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MOZAMBIQUE
The 5 islands of the Bazaruto Archipelago.........the Crown Jewels of the Indian Ocean!
19th August
With our fridge in good working order again, we were finally off to Mozambique.
We took the same road to the border as when we were visiting Kruger, a really scenic drive following a hilly landscape and fields of citrus, banana, avocado and mango trees. We crossed the Komati River, full of water and a few kilometres further on, completed formalities at both border crossings, entering Mozambique at Ressano Garcia.
As we drove around the outskirts of Maputo (the capital) we were taken back in time to scenes in West Africa. Numerous stalls on each side of the road were selling everything imaginable, from beds, clothes, 3-piece suites, cooking pots and pans and car parts, whilst women sat under bright orange sunshades next to their neat piles of papayas, oranges, pineapples and tomatoes. Others struggled pushing heavy carts loaded with plastic water containers and other enormous loads. A small, blue, open van overtook us crowded with people, standing room only and local buses went by piled high with mattresses and containers, belching out black smoke and fumes. Big sacks of charcoal, piles of wood for cooking fires and bundles of thatching reeds and grasses were stacked for sale at the sides of the road.
We camped at the lovely Marracuene Lodge in the village of Marracuene right next to the Rio Incomati, a wide, flowing river that stretched way off into the distance. A fire was lit every evening to heat the water for a shower and the owner, an elderly man, who loved a game of chess in the evening with whoever would challenge him, was very kind and welcoming. We met up once again with Torsten, Christina and Sylvie who had been waiting for us there. They had bought a fish from the market for our evening meal and with a salad and a bottle of red wine, it was a lovely reunion!
20th August
We left for Xai-Xai (about 170 kilometres from Marracuene) on the EN1 that wound inland, to avoid the extensive flood plains of the Rio Incomati. The road took us through the town of Mahica with its neat, reed houses and after passing through Xiavane, we crossed the Rio Incomati again into Ihambane Province. The road went through cashew nut plantations and bags of these nuts were hung on wooden structures for sale at the sides of the road. We were bombarded by boys wanting to sell us bags, when we stopped for lunch at a little roadside restaurant. We crossed over the Limpopo River, everywhere looking very green with fields full of crops and many trees.
Danie and Nitzi in Nelspruit had kindly lent us their beach house near Xai-Xai and we turned off the road and began following directions for the village of Ximalene.
Everything was fine until the last, long, steep hill with deep sand and after a few attempts, it was obvious that neither of us were going to make it without letting air out of the tyres, especially with the heavy trailer on Torsten's Toyota. By this time it was getting late and so we decided to camp at the bottom of the hill, just away from the track and make a fresh start in the morning. A wonderfully quiet night with just the sound of the sea in the distance so we knew we couldn't be too far away!
21st - 30thAugust
We let plenty of air out of the tyres and finally made it up the hill, the heavy trailer needing some extra pushing and heaving, with help from two boys who suddenly appeared.
Ignatio greeted us at the beach house, built high on stilts amongst the dunes, bushes and trees. It had the most amazing view out to the ocean, a deep blue, with white crested waves crashing over the reef that ran parallel to the shore. Steps from the house led down to a deserted beach that stretched away on both sides into the distance, until it became lost in the fine spray from the sea.
We spent our days here walking the beach, finding shells, exploring the rock pools at low tide and watching the local people from the nearby villages, fishing and collecting oysters and mussels. A group of cattle wandered down to the water's edge each day after grazing amongst the dunes and would then lie down on the sand as the tide went out. It was so strange to see cows with a backdrop of the Indian Ocean instead of a green field!
Bill and Torsten tried their hand at fishing in the shallows in front of the reef but the local fishermen had more luck and we bought fish from them nearly every day and had some excellent meals!
We saw whales on three occasions out at sea, which was very exciting and turtles in the shallows, which we hoped the fishermen would not catch in their nets.
We had some very mixed weather during our stay however. There were days when strong winds off the sea blew rain and sand in sheets toward the house and the sea turned grey to match the clouds. Huge waves crashed over the reef and pounded the shore. On calmer days, the sunsets behind the dunes were beautiful, casting a pink glow over the sea and sand.
Ignatio looked after us all so well and insisted we only cooked and ate and left him the dishes, what luxury for a while!
The local people were all very friendly, with big smiles and a wave and even though our Portuguese was extremely limited, they would often stop and show us their fish or pull shells from their pockets for us.
We drove into Xai-Xai with Ignatio one day to shop at the local market and bakery, where, as in Ghana, we had to get used to a different currency in the thousands again! Ignatio showed us a different track that took us through many villages with thatched huts, tall date palms, banana trees and fields of maize.
31st August
We packed up the vehicles today and said our sad farewells to Ignatio who had been absolutely wonderful during our stay. Thank you so much Nitzi and Danie for the loan of your house, we have all really appreciated your generosity and our 10 days there have been a really lovely beginning to Mozambique. We are all really looking forward to seeing more of this country.
We followed dark clouds, grey sky and heavy showers on to the main E1 for Inhambane, avoiding large potholes, although the road improved as we progressed. Big lorries and loaded buses all being driven much too fast in the dense spray, overtook dangerously on blind bends.
We drove through the busy villages of Chidenguele and Zandamela in between sunshine and showers and into Quissico, where we stopped for frango and batatas frita (chicken and chips) at a little roadside restaurant. Quissico is the capital of Zavala district and overlooks some lagoons. We crossed Lake Poelela just before Inharrime, an enormous lake with hundreds of palm trees on the far side. People wrapped in coats or pieces of cloth against the wet and cold, were selling sacks of coconuts at the side of the road.
At Lindela we headed to Maxixe to find camping there, rather than campsites on the exposed coastline at Inhambane. We ate at the restaurant, the food was excellent, the people friendly but many mosquitoes!
1st September
Inhambane is one of Mozambique's oldest towns, situated on the shores of a sheltered bay formed by two sandy headlands.The earliest mariners to visit the bay were Muslim traders, followed by the Portuguese. In the 17th century, Inhambane gained importance as a base for trade in ivory from the interior and cloth from India and later it became an important port for the export of thousands of slaves.
We caught the ferry that would take us across the bay to Inhambane from the busy little jetty at Maxixe. The journey took about 30 minutes and we all disembarked at a concrete jetty that was so badly corroded it was barely supported in parts!
The main street was lined with trees and among the many old buildings of the Portuguese era, mainly along the waterfront, was the lovely Cathedral of Noss Senhora de Conceicao which dated back over 2 centuries. We enjoyed prawn curries with peanut milk sauce at the Restaurante Macaroca and visited the market to buy some fruit, before catching the large and very full, ferry boat back to Maxixe. At least this boat had some very old looking life jackets hanging from the racks above!
2nd September
A beautiful morning with the bay looking very calm and very blue. We had to wait half an hour for the diesel pumps to be filled at Maxixe and then left for Vilanculos. Much of the road was under construction, throwing up clouds of orange dust but after avoiding the numerous potholes on the tarred road through Massinga, it suddenly improved and it was lovely to see huge, baobab trees growing on each side of the road. We passed a wild eyed and very savage looking boy of about ten, standing in the middle of the road brandishing the thick, wooden handle of his shovel. He became very threatening shouting, 'give me cash' and looking every bit as if he was going to strike our vehicles as we drew alongside him, until Bill slammed on the brakes and he ran off. Amazing! He was the first menacing person that we had come across in the whole of our trip so far!
We pulled in at a little roadside restaurant for our lunch but there was no food, so we bought cold drinks and sat at one of their tables outside and had our own picnic.
We drove to Blue Water Campsite at Vilanculos in a beautiful location right on the beach and had an excellent crab meal in their restaurant as it was getting late.
3rd September
We woke to a beautiful sunrise across a perfectly calm and brilliant blue and turquoise sea, just how the Indian Ocean should look! The only sound was the gentle rustle of palm leaves. Fisherman's boats were pulled up on the shore and they had freshly caught fish and prawns to buy. The Bazaruto Islands of Benguerra and Margaruque were clearly visible on the horizon and there were many other small dhows out on the water.
4th September
We all hired a dhow for the day through an excellent company in Vilanculos called Sail Away, to visit the island of Margaruque in the Bazaruto Archipeligo.
We had 3 crew, the captain, a cook and an interpreter. All food and drink were supplied and snorkelling equipment was also provided. The morning had dawned cloudy and the wind was against us, so the motor was used to get us to the island, although the sails were to be hoisted on our return journey. The captain knew exactly where to follow the channels through the sandbanks and to set us down as near as possible to the shore. We chose to walk around the whole island whilst Torsten, Christina and Sylvie decided to swim first.
The opposite side of the island was exposed to the winds and deep ocean, whilst the southern end had shallow, calm waters with sandbanks, where I was thrilled to discover many delicate, pansy shells washed up on the beach. The grey clouds were beginning to clear, the sea was a warm, deep turquoise and the sand soft and white on the long, deserted beaches. We returned after about 2 hours to find that lunch had been served up on a little table on the beach, rice, grilled barracuda, tomato and onion sauce, salad and bread, with oranges and bananas for dessert. It was an excellent meal and we had certainly worked up an appetite! There was still time to swim and snorkel before leaving at about 3 p.m. and we had the added excitement of seeing a dolphin leaping out of the water, only a short distance from the shore.
Once out in the open sea the sails were hoisted and we had a great ride back with just the sound of the wind in the sails, ropes creaking and waves splashing. Tea and popcorn (much to Sylvie's delight) were served on the way back.
A really great day and we would thoroughly recommend the Sail Away company for trips out to the beautiful islands.
5th September
We all left Blue Water today and drove to Inhassoro, a short distance and on a good road. We camped at Hotel Seta by the beach, a large camping ground, ablutions could do with a facelift but otherwise a nice place and we were the only ones there.
6th September
We left early today as there were no campsites that we knew of for 300-400 kilometres. The road turned inland to skirt the numerous, small lakes and marshes along the coast. Little boys at the sides of the road threw handfuls of sand into the potholes for us and then held out their hands for money as we passed by, big, cheeky grins on their faces.
We drove through Save, famous for its huge baobab tree on the right and the little, white-washed church opposite. We then crossed a large bridge construction over the River Save before it flowed out to the sea, women on the sandbanks busy doing their washing.
Dense areas of trees have followed us for some time now on each side of the road and one could well imagine the large mammals that must have roamed here, particularly elephants, before they were sadly wiped out during the many years of war.
We bought a pineapple and cashew nuts from two, local boys after our lunch stop at the side of the road. However, after pulling away, we were stopped a very short distance further up the road by the police, who after checking our documents and finding them in order, told us we had been doing 80 kilometres in a 60 kilometre area and were therefore speeding! We insisted that we couldn't possibly have been going that fast as we had only just pulled out from the side of the road and that we certainly didn't have 1000,000 meticals to pay a fine! After a lengthy conversation, a present for each of a cheap pair of sunglasses, we all had a good laugh and shook hands and we were on our way again.
After various roads under construction, a new, smooth, tarred road took us all the way into Inchope, a lively, bustling town full of colourful market stalls. As soon as we stopped, we were surrounded by people wanting to sell us eggs, bread, bracelets, Fantas, coke, nuts, and pots! Everyone very good natured but desperate to sell something.
We stayed at the Complexo Arcoiris about 5 kilometres out of town. They didn't seem accustomed to having campers but after a lot of discussion we were given a corner of gravel on which to park, next to the ablution block and with lively music throbbing from a bar in the village, on the other side of the wall.
7th September
A few clouds today and a scattering of rain and the temperature feels cooler.
We took the road north over a spectacular bridge and into the district of Gorongosa with its low, misty hills in the distance. We passed the entrance to the Gorongosa National Park, destroyed again by poaching and the war but fortunately, still having a rich bird life.
An excellent, tarred road took us all the way to Caia where a ferry would take us across the Zambezi.
The dense woodland has continued to follow us all the way, containing a great variety of beautiful trees. We have passed fields full of cotton as well as large areas of slash and burn. Gradually the villages have became further apart and the bicycle is now definitely, an important method of transport.
We called in at Capatu just before Caia but they did not do camping. However, we met a great group of Brits there who had all just graduated and were spending some months travelling through parts of Africa. Apart from their vehicles letting them down, they sounded as if they were having a great time. We hope you enjoy the rest of your travels and the best of luck when starting your new jobs!
We drove into Caia and found camping at Joes but there were lots of mosquitoes.
8th September
The bridge over the Zambezi, which would have given us a shorter route into Malawi, was not in working order, so we took the ferry and then drove on to Quelimane, the capital of Mozambique Zambezia Province and a very busy town with bicycles everywhere. Quelimane once served as the main entry port to the interior but today most of the buildings had a very dilapidated appearance and side roads were littered with garbage.
We continued northeast and headed for the village of Zalala on the coast, where we hoped we would find somewhere to stay. Once we left Quelimane, the scenery changed dramatically to large, coconut plantations and fields full of crops on both sides of the road.This very beautiful, green and fertile area, continued all along the 30 kilometre stretch of narrow, tarred road to the sea. We drove through a number of small villages where the local produce was for sale amongst stalls selling brightly coloured, African cloth, long sticks of sugar cane and piles of coconuts. It seemed that most of the population there owned a bicycle and if not, then there was room for a seat for passengers on the back, or on the crossbar, or both. Goods of every description were also carried on these machines and the rider's balance with these loads was incredible. Women mostly, were busy working in the fields, babies strapped to their backs whilst they dug, planted, or picked.
We found camping at Complexo Kass-Kass amongst pine trees and with a view of the sea beyond. No running water to the toilet or shower but we could have a bucket wash using water from a large drum in the corner of the ablution block. The owner Rosa, had five, lovely dogs, one of which we could easily have taken with us had we had room. Leon, with beautiful eyes and an intelligent face, he looked as if he would have been a loyal companion.
Tomorrow we will head into Malawi. Our 3 weeks in Mozambique have taken us through the southern and central parts and we have heard that the north is just as beautiful and even less developed. Mozambique's beautiful coastline and offshore islands have huge potential as future holiday destinations. We feel we have been fortunate in being able to experience some of this beautiful and friendly country before development really takes hold.
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