Praia do Tofo, Moçambique

When we last left our heroes, they were beginning day four of their Mozambican adventures, by waking up at 5:30am in Maputo in order to catch the shuttle north along the coast to their final destination.

The 6:00AM Chicken Bus.

Our bus ride was affectionately referred to as Fatima's 8 Hour Chicken Bus Ride, not for any true presence of chickens, but it was perhaps the only thing missing from the experience. We were packed quite tightly, and I spent most of the ride with my knees in my chest and my butt falling asleep, trying to pass the time. There was a marked changed as we moved north from Maputo, though. Things got even more remote, and I was pleased to see more and more palm trees as we drove.

Passing the time.

Fast forward, and we arrived in the afternoon at Praia do Tofo. It is a long stretch of beach, essentially unspoiled, with a few different backpacker lodges and beach bars along it. A 15 minute walk along the sand is the only thing standing between you and a new venue to drink, party, dance, or hit the local market. So yes, the night life was there, and we took advantage of it every single night of the trip (It's Spring Break, by the way. Sorry guys).

We've arrived!

Our resort was Bamboozi, a unique place made almost entirely from natural materials. The chalets, dorms, and huts were all from wood and palm thatch, which I enjoyed. In fact, I was weary at first that it was just a gimmick for tourists, but most of the housing and local structures all up the coast are made from the same. It is easy to build and very practical.   The whole place runs on generators, so there is no electricity at night when they're off, and the drinking water is brought in for cooking and ending hangovers.  On the subject of changes, if I wasn't used to African time before, I had to quickly get used to Mozambican time which is far worse (or better?). A simple meal like eggs and toast can easily take 45 minutes, more complicated things an hour and a half. And, yes, bribing can help to get the food faster, but it won't make them more truthful about when it will arrive. The answer always seems to be "five minutes (smile)".

Overlooking Bamboozi.

Looking toward the beach from the restaurant.

So... that's the introduction. The next five days and six nights are a blur of incredible timelessness. I committed myself, successfully, to stowing my sandals and going barefoot the entire week. I'm a bit sad that the blisters are now disappearing because it means I must be civilized again. We also swam in the ocean for hours (the water is nearly 80ºF), and then in the onsite pool most nights. I would have photos of swimming and such, but my underwater camera was lost to the great sea gods. Some huge waves took it while swimming, and although it was in Alexei's possession at the time, we're still friends because that is what insurance is for. Goodbye Olympus 720SW! We have a great few years together.

"I give you good price today, my friend." Georgia and Me.

This is perhaps the difficult part of conveying how great these days in Tofo were, though. I found a general schedule of getting up at 7:30am for some of the best scuba diving in the world, then lunch, playing all day long, drinking and attending Mozambican dance parties all night long, only to fall into bed at 4am or so and sleep a bit before getting up at 7:30am for more diving. At that rate, it takes about two liters of water in the morning to pull things back together, and a few sporadic naps in the day, but it still took a toll. It felt like summer in high school again, just making friends and playing the entire time. Just lekker.

Remember how I said that transit vehicles in Moz rarely have working car batteries? Mike and I decided to assist a minibus van, along with some other locals, with a push start to get it going. We pushed pushed pushed, and had it going at a good pace, it started, and sputtered a large amount of black smoke as it lumbered off. Seconds later, the sliding door on the side just fell off. Fell off. I grabbed my knees, laughing, as I asked, "What country are we in?" and "I hope I never forget this."

Walking toward the market amidst palm groves.

The best way I can probably wrap this up is to describe an afternoon I had. After a full morning of diving, and seeing a spectacular underwater show (manta included), I went back to my bed, crawled beneath my mosquito net, and fell asleep. There were no windows, just window frames and shades in our hut, so the breeze hit me the whole time. I woke up a few hours later, with most friends still sleeping and wandered for a half hour down the beach, at sunset, alone, with my feet in the water toward the market. I got there, bought some fresh bananas from a woman, picked up some handmade, custom tailored pants that I had a guy make me (four pairs in the end total, you'll see in photos), purchased some local rum called Tipo Tinto, and then proceeded to make my return on the beach wearing said pants, eating bananas, at sunset, thinking about how much I didn't want to go home. "Does this place actually exist?"  Surely not.  Upon return to Bamboozi, my friends were awake, and it was time to have dinner and open the Tipo Tinto. And we did!

That's the gist of the terrestrial world of Tofo. My next post will cover all things underwater, including my swim with the whale shark! See below for more photos, if you're keen: