July 9-12
Hello everyone!
Mozambique has a huge coastline, stretching almost 2,400 km
from tip to toe. Even though the roads are of reasonable quality, it takes a
long time to get from one place to another. Our next port of call was the
sleepy village of Vilankulos, home to the Bazaruto archipelago.
Bazaruto is known for its rich variety of aquamarine life.
Unfortunately, our luck was out; not a single turtle was to be seen, and the
only dolphins were found painted on walls.
The fish that we did see on our short snorkelling adventure
were colourful little things, though paled in comparison to the iridescent
cichlids found in Lake Malawi. It was a relaxing experience, with almost no
sound, until I started swallowing the sea through my snorkel. The water was
glistening, its colour reminiscent of the Caribbean.
We had taken a dhow boat – it had a motor, so not
technically travelling like they did back in the day – to the island of Magaruque.
This is one of the five islands that comprise the Bazaruto archipelago, and by
far the easiest to reach, even though it took an hour of boating to do so.
Magaruque is a beautiful island. Sand dunes slope gently
from its interior to create white, sandy beaches on most of its shores.
Stunning views can be enjoyed if you struggle up the dunes to the top.
Arguably the coolest wildlife was found on the beach itself.
A blood-red starfish was motionless as we approached, then curled each of its
five legs inward, presumably to protect itself.
Then there were the jellyfish. These massive cnidarians (they’re not fish, I’ve learnt after a bit of
Googling) were washed up on the shore, alive but immobile. We were able
to touch them (I tried to pick the whopper below up off the ground but it was
very heavy and slippery, and that’s without mentioning the poison pellets it
could me with from its underside); the jellyfish was a weird texture with I can
only equate to a soft, pimpled and slightly slimy ball.
Another place with great sea life was in Xai-Xai, an eight-hour
drive south from Vilankulos. Not fish this time: crustaceans. Thousands of
crabs lined the beach, being smashed into the sea by a relative tsunami of a
wave only to reappear moments later. They obviously have an excellent sense of
feeling or hearing as they would scuttle into holes or the incoming tsunami
whenever I approached.
Someone is obviously more artful in their movements than me
as crab is a popular item on a Mozambican menu. I sampled crab mapata, which
seemed to be whole baby crabs in a creamy, spinach-like sauce. It tasted about
as good as it looks.
More to my group’s liking has been Mozambique’s beer, which
is on a much higher pedestal than the Malawian version. It also comes in larger
bottles. 2M is the most popular in these coastal resorts, with Manica being a
stronger beer. Many of you will be able to guess which one I drank more often…
It was a full moon whilst we were in Vilankulos, which was a
breathtaking sight: a blood-red semi-circle appearing on the black horizon and
rising whilst changing to lighter shades of orange and yellow, before
illuminating the ocean with its reflected rays.
Mozambique has been a very pleasant experience. Though I
have access to Lake Malawi, it was nice to be on the coast, feeling the sea
breeze and watching the waves crash near the beach. As I said at the start,
Mozambique is a huge country and there are many places in the northern section
which I would like to visit. The shimmering sea, charming people and array of
activities make it a somewhat hidden gem, unknown to many who aren’t South
African (lots of them come here for holidays). I have a very strong temptation
to return. Maybe I’ll get to swim with a turtle then as well…
Love you all
Matt
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