If you’re looking at being in Francistown and then traveling Francistown to Maun, Botswana by BUS then please read on. If you fancy going by train, unfortunately, you’re out of luck as there isn’t one.Read More
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Jo’Burg Up To Botswana
To get from Jo’Burg, South Africa up to Gaborone, Botswana I booked a seat online, on the Intercape Bus, which departs from Park City Transit Centre in Johannesburg. Seats are not designated on this bus line and the man who stowed my pack underneath told me I could have any seat apart from the drivers. Travel tips includedRead More
Botswana Is Doing Ok
Botswana’s doing ok, or so it would seem based on my very new understanding of the African continent.
The countries are huddled closely together in this big continent, separated physically by lines drawn on a map. Lines that were decided in 1884 by European powers at the Berlin Conference. These lines were formed with no consideration of the boundaries that already existed, or of the people their history and ethnicity who actually lived there. Read More
Solo Travelers Blues
You’ve been having a brilliant time, the adventure you’d longed for is unfolding like a dream. So, how is this even possible? And why did no one warn you about the potential monkey-on-your-back called the solo travelers blues?Read More
Traveling Solo In Africa
If you’re questioning whether or not you should be Traveling Solo in Africa, my advice would be to question which part of it you want to see most, not whether you should do it. This is one huge, big continent of such diversity that the options of what you can do and see are seemingly endless. It carries so much beauty in its differing landscapes and people that you need to see the veritable feast with your own eyes and doing it all by yourself is totally ok.Read More
Dugongs in the waters off Mozambique
Question:
What do you get when you have two Kiwi’s, a Canadian and an Irishman on a dhow (boat) looking for Dugongs in the waters off Mozambique?
Answer:
A failed mission but a lovely day all the same.
Through the clearest of clear waters, you can see the bottom of the bay beneath the dhow as you make the hour long trip out to Magaruque Island. Magaruque is the third largest of the six islands that make up the Barazuto Archipelago. It can be walked around in about two hours and your feet will tread on the cleanest white sand that feels like velvet.Read More
Vilanculos – A Change of Scene
For a change of scene, I head off on another “interesting” Chapa ride. Check out the experience of my first Chapa ride. It took me north from Inhambane at six in the morning and deposited me into Vilanculos seven hours later. We had a million stop-starts, a few of them for police, the majority for the acquisition and forfeit of passengers. We even stopped once so a lady could buy a large wooden vessel the purpose of which I have no idea. We sat and waited while she hummed and harred and having settled on what was to her the best one, it somehow got loaded under the back seat of the van. Brilliant! There’s not enough can be said about shopping en route, I was very envious.
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Traveling Without Trust – Up The Garden Path?
A local guy had been friendly, showing me the right place to catch a bus to Tofo and then offering to take me to Tofinho. I want to believe, had to believe that he was genuine and his motives weren’t leading me “up the garden path”.
There were many thoughts flashing through my head as we headed along the beach. Older woman with a younger guy, “oh what a cliché we must look like”, “why is he doing this?”, “is he thinking I am his chance to gain some money?” “does he think I’m his ticket out of poverty?”Read More
Flitting About Inhambane Province
It’s definitely worth flitting about Inhambane (pronoun. Inyambarn) province. Inhambane, the provincial capital is situated in the south along with the beautiful beaches; Tofo and Barra. All are characteristic of the gentle, easygoing Mozambican way of life, a lovely level of no hurry.
Inhambane Town
The oldest city in Mozambique, Inhambane is such a quaint historical town and because I had only breezed through after getting the ferry across from Maxixe (the provinces financial capital) I made sure to go back and have another look. The history is wonderfully portrayed in the architecture. There’s also an awesome second-hand clothing market where you can pick up designer labels for a few dollars. You might even be lucky enough to get the expats to tell you the location of this cherished, closely guarded secret if you ask nicely.Read More
Chapas And Capulanas
Chapas and capulanas, casitas and cervejas, what the? I had no idea and it’s fair to say I am no linguist. After 7 years in Cambodia, I still struggled to pull a sentence together. And I would like to say that there is definitely a lot to be said for learning at least a few words of the local language before embarking on a trip to a new country. But, in my own defense the country I landed in first (South Africa) has 11 official languages and although Mozambique has only one official language (Portuguese) there are another 43 languages spoken.
I had no hope but here are a few words you can get on top of by reading up on my experience behind the words.Read More
