The bus from our hotel Fatima’s Nest left at 4am and drove the short distance to the main bus terminal where we sat for 4hrs till every last seat was taken. I was a bit unlucky and had a BIG mama africa sitting next to me – with two kids! But apart from the severe lack of space it was fine. The great thing about children in Africa is that they don’t make a sound. They sit there for hours and hours and don’t cry, moan, fidget or fuss. How they do it I have no idea, but I’m going to try and find out and bottle it and sell it at Heathrow, bus terminals and anywhere else where you find confined spaces and screaming children.
During the ten hour trip we stopped once at a service station where I met an English guy on his bicycle. He looked a bit lost so I went over to say hello. He said he’s not lost he’s just keeping the coast on his right and heading north to Cairo and that he should arrive around Christmas time in 2012. What a trip that is.
After spending a night by the beach I headed off by bus, boat and minivan to Vilancoulos and checked in to the hostel called Zombie Cucumber where I met Dana, Christian, Mattias and Jason. We spent two days snorkeling amongst the corals and walking the beaches of the simply stunning Bazaruta de Archipelago. When we got back to Zombies two ex marines called John and Martin had arrived and we all went to a local restaurant called Veranda to watch the yellow moon rise up over the water and eat fresh fish pulled out of the ocean earlier that day.
After Vilancoulos I headed to Illa de Mozambique where I am now. The trip here took about 48hrs and was the best and most exciting trip ever. The public transport is rubbish so I hitched rides on the trucks that head north from Maputo. I got on one lorry to Inchope with three Zimbabweans who were the nicest people ever and then another truck from there to Nampula. I arrived about 9pm last night which was too late to get a bus to my destination so I jumped in a taxi and asked to be taken to a ‘good’ hotel which usually means a crap one but this time I am surprised when we turn up at a Ritz-like place called Ejecutivo. They only had a suite left at 100 dollars a night but since I was so shattered and couldn’t be arsed to wander the streets looking for somewhere cheaper I took it. Best nights sleep of my life by miles!!
This morning I checked out and took a mini bus, the back of a pick up and a motorbike to Ilha. I’m staying at Ruby’s which is the best place I have seen since I started traveling.
This is what I call real traveling. No guide book, no public transport and no map. Just a destination and a desire to get there. It’s been tough but as always the harder something is to get the more rewarding it is.
Great times. Happy days.
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