2020 is off to a good start.
After an enjoyable, low-stress Christmas at Travessia, we travel north to Vilanculos.
Because we left it until quite late to book accommodation – especially considering that Mozambique is a prime destination for South Africans over their Christmas/school holidays – we take what is available.
We spend three days at the perfectly-fine Casa Cabana Beach hotel.
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When our three days are over, we must move to the Bahia Mar Resort, just up the beach.
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We snag the very last room. It’s kind of expensive. At first we thought this is because it’s New Year’s Eve.
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Turns out it’s really because it’s the snazziest room they have – the ‘presidential suite’ or something. Which is probably why it is still unbooked.
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We have our own private pool, with jacuzzi.
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The bathroom is about three times the size of the average Japanese hotel room. You can take a shower while looking out over the ocean.
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On New Year’s Day, we drive the nearly-deserted N1 road south on our way to Tofo Beach.
We drive through Inhambane on our way to Tofo. It has many colonial Portuguese-style buildings. These are rare in post-Independence Mozambique, at least from what we see so far.
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We are booked for three nights in a place on the beach. However, as we approach town, there is complete and utter gridlock as people pour into Tofo for a giant January First festa.
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We make alternate arrangements and return next day.
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Besides tourism, fishing is probably the most common livelihood.
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We eat a lot of seafood while we’re on the coast. In Vilanculos, we gorge on enormous Mozambique prawns. Cooked in our ensuite kitchen.
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Tofo has a large craft market.
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What I’m really looking for is a FRELIMO t-shirt. FRELIMO is the natural party of government here.
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Another specialty of the country are these brightly-coloured textiles called capulanas.
I try to remain inconspicuous as a policeman hovers nearby.
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Sight or Insight of the Day
After the exotic Travessia Lodge and the deluxe Bahia Mar Resort, it’s a pleasant change to be in our simple grass hut on the beach in Tofo.
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Cheaper, too.