came past we would be hard pressed to hide from it. The following day Paul removed the wheel where the noise was coming from, cleaned the mud off the area and could see that a metal plate behind the brake disc was bent, causing it to touch the disc. He managed to straighten it and the problem was solved. We were hoping to snorkel like we did last time, but the weather and tides were against us and the sea was too rough, so we explored the area instead. Upon inspecting the ruins of the lighthouse, we noticed it was being used as a fishermen’s storage facility. The first two days of camping helped us unwind and get into that relaxed holiday feeling. Then it was time to hit the road again. Onwards to Pomene, the real reason we were doing this trip. We bought some fresh pao (bread) and some fruit and vegetables to stock up on our supplies at Massinga. Memories of shopping for a bolt came flooding back.
Tripping through the latitude Shortly after the town we had to turn off to do the last 50 kilometres.
Pomene Previously when
passing children along the roads in Mozambique we usually hear the chant of ‘sweets, sweets!’ This time we were surprised to hear ‘chocolat, chocolat!' Obviously a mere sweet wasn’t good enough for them and we both chuckled. Trust me, don’t believe those GPS times. Those 50 kilometres definitely take you about two and a half to three hours. Apart from the odd interesting sight, it is a long stretch to drive and we were hoping our patch of sand at the end of the journey would be worth all this effort. What do you look for when you want to explore new places? Do you like the hustle and bustle of traffic, watching crowds of tourists while sipping coffee or a drink on a side walk café? Do you like access to all the mod cons you can ask for, cell phone reception, internet etc? If you are looking for all those things you will be disappointed. Pomene is not for you. It is a peaceful secluded area with no shops, no fuel and no atm's. It is isolated except for the local community. You might be lucky to be able to buy some pao and the occasional piece of
fruit or curio from a vendor carted from who knows where. The setting is beautiful, though, with a beautiful beach, white sand and mangroves on the far side of the estuary. The resort is on a sandbar separating the sea and the estuary. To us the drive was definitely worth it, but you need time to get there. We had a wonderful four days, hot, humid and thankfully no cyclones. We discovered a few things while we were there. Everything is bigger at Pomene: the crabs that came to visit us at our camp site, the mosquitoes that bred in the baracas; swarms that could surely carry you away, and if you believe the stories of the fishermen, the shark and fish around there are huge too.
It never ceases to amaze me how the local fishermen go out in their little rudimentary boats that are prone to leaking , bobbing and dipping in the swells. There is a very sad and dark side to Pomene and indeed Mozambique as well. Uncontrolled, inhumane and unsustainable fishing has been taking place for many years, providing a lucrative income for the fishermen as well as foreign long line fishermen further out
to sea. I am hoping that there will be a solution to this terrible tragedy.
When we approached some children to give them books and pens they were very wary of us, but once they realised what we were doing they immediately tried out their pens. We drove past a curio shack a good few kilometres away from the resort and as usual was greeted by the people trying to sell us their handcrafts. We waved and smiled then continued to our campsite, not really wanting to stop and buy any curios as we had done in the past. Later in the day at our campsite we saw two men carrying bags of their wares and proceeded to unpack it for us to see. Crafty salesmen! We insisted that we didn’t want to buy anything, but it was always ‘just look’. In the end we had an interesting chat with them and agreed to buy something small, for which they were so grateful as there is a lack of tourists and travellers in this part of the world. For all the effort and distance they walked it surely was a very meagre reward.
At the resort there is
a restaurant and we spoilt ourselves one night and dined ‘out’. It was the very best crab curry that I have ever tasted! A good sized crab that took me most of the evening to eat, but I enjoyed every mouthful.
There are ruins of an old hotel on a point which is known as Ponta Falsa . It is a popular fishing spot and there are interesting rock formations with blow holes. There is very little information about Pomene and the hotel, another part of history that will probably only be told to the subsequent generations of the local fishermen and the odd inquisitive tourist. The story goes that Pomene was discovered when a cargo ship carrying sugar was shipwrecked in that area. A road was then built to recover the cargo. That in itself must have taken quite an effort to build. The old Pomene hotel was apparently built in 1965 on the point and was abandoned in 1974 because of the civil war. To me this must have been a huge logistical issue from two sides - the difficulty of getting all the materials there as well as the patrons of the hotel having
to travel so far. But what it can boast about is its magnificent view.
We could have spent many more days at Pomene but alas, it was time to move on.
Tofo Driving back from Maxixe to Inhambane we took a short cut, roads that are commonly known as red roads. Not a bad road, until it started to rain. When it rains the red road becomes clay and our car and trailer must have gained some excess weight! We were heading towards Tofo but we weren’t sure where we would spend the night. Eventually we found a campsite that appealed to us and set up camp Bamboozi Beach lodge.
For some reason we never dived at Pomene, but did so at Tofo. I had one dive – my limit, because of my propensity towards seasickness and Paul did a second dive. There was plenty to see and we were both glad to get a dive in.
At a smaller section of Tofo called Tofinho there is a memorial – the victories of Frelimo. Little did we know that just beyond this memorial is a gulley where many executions took place.
Apparently if you are prepared to take a risk and climb down the crevice and you could still find some bones and skulls. I value my life too much to become part of that horrible landscape. I think Mozambique has many sad stories to tell that would horrify many. The two nights flew past and it was time to head to Bilene, the last stop before heading home.
Bilene We set up camp at Bilene, another place we had stayed at before and nostalgia was already setting in, knowing we would miss Mozambique. We just had a few hours here and were leaving the next day. As we were setting up camp two Mozambicans approached us, trying to sell us curios once again. This time we really did not want to buy anything and felt that they were better off than the others further north because more tourists frequented this area. They were so persistent, not wanting no for an answer and kept pleading that they needed money to buy pap (porridge). In the end I said we really didn’t want to buy anything because we had bought already, but I could give them some cooked meat from
the previous night’s meals. The attitude and anger on the face of one of them was really terrible; he purely wanted money, but his friend promptly thanked us, took the packet, opened it up and sat eating it in front of us, uttering sounds of enjoyment with his friend watching. His reasoning was that at least if he had something to eat he could give his share of food to the rest of his family. Mixed emotions because you feel sorry for them, but at the same time they can exploit your generosity. In spite of this we still had a great trip.
NB: There are many photos for this blog, I found it difficult to edit them to just a select few. They will be on the next few pages, if you are interested.
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littlewing
Cindy
Any diving plans?
Wondering if you are going to dive Tofo etc while you are in Moz - looking forward to your next blog :)