Chillin' like a Vilan-culos, Mozambique

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Pool at Beach Village

Chilling is about what summed up Vilanculos.  This beautiful coastal area of Mozambique was so nice, we had real trouble leaving.  Amazing beaches that stretch out to sea for a huge distance you feel you could walk all the way to the islands of Parque Nacional de Bazaruto.  These beaches then disappear upon high tide, leaving just a skinny stretch of beach.  Two very different landscapes from low to high tide. 
We found a beautiful new backpacker place, right on the beach called Beach Village.  It had great a-frame huts, a big dorm building, but most importantly, a pool and beach bar.  We spent a lot of time within the friendly confines of Beach Village, and why not - look at the place!!!  The staff were very friendly too.

Isla de Magaruque - our lagoon

Our first day, we got right into things and took a dhow trip out to Magaruque Island.  As it was low tide, we had to weave our way between the long sand bars just to make it out to the island.  It was the scenic route, and we had close up views of the fishermen in their boats, and walking out in the shallow waters, trying for the day's catch.  We arrived at the island, and pulled into a small lagoon, almost enclosed by the reef.  It was beautiful, and we were the only boat there, so very peaceful.  We were to swim across the lagoon, climb over the rocks and snorkel on the other side of the reef where the incoming tide would drift us down the reef.  There were some very colourful fish, but the water was pretty cold.  We snorkeled, then walked back up to have another go.  After a couple of times, we wanted to warm up in the sunshine, then were served fabulous crabs and a calamari curry for lunch on the beach.  Unfortunately, by now about 5 or 6 other boats had turned up to ruin our little paradise.

Three ladies on Vilanculos beach

To get away from the small crowds, we walked to the East side of the island, looking out to the Indian Ocean.  There were some nice dunes to climb up, but we had to bush-whack our way back across the island to get back in time to catch our dhow home. By now, the lagoon had disappeared at high tide, and the boat ride home was much more direct.
From this day on, we got stuck in the vortex of Beach Village - Vilanculos.  Not much going on each day but a great place to be; a walk into town at times, picking up some groceries including super fresh bread at the bakery, then making a trip along the beach to meet all the people selling the fresh seafood off the boats on the beach.  We came back with 4.5 kilograms of squid for about $17US, and 12 smallish to medium crabs for about $1.65US.  The crabs were unbelievably cheap, and some good meat on

Martin with Squids for dinner

them.  Apparently, they are pretty abundant out there.   For Canada Day, we brought the seafood home, and got the local chef to prepare and cook it for the 6 of us, and we gave him a tip for cooking it.  The 6 were, Jennie and Sean (still with us after almost 2 weeks), and Jenny and Andy, who were a fun, boisterous English couple who we met on the bus ride to Vilanculos.  Good laughs with dinner, and also at the beach bar later on.  One of the nights, we made a trek into town to hit up the Afro Bar.  Leaving at 2:30AM, we had a good night with the locals, and man, they can sure dance up a storm!!  But the toilets were something to write home about!!

One night we were really treated by Terrick, the South African guy who owns/manages the resort.  It was one of the guest's birthdays, so he had the chef make a cake.  It was massive, about 5 inches tall and really BIG, and was supposed to say 'From Beach Village'.  Terrick was surprised to see the cake come out with the lettering 'Jerk Baech Village'.  It made for a good laugh, but definitely something lost in translation!!

Birthday Cake 'From Beach Village'

Other than that, we really didn't fancy the town very much.  Not a lot interesting, but a necessity for our daily life.  We spent most of our time at the backpacker resort playing Carcassonne, and playing with Terrick's little puppy named Brutus!!  Soooooo tough to leave!  *Stub

Tofo (not Tofu), Mozambique

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Our bungalow at Bamboozi

We are not exactly sure why, but it seems like all the transport leaves at ridiculously early times in the morning - like 5AM.  So, together with Jennie and Sean we got up early and made our way to the 'chapa' (minibus) station.  Madness ensued, and of course some haggling, to finally get down to the correct price without any extra for baggage or whatever!!  I found it kind of crazy that on a long distance mini bus, there was absolutely no space for luggage, so we had all our bags piled around us, under seats, in aisles - every inch of space was used, and this of course made for a fairly uncomfortable ride!
Arriving on the beach in the popular backpacker town of Tofo was a nice feeling.  Because of price, we split up with Jennie and Sean, so we could camp at a place called Turtle Cove.  When we finally arrived there what seemed like an eternity of walking later, we found that we could camp, but they had NO other facilities for us to use - no kitchen, and no safe to lock up our valuables, were the big criteria.  So, we walked all the way back to town, then on to Bamboozi Lodge, another couple of kilometres the other way, to meet up with Jennie and Sean again.  In total we worked out we walked about 9km with our backpacks. Luckily, we hitched a ride on a diving truck for the final 1km, and needed a drink when we arrived.  Bamboozi was great and they even gave us a 2 bed bungalow for the same price as camping!!  We'll take that any day.

Overlooking Tofo Beach

We spent the next four days hanging out with Sean and Jennie and socialising with other guests at the resort chatting about the wonderful countries of Africa and collecting great tips and recommendations for our future travels. Alan, who we'd originally met 10 days ago at Swaziland Backpackers, also made it to Bamboozi, and with Jennie and Sean, the five of us walked the beach by day and played Carcassonne by night- a game that Martin and I had introduced them back in Maputo -- and to which they were now addicted to. We basically just chilled out in Tofo and our major highlight was cooking up huge crayfish bartered from local fisherman on the beach in town.

Sean and Jennie with Michelle in front of Bamboozi

The thing that draws people to Tofo are its beaches, its laid-back feeling and its whale sharks! Scuba diving and snorkeling is the thing to do! It was pretty expensive though at $60 for a two hour snorkeling trip, so we thought we'd check out the snorkeling deals further up north at Vilanculos, and if not there, then we would retrace our footsteps back to Tofo and find those whale sharks.   We'll see what transpires, but it would pretty special to see one of these massive fish up close and personal.  * Stub/Mush

Our delicious crayfish dinner

4 M's - Michelle and Martin in Maputo, Mozambique

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Sean, Jennie, Michelle at Helena's Place

Monday, it was finally time to leave the comfort and spoilings of Paula and Sergio at Swaziland Backpackers and get traveling again. A 6 hour local minibus ride got us effortlessly through the Mozambique border and on to Maputo. We were happily distracted for most of it chatting away to an English/Australian couple in the van; we had lots of travel stories in common and the time flew by.
For a couple of days we explored with Jennie and Sean, Mozambique's capital city Maputo. I had to put on my language head and shift from the recent French we had to use in Madagascar to Portuguese. We found local markets and drank a few beers outside "mama's" place, went to the infamous train station (ranked in Time magazine as one of the 10 nicest train stations in the world), and enjoyed local art at the art gallery (the sculptures and paintings were a little dark at times). Mozambique's most famous painter died this year, and some of his art was on display.  We also had some nice encounters with locals whilst getting things sewn up at a row of men with sewing machines!

Michelle and the Tailors of Maputo

Michelle also had the nerve to ask a church attendant whether it was possible to climb up the church tower.  She went to get the key, and the 4 of us tackled the circular stairways all the way up to the scary walkway around the tower.  I love being up high and seeing cities from above - gives you a whole new perspective.  Since the railings were pretty sparse, we made our way down relatively quickly,  put our donation in the box, and were happy that Michelle asked!!

We crammed in to Maputo's small minivan buses where they squash about 4 (sometimes large) people across the seats (instead of 3) and even had people hunched over as standing room in what was not even considered an aisle. At the sea front we aimed for the fish market and we were disappointed by the inflated tourist prices for the (delicious-looking) squid and snapper and prawns. We had been told you can buy the fish and find a local to cook it up for you.  Since it is now in the travel books, and has received an influx of tourists, the prices were actually more expensive than at home, so we gave it a miss!  A shame, as we were all looking forward to the promise of lovely seafood, but our tastebuds would have to wait.

Jennie, Sean and Michelle on the Church Tower above Maputo

We were happy to find that Jennie and Sean tend to travel in the same manner/budget we like to.  So, the struggle of finding decent priced food was difficult, but we were rewarded eventually with a delicious meal at a VERY local little stand that served up tasty chicken and a huge pile of rice or pap (local mashed potato type thing), with sauce.  All for about $1.50!!  YUM, but too bad this was our last day!!
We were surprised to find American Alan at our hostel one night.  We had met him in Swaziland, and weren't expecting to see him again, but we enjoyed his company and spent the evening teaching all three of them our game Carcassonne, which they all got addicted to!!  *  Mush/Stub

Grandad the Explorer

In January - Martin with Grandad, Uncle Chris and Aunt Hazel

One of my fears traveling is that you are so far away from home, and if something bad happens, it is not only hard to do anything, but sometimes it is a long time before you hear about it.  Well, this occurred in Swaziland, as I received news of my Grandad's passing in London, but not until about 5 days after it happened.  He was a strong 91 years old, and had been an inspiration for us to get out and explore.  Since my Grandmother died from Alzheimers about 15 years ago, he started doing so many things he always wanted to do; fly on Concorde, travel to Gibraltar, take the Rocky Mountain Railway in Canada, and he would even travel to France for the day, to name a few - and he was in his 80's.  He also enjoyed just getting on a bus in London, and seeing where it ended up only to return on the next one back - then take a different one the next day.  He just liked to get out and explore.  When I visited him on my first big trip in 2001, he gave me a walking tour of London, at the tender age of 81!!   We rode the buses, boats up the river Thames, and hiked up the hill to Greenwich.
A highlight of my return visit was when I met a bunch of travel friends at a river boat bar on the Thames.  Grandad came along, and was known across the bar as "Grandad" to everyone.  All had a great time with him, and I think he really enjoyed his night out with all the 'kids' - not to mention his fish and chips at the bar!  I walked him to the Tube at about 10PM, and he found his own way home from there.  We repeated this a few years later, but this time my Dad was able to join us at the boat - 3 generations!!
He was a good man, and still very "with it" mentally.  Michelle and I were lucky to visit him just in January, and he asked a lot of astute questions about our trip, and shared some of his stories from when he was stationed in Egypt during the war.  A nice visit and a very good memory with him.
Cheers to my Grandad, we remember you fondly.   *Stub

The Sun's not Down on Swaziland Yet!!

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Once we left Mlilwane, we were somehow drawn back to Sundowner's Backpackers.  Our tastebuds were salivating, and the friendly warm welcome back we would receive, was something we looked forward to.  It is something you miss when you are traveling, a place that makes you feel at home!!  So, we planned a quick overnight stop back there, whilst we had some business to take care of, namely getting a Mozambique visa in the capital city of Mbabane.

Our Camp site at Sundowners

We had originally planned to head south into South Africa, but so many people told us how much they loved Mozambique in the South, we decided we were too close to not go.  We took the combi-van up to Mbabane, and searched out the Mozambique High Commission, and were pretty surprised to find out how easy the visa process turned out to be.  After applying, we had to go to town to deposit the money in their account at the bank, then return at 2PM to pick it up.  Piece of cake, and we were stunned to see it all work out.  A side note, Mbabane was a relatively mediocre town, with the usual hustle and bustle of a medium sized African city.

Group at Sundowners including Sergio and Paula in centre

After our first delicious meal back, we decided to stay another day and help Sergio and Paula out with a little work at their place.  Martin spent the full day helping sand and prep an exterior wall for painting, so at least we could give something back to them!

Of course, we were then treated to another delicious braai (bbq) meal, and the promise of another the next day.  So that meant we were sticking around one more day, because neither of us could resist the offer of ROAST TURKEY on Father's Day!!
We did manage to get out a little while at Sundowner's.  One night, we joined a Swiss girl named Dominique to go to the House on Fire.  A very funky, artsy bar/performance centre that reminded me of Gaudi style architecture and bizarre art from Barcelona area.  It was a great venue for a concert and we watched a local Swazi singer/band called

A Night out at House on Fire

Nancy Ginindza and the Human Family.  Great show, and a good view from our perch above right of the stage!  We also visited another strange but successful Swazi place - Swazi Candles - where they make all kinds of interesting candles shaped like African animals in all kinds of colours and patterns.  Very cool actually.  We probably would have bought something if we weren't afraid of it melting.  We did buy a nice Batik from one of the vendors out front, and we have taken to decorating our rooms with it along the way!!

The morning before the turkey, we joined Dutch Mark, and American Alan, on a quick drive around Swaziland.  It is a tiny country, where I think you can drive from one side to the other in about 3 hours.  We saw some interesting sights like the Magugo dam, and a walk to the interesting, community run Tsangwini Rock Art.  The rock art is approximately 4000 years old, and still well preserved.

Animal shapes at Swazi Candles

It is apparently the only rock art in Africa depicting humans with wings - very interesting.
Mark drove back quickly as we were late for turkey, and when we arrived we feasted on soooooooo much food!!  It was fabulous, and with 3 desserts also.  As it was Father's Day, Paula and Sergio's families were there for the feast!  It was a nice day, and she even invited our friends Rachael and Allana from the orphanage!!   So very generous!!   *Stub

Walking Amongst the Wildlife, Mlilwane Nature Reserve, Swaziland

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Martin on Execution Rock high above the Ezulwini Valley

It was tough to leave, but we finally moved away from Sundowner's Backpackers.  The hospitality there, and the wonderful meals, kept us hanging around.  Both Paula and Sergio made us feel like family.  We will return one day!!
But, we didn't go too far, only around 10 km away to the Mlilwane Nature Reserve, where we set up our tent at Sondzela's Backpackers and we excited to see zebra and warthogs from our tent.  No sooner had we set up, we started hiking out in the reserve.  We found it really interesting that you can just walk amongst the animals without fences or being closed up in your car.  Tons of impala, nyala, kudu, and other antelopes.  Warthogs, zebra, hippos, and some scary looking crocodiles (they advise you not to go too close to the water - duly noted).  Definitely not in Canada anymore Toto!!

Lunar Eclipse

It was nice to just chill out and watch the animals when we wanted to, and stroll through the forests.  At the main camp, the animals were not shy, with one nyala trying to steal Michelle's sandwich from her hand.  Back at the hostel, they had a friendly ostrich they called Cindy.  She just strolled around the place, but it was a little weird being face to face with her at times.
One of the evenings, we were lucky to see a full lunar eclipse - pretty special considering where we were in the nature reserve.
A following day, we took on a larger hike and made it all the way up Execution Rock.  This provided us with some great views over the Ezulwini Valley and further.  It was nice to get out and do some exercise, as we've been a little sluggish for a while. We took in the full views, spending about 1.5 hours on the windy summit.  On the walk back to the hostel, we got a treat as we spotted two hippos sunning themselves on a little island.  I hadn't really seen any hippo out of the water in the daytime, and these two were pretty close to us!!  Apparently, there are more human fatalities from hippos, than any other animal in Africa - I guess they are quite territorial, and have poor eyesight, but can run at 35 mph.  I wouldn't want to be in the way of one of those trucking along!!   *Stub

Hippos at the Pond

Volunteering in the Kingdom of Swaziland

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After three days in Joburg it was time to move on and get on with our Swaziland adventure. Our minivan was expensive but safe. Many people tell us to not take the combi vans for long distances so the only other alternative was to catch the expensive minibus 500R - $70 for a 5 hour journey.

We had to wait at the border leaving South Africa as one of the other passengers had picked up his wife's passport instead of his own when he by mistake. His own passport was back in Cape Town (a 5 hour ride and two hour plane away!) Eventually through much persuasion by some of the other women passengers, the border police decided to permit him exit and re-entry. His daughter was anxiously waiting for him across the border in Swaziland, and unfortunately we had to leave him waiting for his temporary documentation to be sorted. We later found out that he did get through safely.

Michelle with Rachael, Allana, and kids at the orphanage

Since we arrived late, and couldn't get in touch with our friends at the orphanage and the backpackers, and the taxi driver had no idea where the hostel was, we eventually got a ride to Manzini with a lady from our bus, and she invited us to stay with her for the night. Angela was our rescuer. She had a spare room and together we assembled a delicious late evening meal. The next morning we finally, we got in touch with our friends from the orphanage, and Angela actually drove us all the way there - super nice!!  Here we were our first night in Swaziland and we had already encountered Ubuntu yet again! How great was that!

Lunch Line

For the next nine consecutive days we worked solidly at the New Hope Centre orphanage getting a ride with Sergio the hostel owner every morning at 7.30 and getting back every evening before dark at around 6pm. The kids were so much fun. Some took to us more than others and wanted to play with us or just to be around us. There were some interesting characters for sure! Many come from tragic backgrounds, many are still recovering. For some you would never know that they had been left for dead under trees or seriously abused by members of their family. The New Hope Centre was doing what it was supposed to - giving children the chance for a better life.

Pentecost Celebration

Swaziland has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in Africa - between 40% and 50%. The population of Swaziland is 850,000 people (it used to be 950,000), and about 200,000 of those are estimated to be orphaned children. Those numbers are really shocking and it's only just recently that Swaziland has come out of denial and admitting it has a problem with the HIV! As for the children they are left to fend for themselves or live with family members who abuse them. They lead pretty miserable lives. At New Hope there are 49 children that have better lives and given the hope that their futures can be different.

Martin with Titus and Hepsipa

When the kids were in school, Martin and I did all sorts of projects such as painting buildings, organising camping gear, first aid medical supplies and the director's offices. The orphanage was hard, but rewarding work and we would come home exhausted every night.

As for where we stayed - Swaziland Backpackers, it was one of our most favourite places so far. The owners, Sergio and Paula, were just taking on the running of the place since there manager left a week before and they made us feel so welcome and part of their family. Every night Paula would cook some amazingly delicious food with a huge variety of dishes. It was so wonderful to have home cooked food every night amongst Sergio and Paula and the other guests. The nights were getting colder (it's winter here) and we would keep warm around the camp fire before heading to our tent. * Mush 

Spoiled in Joburg, South Africa

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With Derek Stretton, Distiller of Stretton's gin

Talk about getting spoiled!  Despite our flight's super late arrival in to Johannesburg from Nosy Be, Madagascar, we were greeted at the airport by a very chirpy and gregarious Paige.  Now, Paige is a good friend of our friends Steve and Kerry-Lyn in London, and she had invited us to stay in Jo'burg, and wow, lucky us!!  Steve and Kerry-Lyn, I know, will be super-jealous of the warm and homely welcome that we received from Paige and her husband Roger, and daughter Zoe.  We had a fabulous stay while we attempted to figure out our next adventure, and how to do it.

We wanted to get to Swaziland to volunteer at an orphanage there (we had met some girls from the orphanage when we were in Pretoria our previous time in South Africa). Our dilemma: budget versus safety. Renting a car to head to Swaziland and out the other side back into South Africa would be convenient, but not the most economical since the car would sit idle for a couple of weeks while we volunteered at the orphanage.  After a couple of days of research in Jo'burg, we came to the conclusion we would just take an "expensive" bus to Swaziland, as we had no other safe options!

Michelle and Paige

While struggling with our research we were wonderfully pampered and deliciously fed and watered! Not to mention Paige and Roger's friends and family that we got to meet and enjoy. In true Jo-burg winter-style we warmed around the camp fire in the garden, ate gourmet steaks from the braii (or barbecue), and ate fabulous pasta made by their great Italian friend, Adi. For me it was also an extreme honour to meet the Distiller and namesake of Stretton's Gin - Paige's father Derek Stretton. As some of you may know, I like my G&Ts. And believe me this was delicious gin!

Sign at Apartheid Museum

We were lucky that Paige had some time to take us to the famous Apartheid Museum - something we had missed doing when we were in Jo'burg a month ago. It was fascinating and thought provoking. The hardships and challenges were unimaginable.  It was an extensive (and emotionally exhausting) museum with so much info - we really needed 4 days rather than 4 hours to appreciate it!

With Paige, Roger and Zoe we certainly discovered the spirit of Ubuntu - South African generosity and hospitality at its best. Thank you! * Mush