1 July, 2015
Tofu to Vilanculos, Mozambique
Upped sticks early so on the road by 8.30am. One GPS said 4hrs drive, the other 5.5hrs so interesting to see which is correct.
The road is good, reasonably recently resurfaced, straight and undulates into the distance. For a fair while all that is for sale is coconuts, firewood and the ubiquitous charcoal, and talking about ubiquitous .... It seems to us that every childbearing female has a babe on back or is pregnant - and it also seems to us that some of the Mums are really really young. Maybe 13-15 young!
The landscape changes again & now it's Baobab trees and open savannah, we are going north & soon cross the Tropic of Capricorn. Some of the small towns we pass through are furniture specialists. Now, try & imagine a 2 lane highway with rural villages running alongside & back into the depths of the bush for ??how many kilometers. Then try & imagine a few broken down concrete/brick shops the size of a single bedroom then a couple of poles supporting a few sheets of corrugated iron or coconut leaves as roofing protection out the front. Then envisage a 3 seater sofa on the road as advertising, 1 under cover in the store room!, and one under construction by about 8 people. This scene was replicated for about 30 kilometers then changed to beds & bed heads, then dining tables & chairs then stopped.
The road deteriorated as we approached Vilanculos, potholed & patched again & again. Turned off, then followed the faded signs along a red sand road, through neat & tidy villages before turning into our resort. This is the only firm booking we have had since leaving the Vaal Dam so curious to see if it lives up to its webpage. An underwhelming checkin & then we drove a short distance to our 'home' for the next 6 nights. A truly old English colonial thatched house with a concrete kitchen, separate freezer room & reed interior walls. Airy & comfortable. A quick snack lunch then into town for grocery shopping. We have been pointed in the right direction by the map in the room so off we zoom. Well, took the shortcut past the airport, ( beautiful & modern) arrivals & departure lounges, duty free shops etc. the drove past the old Chinese Vilanculos airport entry in total disrepair. We are on the flight path so know that 2 large planes leave every day. The 5 km trip to town took about 35 mins because it's a sand road full off serious humps & bumps and wends its way through the rural residential area. The compounds are well laid out, neat & tidy and there is minimal litter in the street. Gaggles of kids abound (3-8yr olds) and they all know to keep to the side of the road & not run out. You see this even on the main highway. The shoulder is the main pedestrian transport route & kids as young as 4 walk in groups. Cars travel fast so there is no room for complacency by either party. Town was hectic & heaving, loads of informal traders on the sidewalks spilling into the road. Eventually found Taurus, the recommended supermarket which sells 'everything'. As we parked the street sellers swamped us trying to sell fish of any description & freshness. Being a coastal town fish is big business. Amazingly we found Earl Grey tbags (for those that know R's love of).
There is a good selection for these parts so feel well equipped to enjoy our 7 days of blobbing at the beach. Quiet sundowners on our patio before yet more prawns & calamari at the restaurant here. We can also self cater which is what we intend to do most of the time.