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26 June, 2015
Bilene, Mozambique
A very windy night so very pleased that we did not have to check the anchor, check on other boats etc. awoke to a very blustery morning so got on with chores until collecting Ben for some exploration. Bilene is on a lagoon so he was taking us around the lagoon to see the ocean side. Off we go towards the lagoon with bumpy but otherwise nothing untoward tracks, he is fascinating to talk with & we learn loads about who has holiday houses here, how often they come & the state of the economy, education ( the schools run 2 sessions a day to accommodate the numbers - about 40 class) so imagine how the teachers feel.) Education is not free so prob only about 50% of eligible children go to school.
Then we hit sand, very very soft sand as we approached the crest of the hill before sighting the ocean. It took 3 attempts to get up with us reducing tyre pressure each time. At the top there was a long run down - I was anxious to ensure we could get back up as the next step was the ocean, so we turned to ascend and sunk into the sand, deeper & deeper. There was a beautiful view and lovely golden sand to enjoy which I did whilst Ray & Ben figured out the next move.
There was a local vehicle around too & we followed his suggestion of dropping the tyre pressure to 1 bar & eventually Pumba crawled out & all was good. We have had a few issues with the ATM's not giving any cash so had to resort to bank teller changing US$$ which Ben helped with. Ben also assisted with the Pharmacia which was fascinating. The Pharmacist is crucial in these communities as they are the first port of call & deal with everything & anything. Ben was forgotten as the pharmacy commonality took over & interesting discussion ensued. After dropping him home we went for a long walk through the market, past derelict buildings & past the vibrant, disco, boom box alley way back where we had dinner & chatted with the owner of the restaurant. He is 3rd generation Mozambican Portuguese who owns property in Maputo & this restaurant which he visits every Thursday with supplies for the weekend. Most of the supplies come from SA with the fresh stuff from local Maputo.
We have had a delightful 2 day stay but feel it's time to move on & following advice from our new friends a few days ago we have decided to go to Inhambane, well actually Tofu bay tomorrow.
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