Mozambique

Internet has not been easy to come by these past few weeks, so here is a belated account of my travels in mozambique

Arrived in Maputo, after a short (by SA standards) 4 hour minibus taxi ride. The journey was much more comfortable that these things usually are, as the driver insisted that we travel in the front, where there was plenty of leg room. I felt a bit awkward that the white people on the bus were getting such preferential treatment. There are many legacies of colonialism and white rule which offend me, but every cloud...

We decided to ignore the gaggle of taxi drivers waving their keys in our faces and (naively) set out to walk to Maputo backpackers. Needless to say, we soon got lost, and caved, taking a 3 wheeled taxi/scooter (champinyo?) to our accommodation. Luckily we didn't get mown down, smashed to pieces, or run off the road, although that is what was going through my mind as the driver of this unstable looking contraption weaved in and out of the traffic, to the sound of drivers beeping their horns in anger.

Admittedly, upon arriving in the “Costa du Sol”, some way out of downtown Maputo, I was pretty impressed by the picturesque beach, quite row of bars along the seafront, and dows (arab style fishing boats) resting on the sand. I'm sure in the height of summer, this would be heaving with South African tourists jostling for a piece of sand, but on this mild winter evening, it seemed quite peaceful. Of course, this being an African beach, there was an appropriate amount of rubbish strewn around, and no shortage of street vendors pestering you to buy their wares, but they just form part of the scenery.

That night being my birthday, we decided to go out for a meal, and being in Maputo, it seemed silly not to go for some sort of seafood experience. The seafood platter seemed an appropriate selection, and when it came it did not disappoint. Tiger prawns, the like of which I have never seen or tasted before, along with calamari and various other crustaceans made for an excellent birthday meal.

Tofu was the next day's destination. Although there are many other equally impressive beaches all along the coast of Mozambique, Tofu has a reputation of being a backpacker's paradise. With this in mind, we set out on the 8 hour bus journey north, starting out at 5.30 in the morning, arriving in the mid afternoon. Unfortunately, we were greeted with typically British weather – windy with patches of rain, but this soon cleared up, perfect for the week of sunburn, sandcastles and swimming which lay ahead.

Venturing any distance into the sea at Tofu is not so much an exercise in swimming, but in fending off wave after wave crashing down, knocking you off your feet – much more fun than sedately floating around. After a day on the beach, Tofu has much to offer. Firstly the market, selling that day's catch (prawns, fish, squid – all quite reasonably priced after a good haggling session), along with some offensively priced rum. Tipo Tinto Rhum was definitely the order of the day, and at 100 Meticais (£2) per litre, it would be rude not to indulge.

Before long it was time to return to SA once again, to start doing something useful (hopefully). Great to meet the other project co-ordinators again. Looking forward to beginning life as the only white guy in kaNyamazane.