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So much to do... so little time

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I am not sure if Jan and Petra, the dive instructors at Barra Lodge, are really good sales people, or if we just can't say no to people in tight rubber outfits, but somehow we were talked into staying on at Barra for a few more days to complete our Advanced Divers course. (Mum - don't worry about the "people in tight rubber outfits" comment; it's just a play on words to give our readers a giggle).
Before we could be talked into the next level of instruction, we packed up the Mog and moved on to Pomene. If you close your eyes and imagine the perfect beach you are probably thinking of something very similar to Pomene.
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The squeaky clean white beach stretches both right and left, while crystal clear waves roll gently onto the beach. Respite from the sun can be found under tall trees that collect the morning dew each day. On the opposite side to the sea is a large estuary which was home to a large flock of flamingoes while we were there and where local fisherman search for food for their families from dugout canoes.
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Part of our master plan for travelling in winter was to avoid the rain as northern Mozambique is a summer rainfall area. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the weather!! We didn't get to go diving in Pomene or spend too much time exploring as it was raining! On the upside, we can always return there in the hopes of better weather.

Right: Sunset over the estuary at low tide

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Checking on the calendar we realised that the days were ticking away quickly and our 30 day visa for Mozambique would soon be up. We couldn't wait for the weather to clear up sufficiently for us to go diving so we had to pack up and head north for Inharrasso where we spent just one night.

Left: Alan watches storm clouds gather over the sea at Pomene Beach

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The following day was a long drive for us to Chimoio where we spent an hour re-stocking our badly depleted larder. We then headed for Camp Msika where we decided to spend two nights as we had another long drive ahead of us.
The camp has a large pen of crocodiles, a great diversity of birdlife and is very picturesque. The quaint dining room serves tasty food at very reasonable prices with friendly, helpful staff - despite the language barriers.
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The day before we had to leave we enjoyed fire-cooked hamburgers and prepared for our long drive by having a good nights sleep. At sometime before 5.00AM, the resident cockerel (as in a male chicken with a perky pre-sunrise attitude) began to crow.... and crow and crow... and crow! This roused us from our warm, comfortable sleep, but as it is winter and both cold and dark outside, we snuggled a little deeper into our blankets and shut our eyes again - for a moment for two at most!! Some of you may remember us relaying the story in a previous update of having nineteen cats sleeping under the Mog. Well this time, it was a family of kids (as in furry young goats)!! They are much noisier than cats at five o'clock in the morning!!!!

Top Left: A kid feeds from her mother under the protection of the Mog.
Bottom Left: The goat family bleating themselves hoarse at five in the morning!
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We had no choice but to abandon any further hopes of sleep with the loudly crowing cockerel (as in a male chicken with a perky pre-sunrise attitude) and the incessant high-pitched bleating kids (as in furry young goats) vying with each other for the position of top sleep-pooper!
We warmed ourselves up with a few cups of steaming hot coffee. This, of course, meant that we would have to stop for a "call of nature" along the road. We drove past little village, after little village, after little village.. a seeming never-ending stream of little villages. The "call of nature" was beginning to call louder and louder when we found ourselves in an area devoid of villages. We were just about to stop when we noticed the huge skull and crossbones signs with the warning - BEWARE : LANDMINES! We carried on and again the little villages started following fast on one another's heels. Eventually, when the "call of nature" had turned to a raging scream, we found a haven of privacy - phew!

As we travelled north and got closer towards the town of Tete the land began to get drier, the vegetation sparser, the villages poorer and the people seemed thinner. We also passed through an area where the locals cut down trees for their wood fires, but left a stump of about a metre in the ground; along the road we saw many of these stumps re-sprouting! This effort at sustainability was a welcome change to the total deforestation we saw in both Zambia and Malawi.

We would liked to have spent more time in Mozambique as there is so much more to see and do, but that will have to wait for the next time. After a night at Tete, sleeping on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River, we were sad to have left Mozambique but are thrilled to be back in Malawi!
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Sandy buying eggs, potatoes and
tomatoes from a street vendor While many of the roads are being upgraded,
the potholes in others are frightening!

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Highlights:
Best meal: Prego Rolls and chips at Barra Lodge
Best moment: When we were signed off as Advanced Divers!
Worst moment: When the farmyard animals woke us up VERY early on a cold, dark winter morning.
Interesting people we've met:
- Dawie, Isabel & children - a wonderfully warm and friendly family who we met at Barra Lodge; they bought the prawns and we helped them cook, and eat, them. Thanks for your hospitality!

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