27 June, 2015
Baline to Tofu, via Inhambane, Mozambique.
Bade farewell to our cottage by the sea and off we went, GPS & map ready for the next 6 hour drive. The drive back to the main road is through low bush scrub with the roadside dotted with little stalls selling charcoal, bush honey dangling in wine bottles from tree branches & neatly stacked tree branches cut in firewood lengths.
The main road took us through a changing landscape of scrub, orange groves, cashew nut trees & the further north we went coconut palms & banana palms started to appear. We think the plantations are from the bygone colonial era as they appear neglected but are still producing fruit which is for sale along the roadside. We bought a huge bag of mandarins for $2.
Each side of the road is populated so you drive past a constant stream of villages and therefore people criss crossing the road when they need to. There are lots of traffic police & as you approach each village the speed limit drops from 100km/hr to 80km/hr then 60km/hr & then increased in the same manner as you leave. We adhered to all the limits & fortunately were not pulled over at all this time. It's the beginning of SA school holidays so there are many more SA rego cars on the road. We passed through XiaXia ( a major town) & seething mass of commercial trading- every pavement crammed with informal traders selling their little table of wares. The road is tarred so the torrential downpour of rain & murky visibility did not slow us down too much. The local houses are either grey bricked structures of various levels of grandeur or reed houses which are much prettier and blend well into the landscape. Eventually, we reached Inhambane, interesting for its retention of most of the Portguese Colonial buildings. Some are in better repair than others. An interesting drive through before heading out to Tofu on the seaward side of the peninsula. Our usual trick of no booking paid off and we found a place with lovely reed Casitas, not on the beach but 1min stroll away & we can hear the waves crashing. The area is well known for diving, surfing & partying. Lots of backpack, single room style accommodation. We settled in in our best Glamping tradition before exploring the market for wine, gin & bread. Yes, in that order too!!
Got waylaid for a beer watching the world go by ... It's dark at 5 pm ish, so very misleading for us. We enjoyed freshly caught tuna at the Casa restaurant & had a very interesting chat to the duty manager about the local efforts for marine conservation. Sadly, foreign fishing boats are allowed to trawl the reefs at night, and apparently this stretch of the coast is well known for its 'shark finning'. There are education efforts being made at Ministerial level so the Marine Megafauna Foundation feel inroads are being made. Let's hope so.
Www.marinemegafauna.org