Into Mozambique2nd Aug 2008

One of the things that troubled us somewhat about coming in to Mozambique was the paucity of information which we could get hold of about routes, safety, quality of roads, diesel and accommodation. Usually we have a rich source of information coming from people going north as we go south, but very few Overlanders seem to come up from Mozambique. We got as much info as we could from 2 Afrikaaners in Lilongwe but it turned out that their information was hopelessly out of date, almost as out of date as their views on apartheid. We crossed the Border just South of Blantyre and immediately were faced with a dirt road for 300k. This would not necessarily have been bad but since our maximum speed could only be around 40k per hour we were somewhat stuck in the middle of nowhere as darkness fell. Luckily we passed an old Catholic Mission and they let us stay in their courtyard. This Mission was really looking after disadvantaged or homeless people, and as we turned in both Janet and I were overcome with the sense of happiness, and jollity of the people being housed there. They had nothing and as night fell they simple sat around a fire telling stories and chuckling. The local Pastor was very pious, and as well as blessing us gave us a lot of useful information. We found out to fill your tank whenever you could because diesel was non existent outside of towns, but also he explained something that was bothering Janet and I, which was the reaction we were getting from the locals. Everyone but particularly the children seemed to run into the bush as soon as they saw us. The Pastor told us that they are not used to white faces, and usually associated a white face with a South African mercenary come to do them harm. It was a sobering thought that the Renamo/Frelimo conflict although over by 10 years was still etched so frighteningly into the behavior of the people. We also saw lots of Explosive Ordinance Clearance patrols still clearing up unexploded shells and other military hardware. We moved on next morning and amazingly after 5 k we hit tarmac with only a few potholes, and we turned South West towards Beira. We could only get ¾ of the way as we were held up for a few hours waiting for a ferry across the Zambesi. That nigh the place we stayed was ok…owned by a South African, and again a good provider of information. On Joe’s recommendation we traveled to surprise, surprise a National Park at Gorongosa. In 1978 this was the most abundant Park in Southern Africa, but all the game was shot during the war so really we were not surprised that we saw nothing. The animal statistics showed they had 20 lions and 2 leopards but since the park covered an area the size of Wales it was not surprising we could only chalk up 2 Dik Diks, a warthog and 2 baboons in our I-Spy books. We were able to witness however, an excellent football match. One side obviously owned by Roman Abramovic had shirts and boots. The others probably twinned with Crystal Palace had nothing except shorts . It was 1-1 with 10 minutes to go but then shirts and boots scored twice. The crowd of 200 were definitely on the side of the barefoot team, and so trooped disconsolately away. The pitch was a trifle tricky since no rain had fallen here for 2 years, but I was impressed with the overall quality. The journey to the coast, however was a bit distressing. First while exiting the National Park we were invaded by a plague of Tsetse Flies which are the most horrible things imaginable. It was like something out of Hitchcock as we had the car windows open and hundreds of these things flew in. They are very invasive…eyes ears, nose etc and although they don’t sting their bite is dangerous and very itchy. They just don’t go away and were on the outside windows of the van in droves. It was a bit unnerving. Then for the next 500k we were faced with out of control bush fires. The people themselves light the fires to promote fresh grass growth but an unseasonal wind got up and blew sparks over their firebreaks, and thus out of control the fires spread and burnt many, many villages to the ground. There was nothing we could do but to see people who have nothing lose their homes was very distressing. Families were just sitting on the floor crying, although it has to be said there was absolutely no attempt to organize fire fighting parties. They may have no water but sand and people are in plentiful supply. The pollution from the fires made the sun turn an eerie red . Next day we finally made the coast and some of the famed Mozambique crayfish and prawns. A large seafood platter for 2 cost us 400 Metacals or 8 pounds and was really excellent although the drive to the restaurant and camp was through the thickest sand we have yet come across (even in the Sahara)

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Into Mozambique2nd Aug 2008

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