We left Mueda at 8:30 am and reached Pemba (that’s about 300km away) at 5 pm. That’s how the travels go in Africa. First of all the problems with Harry, then we missed the turn off to Pemba because there was no sign and went 50km in the wrong direction and in the end a wrong information in our map about the street condition. The street to Pemba was supposed to be good but good in Mozambique obviously means pot holes and bumps all over the place, partially dirt track and as fast as you can go is 50kph. With all this extra ways and stop and go we ran out of petrol shortly before Pemba, even with our reserve of 10 liter in the boot we didn’t make it. Just for explanation, we haven’t seen a gas station for the last 3 days of our travel because we were driving around in the middle of nowhere to find the stupid unity bridge. So we had to find petrol somehow. In the one village we asked some women along the road who were sitting in the shadow of a tree. I pointed to the tank and asked for gazolina and the oldest lady (wearing beautiful traditional clothes, topless and her face full of wisdom, carved by the sun) showed me the well. She didn’t know what gazolina was, isn’t that beautiful?! She thought the car drinks water like everyone else.
In the next village we asked a young man who looked like he had at least a bit of knowledge about cars and we were lucky. He knew someone who sold gas so he went with his bike in front of us showing us the way to that guy. It took a little discussion to be able to pay with Euro but in the end we got 15 liter which helped us to make it to Pemba. It was a very nice village community and it didn’t took long until all the kids came to have a look and we spend some time taking pictures of them and giving them some sweets. Every time we´re going to buy some food for ourselves we started to buy little toys or sweets for the kids, it’s good to know there is a little bit you can give when they all come running at you and we don’t want to give just money.
Anyway we made it to Pemba finally. There we just went to the bank and then to our campsite, a beautiful place right at the beach, and FINALLY jumped in the Indian ocean as the sun was just gone down! The water was so warm, unbelievable! I never was so happy to see water before, we washed off the sweat and red dust and just enjoyed the lovely atmosphere in the sunset. But soon it was dark and we went back to the campsite. In the luxury of W-lan, clean hot showers and English speaking people, we were celebrating ourselves that we finally made it and this only because we have never stopped believing!!
For this evening we wanted to take off to get a nice dinner somewhere at the ocean, Mozambique’s coast is known for its delicious seafood, especially grilled prawns but oh no, Harry was sick again! Again he wouldn’t start, the battery was completely flat. But this time we had Russell, the south African campsite owner who had a look and diagnosed missing battery water and that it is easy to treat by just filling in some distilled water which we could get at the gas station next morning instead of buying a whole new battery. So we had dinner at the camp site bar instead and some chats with other travelers, nice and chilled out. We met a woman from Switzerland who had volunteered in Namibia for 2 years and is now travelling around Africa until next summer, she´s so right I just wonder how she can afford this. Anyway she told us a lot Safari stories and gave us some tips for beaches and nice places in Mozambique, but for me time is really running.
Next morning we had a lay in till 7:30 and a nice long breakfast, then Russell suddenly appeared with some distilled water and our day was already perfect! We went to the immigration office to apply for our visa, they said it would usually take 2-3 days for it to arrive but after telling our sad story again the officers said they try their best to get it ready till 3pm. So we had 4 hours to spend and went to a beautiful beach which reminded me at nothing less than the white heaven beach in Australia! Clean white sand, turquoise water, palms, no one but us and some fishers and sun sun sun! Amazing! But it didn’t took long until the beach was full of locals who came by, sat down with us for a while trying to have a conversation in Portuguese, kids checking out what we were doing and young girls who wanted to know where we´re from and what we´re doing. It was nice but not much laying lazy in the sun. When I went for a swim I even saw how Andrea and Clara had a huge crowd of kids around them and all together were singing, jumping around and following Clara’s moves like birds, rabbits or snakes and made Andrea to dance in the middle. Because she is so tall she is always the centre of attraction and everyone loves her, it was fantastic!! What a great experience, the Mozambique people are much more opened up and chatty then the Tanzanian. Lovely people all of them of course!
When we came back to the office (full of sand and joy) we were lucky again, the visas were ready and FINALLY we had an official permission to be in this country! A reason to celebrate again so we had a nice lunch at the beach and a little shop around some local crafts and then took off a bit too late down south to the beach marked in our map as the one known for its tropical beauty. Soon the sun set and again underestimating the time it needs to travel only 300km in this country we arrived at the campsite Russell had suggested in Nacala at half past midnight that night. We managed to build up the tent in darkness, thankfully the night guard showed us a good place and the wash rooms because the campsite staff was already sleeping of course. The guard couldn’t speak any English and we didn’t know how much it would cost to stay here but anyway it didn’t matter, we were so tired and already in love with the place, beautiful, cozy little campsite with a few wooden huts and just a few meters from the beach. We could hear the waves when we were laying in our tent and went to sleep looking forward to the beach day next morning. This would have been my last day of the holiday. With the delay of crossing the border and deciding to use Saturday for my travelling-back-to-Blantyre day, we picked Friday as my “beach day” of doing nothing but laying at the beach and laying at the beach. Fantastic! But already one hour after laying in the tent it started raining and didn’t stop till we woke up again. But nothing can stop our optimism so we got up, had a breakfast and discussed the next move. Andrea and Clara decided to stay a week longer in Mozambique as they have more time of their holiday left and not much to do in Blantyre when I have to go back to work. We made the plan to travel as long as possible together and then separate where the street is splitting up into one going west to Malawi and the other east to the beach. This way it would be only a 300km distance for me to drive on my own. But unfortunately after all this eating and talking the rain still hasn’t stopped, that’s so much for my beach day! Bad luck! The only beach day and it is raining!!!!! Pepani.
So we decided to leave and drive a few km further south so the way wouldn’t be to long the next day. We made it as far as another 200km to the next bigger city, Nampula, where we went for dinner and decided to not drive at night again, last night was enough of that experience. Driving in Africa is already quite a challenge with all the people, animals and broken down vehicles on the streets, at night it is nearly like suicide because there is just no light and when cars a coming in front of you, they have either not properly working lights or their lights are so bright that you cannot see anything either way. Mozambique doesn’t have many streets, or ways you can call a street, but the few new ones they have, mostly along the coast, are pretty good streets compared to Malawi or Tanzania, with reflectors and yellow lines who guide you like on a landing strip, but that doesn’t really help a lot, if there is no other light but these reflectors and your car lights it just makes you drowsy.
So we stood here over night, we managed to find the cheapest but also worst and run down accommodation in the whole city I think, and went for our last dinner together. We found a lovely little garden restaurant with a quite European cuisine, what a treat!
And Saturday we started our last trip together and got up at 5 am to be good in time. Luckily the streets were good again, and even the bit between Alto Ligonha and Molocué which was marked in our map as road under construction was already finished and just at noon we arrived in a little town called Mocuba, a place which was described in the lonely planet as the ugliest town in Mozambique and advised to do everything to avoid spending a night here. Well yes it was pretty ugly and first thing I saw was a young man beating up a little boy like a dog, hitting him with his feet and fists, crazy! No we didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary here! I left the two backpackers at the bus station where they got a minibus pretty quick bringing them to another bus stop where they had to hop on top of a pick up to reach their destination Namacurra further south. I took off with the car on my own and as soon as I left Mocuba, although it was good to leave that place, I also left the proper street and went the 200km to the border on a dirt track with so many pot holes that I could only go 40kph. It took me not less than 5 hours, a period of going really slow because of a heavy thunderstorm and a stop because the battery got loose again. Besides the problem with the finished water it is also a problem that the battery is fixed to the car in such a provisorical way that especially on bumpy roads the whole thing is coming loose and bouncing around. Opening the hood on my own was already a problem because the spanner is broken and it needs one to pull the knob to open it and one to pull the hood in the same time. But I can get really inventive when I have to so I built a construction of bottles and made them to hold the knob pulled upwards while I could go to the hood. Of course I was not alone for long until some really friendly and helpful mozambiquean guys (I could tell I´m getting close to Malawi, so friendly people!) came to help and one hour and two lost screws who fell down because the guy was having a very shaky hand, the battery was fixed and I could continue my journey. I reached the border just 15min before closing time, lucky me and when I entered Malawi and soon saw the beautiful, impressive Mount Mulanje in front of me I knew I was home again! I was surprised myself about this emotion but it felt like coming home and already the fact that I feel this way about my new home made me feel happy. I think this way is the best way to enter Malawi, just through Mulanje, I can´t describe the beauty of this place! Every time I am absolutely stunned by the landscape with its lush green tea fields and then the mighty mountain, crystal clear air, not to hot or humid, just fresh and perfect. The sunset fulfilled the picture with turning all in a warm golden light and making the clouds weaving around the mountain top look like a bright yellow halo. So nice!
After this all together 13 hour journey today I was quite exhausted but Elleana, Kiara and Raz called so I went to meet up with them for a drink. Was good to see my friends again, they said they have missed me and we were dancing till the morning. So now I´m back in Blantyre and looking back the journey was exactly what I was expecting from an African road trip, a few bumps and stops but all in all a fantastic experience! What a trip! I have to ask Nikki about the km-reading when she left the car with me but I think we made more than 3000km all together. And Harry made it! He´s the best!
Wish Andrea and Clara a great time at the beach, we will meet next weekend for either climbing Mt Mulanje again or going horseback riding on Zomba plateau, but now I am looking forward to meet the new midwife students who have arrived last week and start my proper job as a lecturer in the college. Before that I have to clean the car, I think I remember that the color was usually blue not red-brown, get him smart for Mummy. My fridge must have been off for a few days when no one was home it is covered in fungus and the bathroom is under water again but I´m home. Hello again Blantyre!!!
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