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White sand beaches, coconut bearing palm trees, warm clear blue waters where whales and dolphins frolic… all for less than $10 cdn. a night.
The Peoples Republic of Mozambique was proclaimed in 1975 after decades of repression and exploitation by Portuguese rulers. After the Portuguese pulled out, virtually overnight, seventeen years of civil war followed only to end in 1992. Today the economy is still shaky and the people continue to work hard to survive in this heavenly setting. Dependent mostly on agriculture (fishing and farming), with tourism starting to get a foothold, the people have proven to be industrious and diligent in their farming and genial and generous with tourists.
Picturesque beaches and bountiful sea life aside, Mozambique has plenty to offer. The Canadian dollar is strong there and will go a long way. Hostels and backpacker establishments are a growing business. The high crime rates of South Africa do not exist there and it is relatively safe to walk around day or night. In the cities, if you enter into a high crime area you will do so knowingly as they are well marked with warning signs and suggestions to avoid them.
The best time to adventure through Mozambique is from April – September (dry season), so when a friend suggested in June that we explore the coast I was all for it. Myself and Pete (a Swiss guy I’d met while traveling South Africa, see the pic on the left) set out in a Toyota 4×4 in search of the perfect beach to bake ourselves on. We soon discovered that there was no such thing as an imperfect beach there. All that we visited had warm waters, plenty of sunshine and unspoiled shorelines.
We camped at backpackers that were situated as close to the beaches as possible. Most offered cooking facilities, ablution blocks (some even with HOT showers!), a bar/restaurant that offered cooked meals, and water toys (ex: surf boards, boogie boards, snorkeling equipment) for your use.
One such place was right on the beach. Surrounded by palm trees the first thing I’d see in the morning was the pinks and blues of the sun rising over the water. The last thing at night was the endless expanse of the Indian Ocean as the music of its crashing waves eased me into a deep sleep. Days were spent lying about in the sun with the occasional venture into the waves to cool off and be able to say we’d done a bit of exercise. During the day we’d snack on fresh bread rolls from the market, fruit and shortbread cookies, but in the early afternoon I’d prepare us a larger meal. (The deal was I cooked, Pete cleaned.) We’d purchase fish (barracuda) or prawns from the fishermen’s daily catch, cook them on the braii (bbq), boil some rice or pasta and open a few beers (beer was $1 a bottle, water was $2.50 a bottle so we opted to save money.) Voila! A feast for less than $8 cdn.
Further down the coast at another place I’d sat on the rustic deck of the bar overlooking the beach. The bar was built on a dune about twenty feet high. I watched the waves roll up onto the white sands, teasing and tempting me to enter into a never-ending chase that would both exhilarate and exhaust me. The clearness of the waters invited me to grab mask and snorkel to go investigate what lie just below the surface.
Eventually I gave in and went snorkeling for the first time in my life. As a native Albertan I’m more familiar with mountains than oceans and was a little leery of the awesome powers of Mother Nature that I felt in those waves. With a little instruction from Pete, and his promise to stay nearby, off I went. The concept of snorkeling is just to float on top of the water and look at what goes on underneath you. When floating the waves rarely crash over you or push you into the reef (so I was informed). With the mask you can see directly below you and with the snorkel you can breath the air right above you. The most difficult part was to adjust to breathing with your mouth. When I stretched out flat, face down in the water the sound of my own breathing was scary. But I was breathing so I began to relax and view the world beneath the surface.
Just inches below the surface are colorful fish of all sizes. One so big I learned to swim backward while keeping my eyes on it. Once I’d backed up enough I popped my head out of the water and yelled at Pete. “Will it bite me?”
“Of course not!” he answered “Unless it’s a shark.” he added with a smirk.
Even I knew it wasn’t a shark. I did however keep my eyes open for them. My heart shipped a few beats again when I came upon a couple of eels but I managed not to panic and ask Pete once more if I was in danger. I used basic self-defense and left that scene for a less crowded one.
Soon the tide was changing and I could feel the water begin to chill. Time to leave the water for the more familiar world above.
No matter where we were night was always a magical time for me. The stars would shine so brightly I thought for sure they were close enough to reach out and grab. I was wrong about that, but I wasn’t wrong about the magic. People around us had campfires going, singing and telling jokes with friends and family but to me the night was a time of peace and rejuvenation. I’d sit outside late at night (never far from our truck) and just breathe in the fresh air, not even thinking, just experiencing the energy and the vibe that was Mozambique. Magic.
Don’t be lulled into thinking our sun filled days of swimming, snorkeling and lying about were totally without stress. There was the peeling of the prawns (can get a little tedious), remembering to take our anti-malaria medicine (very important), and we were constantly on the lookout for falling coconuts (they have killed people you know!).
Driving from beach to beach was challenging as well. Rutted dirt/sand tracks with lush coastal forests on both sides that only a 4×4 could survive. Occasionally the forest would turn to fields where I could see women farming, with babies tied to their backs by colorful sarongs and other slightly older kids, trailing behind their mothers, imitating the cutting or picking of crops. We passed kids dressed in uniforms, skipping along the side of the road on the way to school, and more women carrying everything from buckets of water to a load of firewood on their heads. The sight of a bamboo thatched Khaya (house) barely visible from the road, is only noticed because of the child standing in front of clothed in a bright orange T-shirt.
Other brightly clothed kids gathered in groups (only 50% of kids in rural areas attend school), on the side of the road. Some stare sullenly as we pass by, others hold out their hands, palm up, calling “sweets… sweets”. Most though, smile gorgeously and wave so enthusiastically you can feel their happiness reach out and touch you, making you smile and laugh as you return their waves.
We went in search of the perfect beach and found so much more. Though one of the most beautiful countries in the world Mozambique is also one of the poorest and least developed. Despite this the people are friendly, helpful and proud to show you the many delights that their country holds.