Update : 29 April 2006
Place : Istanbul/Turkey
Day : 186 (Return to Turkey)
Distance traveled : 29,580km

As you can see from the above entry, I am back in Turkey. I arrived on Wednesday, April 19th. Exactly 186 days after I left home in Istanbul on Saturday, October 15th 2005... Of course in the meantime the updates for Mozambique and after are delayed some. Had few last things to do in Cape Town before my departure, and naturally errands to run after my arrival, etc. I think you can imagine, and I hope you understand.

You've seen the funny first part of the Mozambique update; now let's give back the page its "sobriety" and continue with the real update.

On 29 March 2006; I am at the Zóbwe (or Zóbue) border gate of República de Moçambique going through the customs to enter the country after leaving the Malawi border near Mwanza (if you remember, there was also a town called Mwanza in Tanzania, where I took a ferry to and stayed for two nights. For the first time since the beginning of my journey I was asked if I had a vaccination book. I was actually pleased that someone asked for it. I was beginning to think that this little yellow booklet was totally useless. If I didn't have it with me, were they going to give me all the vaccinations I should have or would they just put me under quarantine? I don't know. I have even been deported from a country for the first time in my life, I don't think quarantine would have phased me much either.

The road quality drops ever so slightly in Mozambique, but it doesn't affect the drive much. You just have to pay attention to the small and shallow dips in the asphalt paved road although they don't really hurt much even if you fail to avoid them. Today I am not planning to drive long distances. I left Blantyre in the morning; after a 224 km drive I will cross the famous Zambezi River Bridge and stop at Tete. Although the book I have doesn't speak of Tete in any exciting way but I had to take it into my program taking into consideration the length of travel to the coastline as well as the suitable settlement areas along the way. The book says Tete doesn't have its old charm anymore but it's a long drive to the coastline and there aren't a lot of suitable places to stay overnight so I had to include it in my travel program as a stopover. The condition of the houses in the villages I passed through made me think that the people of Mozambique are much poorer compared to the others. Either that or they aren't too fussed about the quality of their living spaces. Frankly, I couldn't figure out which was the case.



A Mozambiquan village on the way to Tete

Tete is situated on the Zambezi River; 650km inland from where it flows into the sea. It is only 185m above the sea level which facilitates navigation on relatively calm waters. It is this geographical advantage that allowed Tete play an important role in African trade. The city is built on both sides of the Zambezi River and the actually city center is on the south side. So before I can look for a hotel in Tete I have to cross the bridge. This is a suspension bridge suspended on four concrete towers constructed on the foundation piers embedded into the riverbed. But this bridge is not designed for extremely heavy loads; I suppose to keep the construction costs low. This means that over the bridge the maximum speed for the smaller vehicles is less than 30kmph. For the trucks it is even worse: No more than one truck can be on the bridge at a time and their speed has to be less than 10kmph. This creates long lines of trucks on either side of the bridge, waiting to cross the bridge one by one, taking turns. Since the speed limit is 10kmph for the trucks and there is only one lane each way, smaller vehicles have no choice but form a convoy behind the trucks crossing the bridge at the same speed as the trucks. This bridge meets the current demands under these conditions. In the future when the demand increases I am not sure what alternative they will come up with. At the moment there is no other route in Mozambique for crossing the Zambezi River via a bridge.


Zambezi River and its suspension bridge


As it is the case in entire Africa everything is carried on heads.
Sometimes you spot school kids carrying their single book each on their heads.

The construction of Cahora Bassa Dam was complete in 1974. It is situated about 130km to the north-west of Tete. Cahora Bassa Lake is one of the ten largest bodies of water in Africa with its 2,660 km² area while Cahora Bassa Dam is fifth largest dam in the world with its 300m wide and 160m high concrete wall. The hydropower plant was originally designed to generate power ten times more than the demand in Mozambique with its five turbines capable of generating a total power of 2,075MW, ten times more than the local demand. It was going to supply significant amounts of power to South Africa. This plan could not be realized when the transmission lines were destroyed in 1986 during the attacks by the Renamo (Mozambique National Resistance, Resistência Nacional Moçambicana) guerillas. Mozambique is aiming to generate significant revenue by exporting power to South Africa and other neighboring countries once the repair and development work that began in 1997 and the construction of a new dam 70km to the south of the existing one are complete.

Tete was initially used as a settlement area by the Portuguese beginning in 1531. When you walked around in the streets of Tete you notice quite a few restaurants and patisseries. The buildings carry the characteristics of the 1960's and many are deserted. I am certain that there was a time when Tete was a lively place. Now it looks like a dead city. Even Hotel Zambeze, the hotel I stayed at fits in this atmosphere. Once it was built as a luxury hotel, pride of the city and now, neglected, it resembles an inn more than a hotel. The best thing to do after a brief walk in the city is to sit at the café downstairs and do people-watching. One doesn't feel like doing anything else in this heat anyway. I picked Pino's Restaurant for dinner. It is in a small courtyard, stuck between the outdated buildings behind Hotel Zambeze.

Mozambique is quite different from the rest of the African countries. I think the main reason for this different is the presence of the Portuguese for a long period of time, since the beginning of 16th century. Although Portuguese isn't a Mediterranean country itself, when I was there I have found myself immersed in a Mediterranean "atmosphere". Here I had a similar feeling, though not to the same extent. Even the bottle of olive oil they bring to the table with the food must be a result of this influence. They even serve bread along with the meal; and it is not the pre-sliced toast bread type either.

While I was sitting at the café two German girls walked in. We started to chat. They are traveling in a station wagon Ford Escort which they bought in Cape Town. They have been to Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Malawi prior to Mozambique. They told me that they have been sleeping in their car since they set out for their journey, except for Namibia when a family felt pity for them and put them up for a few days. We had dinner at Pino's a popular spot for Tete's expats. Our menu was pizza and Mediterranean salad. The olive oil is from Samos Island. Ignoring the girl's protest I pour the olive oil onto the salad to dip my bread in it. As I was driving my car out of the modest hotel garden in the wee hours of the morning, they were asleep in their "tent" which they have parked in front of the hotel.


Ruenys River

At the end of my second day after a 410km drive I will arrive and stay at Chimoio. The beginning of the drive it was asphalt paved and then the number of holes and dips in the paved road started to increase and it became impossible for me to maintain my speed and avoid these dips at the same time. I slowed down and continued my "slalom" maneuvers at a more comfortable speed. "Mozambique Highway Authority" must have figured out that patching it all up was not going to be an easy task so they got rid of the asphalt paved road altogether. The second half of the drive was on dirt road but it was still much smoother than the asphalt paved section that was full of dips.


The dust cloud on the red dirt road is so intense; shortly it will settle all over the car and turn it into this color.

I arrived at Chimoio early in the afternoon thanks to having left the hotel quite early in the morning. I look at all the hostel and hotels listed in the two books I have. Most of them are closed. One of them is still open but there is no vacancy. There are no other hotels either. When I was driving through the busiest part of town, I saw the American girl I met at Malawi - Mozambique border sitting at Elo 4 Café. Since she looks quite comfortable in her seat I assume she must have found a place to stay at. I parked the car and walked up to her. She told me that she was staying at a small place called Pink Papaya Guesthouse and gave me the directions. I followed her directions and found myself at a part of the city (let me say "town", so it's more realistic) where there are single-storey villas in their gardens along the tidy and neat streets. I found the Pink Papaya Guesthouse but there was no one in the garden or inside.

After the first try I gather a bit more courage and walk in the door once again. This time instead of calling out I entered the rooms one by one (actually there are only two rooms so yes I enter first one and then the other). There is no one inside or hiding outside around in the premises. I guess it's a tradition to "desert" places in Mozambique. So this is a deserted guesthouse. Outside I walk around the building one more time and can't find anyone so I get in the car and start driving away. I hear a whistle; it is someone waving at me while trying to get on his bicycle… Apparently it was the guy working in the guesthouse; he saw from a distance that I was trying to get in. He approached me and asked, looking a little embarrassed if anything, whether I was looking for a place to stay. What can I say? Mr. Perception…

Inside there is a dorm with 4 beds and a room with a double bed. So like I said the guesthouse consists of two rooms. There is a shared bathroom-shower and also a shared kitchen. In the dorm I see the American girl's backpack. The room is empty. Hurray! I take the room.

There are two people working at the guesthouse. One works the nightshift from 7 pm to 7 am. If you can't find anyone in the morning, you leave the money for the room and the drinks you took from the fridge on the coffee table next to the door. I love the "trust" system in the guesthouses and hostels. In the luxury hotels not only do they pocket hundreds of dollars you pay but also still serve you the "Wait a minute Sir, let's check your minibar" treatment. None of that here. This hotel also has a transportation vehicle that the staff members use: The famous Chinese-made bicycle. In the meantime I found out that not all of these bicycles are Phoneix make. So the lie I told you a while back is now exposed. But they all look the same. I am not sure how it works but this is a marketing strategy; that is, marketing the same product under different labels. Apparently these bicycles come in hundreds of labels. I calculated that the price for these bicycles is about USD46.00. You can't buy a truck for this price, can you?


Mozambik'te de bisikletle taşımacılık yaygın. Burada taşınanlar mangal kömürü, her bisiklete iki çuval

In the afternoon as we eat a few snacks we chat with my American guesthouse mate Nada. She graduated and began to travel. This trip (she had another in Asia before this one) will end in Jo'burg (Johannesburg in common language). Once she meets with her father there she will fly to Chile to start a new one. Amazing, I can't believe how much we have missed. Why didn't we ever think of traveling like this when we finished school? Well, at least why didn't I ever think of it.

The next day as I finished my breakfast and was about to get on the road the guesthouse staff were changing shifts. Today I need to reach the coastline. I don't know where yet but looking at the records it looks like Inhassoro will be fine. If not, it will be Vilanculos. From there on I will be spending my time sleeping on the white sandy beaches under the palm trees, swimming in the sea and eating the scrumptious seafood of the Indian Ocean.

This road and the rest of it until Beira is an important route since it stretches along a channel that links the inland parts of the country to the Indian Ocean. Mozambique, with its third longest coastline in Africa after Somalia and South Africa, has a significant part along the routes that link some inland countries to the rest of the world. These countries include Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and even the Democratic Republic of Congo. Especially during the racist regime in South Africa, these countries were seeking a door that opened to the rest of the world and Mozambique was it. This route, also referred to as the "Beira Corridor", is one of the most important routes that are doors which open to the rest of the world. Beira Corridor consists of a railroad and a pipe-line as well as the highway. It became a significant target for the Renamo's terrorist attacks in the second half of the 80's.

What is this Renamo, or the Mozambique National Resistance (Resistência Nacional Moçambicana) that organizes attacks on the important foreign revenue sources of the country? To answer this question, you need to have a look at the recent past of the country. Of course the information I will impart with here as real as the information I have scanned and filtered from the sources I had access to. Generally, the information obtained from various resources regarding the organizations involved in such activities in the political history of the countries is supported by those who sympathize one side, while being strongly criticized by those against them. I want to remind those who have an idea about the recent past of Mozambique and are reading these paragraphs that the truth of what I will write in here is limited to the objectivity of the sources I have access to. This is true for everything I have written so far, as well as everything I will be writing from now.

So! In Mozambique there is a Frelimo Party (Mozambican Liberation Front, Frente de Libertação de Moçambique) established in 1961; has ruled Mozambique since 1974 when the new reformist Portuguese government granted its African colonies their independence. When it adopted a pro-Soviet government style based Marxist principles, those who did not like this devised various plots against the government. One of the most significant plots to weaken the government was the establishment of anti-communist Renamo organization in the country. This organization was originally established with the support of the white minority government in Rhodesia in 1975, as a result of the worry that Mozambique would support ZANU which was an organization that they had trouble with. ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union) is a party established under the leadership of Robert Mugabe who is the president of Zimbabwe since 1980. If that was a little confusing let me explain again: ZANU was established by the black people whose mutual goal was to make theirs an independent country with the name Zimbabwe, and at the time, Rhodesia's white minority government, concerned that Mozambique would support and encourage ZANU party and shelter its members so efforts, began a mission to stir up and weaken Mozambique. With this purpose to create chaos in Mozambique Rhodesian government formed an anti-communist organization and named it Renamo. Later this organization gained support from both South Africa and the USA. South Africa, despite promising not to support Renamo and even signing an agreement to that effect, the racist regime secretly continued to provide financial and military support, up until a UN-negotiated peace agreement was signed between Mozambique and Renamo in 1992. Renamo nowadays is a political party in Mozambique and it is the second largest after Frelimo party who is still in power. So it is the leading opposition party.

Back to my travels. About 120 km into the drive after I left Chimoio construction work appeared and a little later our asphalt paved road with occasional dips turned into a dirt road. I waved at the Germans, as I was taking over their white station wagon Ford Escort that was on a slow cruise in front of me. Initially relatively smooth red dusty dirt road slowly began to deteriorate with bumps that first shook the car then gradually got even worse. So then it was my turn to slow down. Suddenly heard a thud under my feet. Then at the next pothole the dog began to nod. Guess what happened? Let's take all the answers! Of course those who don't follow the updates are all quiet. The more observant of you have got it right. Yes, that's right. The shock absorber broke! I put all my money to the back left shock absorber but when I pulled over and got out of the car I saw that I lost the bet. It was not the left but the right shock absorber at the back. I don't have any back shock absorbers left - new or used. We will just have to drive the Impala till Maputo. In the meantime the Germans caught up with and pulled over right behind me. Their evening destination is Vilanculos. They said they've heard good things about the Baobab Beach Camp. Same place is listed in my book as well. The prices look reasonable. We get back on the road to meet at Vilanculos.

I bounce away towards Vilanculos. I remember the circumcision celebration convoys in Izmir; their numbers increase exponentially especially in spring as many families choose to get their kids circumcised during that time. There would always be a convertible American car at the front; it carries the kid that will be circumcised. Usually this car would be an Impala; you know, the ones with the nodding dogs on the dashboard or at the back.


A large baobab and behind it a Mozambique village with its straw-hatched huts.

From Vilanculos onwards Mozambique's holiday haven begins. From here to the south the entire coastline is a holiday haven popular among especially South Africans who flock to the area to surf on the ferocious waves of the Indian Ocean; to sun-bathe on the white sandy beaches stretching as far as the eye can see, and to swim in the calm waters of the sand islands a few miles off the shore. The influx of tourists will begin soon as the schools will close for holidays soon.

It wasn't too difficult to find Baobab Beach Camp since it was loaded in my GPS. T4A's map has become even more detailed. The Germans don't have GPS so I am escorting them. The domestic roads of Vilanculos look like they haven't been repaired since the devastating flood in 2000. There are straw huts at the camp site which is set up in the grove by the beach.

I parked the car and went down to the reception-bar area to find out about the rates. It is forty dollars per night for the new huts and thirty-five in the old ones. When I heard these prices I had the image of a luxury hut form in my head. There has to be something about them. We shall see. The new ones are close to the beach and have shower and toilet in them. The old ones don't offer any of these "luxuries". The new models aren't available so they showed me one of the old ones. It was a round shaped straw-hatched hut, 5 meters in diameter. It has a straw roof also. It has a double bed; the ground is sandy and there is nothing else in the hut. There isn't even a nail on the wall to hang your clothes... Not to say you can fix a nail on the straw walls. I was wrong when I said "there is nothing else", there is a door. There is a door but no windows. You close the door and it's pitch black inside.

- No light?
- It's more authentic like this.
- So how am I going to see anything?
- There is a candle you can use.
- How about the breakfast?
- Breakfast?
- Hey buddy! Tell me what you are charging me 35 dollars for? Do you have a special program you offer? Belly dancer, etc?!

That was the last drop so I couldn't help myself but swear. He looked at me strange since he didn't understand a word of Turkish. I have come across many rip-offs in the tourism sector but I haven't seen this kind. I told him this as well but he didn't really seem to care, maybe heard the same thing too many times before. Fuming, I walked out of this "Take It or Leave It" Beach Camp and started to look for a reasonable place to stay at. Most of them are full. I suppose the South Africans were in a hurry to start their vacations; they flocked to the holiday destinations without even waiting for their kids to get their report cards. On the other hand, places that have vacancies snob you, let alone give you discount. All the tourism operators in Mozambique must have lost it. I resolve to sleep in the car. I make one last attempt and follow the "Samara" arrow pointing to the beach from the sand path. As if every arrow must point to a hotel, motel, etc. The path ends at a garden with a few houses. There is a restaurant on the beach side of the garden; Samara Restaurant. I can't just drive all the way to this place then turn around and leave without at least inquiring about it. I find the most senior waiter at the place and ask him: "Is this just a restaurant?" Yes, they say. I turn around to leave, and this guy came over and asked me if I was looking for a place to stay? I think he was the boss. One of the houses in the garden was vacant; he asked if I wanted it. Don't be misled when you hear me say "house". It is just a big room and a bathroom - toilet. But it's sparkling clean inside. Its floor is stone tiled. It has not only windows but also a lamp on each side of the double bed as well as a lamp on the ceiling. It is 35 Dollars, including breakfast. Well! It can't get better than this in a tourist rip-off haven. The owner family lives in one of the four houses in the garden. As far as I could understand the other three are used as time-share vacation houses. The mini-house I am staying at must be vacant these days.

In the evening I had the special Samara Salad. I think the prawns in the salad must have been hormone-fed. I have never had any prawns this big and tasty. I wonder if I have exceeded my daily cholesterol intake.

I woke up at five thirty the next morning. It was already daylight. Sea is smooth, no waves. I put on my trunks and headed to the beach. The water is cool, refreshing. I swam for a bit and then laid down on the beach and dozed off. When I woke up the sun was already quite strong. The front of my body was done just right so I rolled over to my stomach to bake the back. Breakfast was going to be ready at eight thirty. So I gathered my bearings and went straight to the shower. This kind of "luxury" holiday is quite enjoyable indeed.

Today I will stay in Vilanculos. I want to rest some, enjoy the sea and work on my updates. After breakfast I put on my trunks, grabbed my towel and book, and went to the beach. What the? The water has ebbed away. I just recently swam there and snoozed by the shore. It ebbed by about 100 meters. I wasn't expecting it to ebb in such short time though. Oh well, I will just have to lie down on the beach of the non-existing sea.


What you are looking at, there was sea only two hours ago.

After spending a whole day mostly lazing around and doing a little bit of work on my updates I indulged myself in a delicious seafood and wine feast. Tomorrow I am will get on the road towards my last stop before Maputo, the capital.

The road to the surf haven, Inhambane is about 310km long. I won't be needing my jerry-cans anymore so I begin to use the fuel in my jerry-cans. The fuel tank was nearly empty and now after emptying 3 cans of diesel fuel in it, it is completely full. I emptied most of the water in the water tank in an effort to reduce the weight of the car. With the fuel in the cans and water in the tank I have gotten rid of about 150 kilos of excess weight. This way, for the road to Maputo I was able to significantly reduce the load on the single shock absorber at the back. On the map this road is marked as asphalt paved and so it should be, since it's the most important connecting road in the country. But based on my past experience I have to assume that there might be parts of the road that are not asphalt paved or at least parts of the asphalt paved roads might have dips and holes which will be difficult to avoid. I need to protect my last shock absorber.


Vilanculos: Coconuts and the sea

A little later the asphalt paved road really came to an end. From this point on it is worse than it has ever been. Luckily there is no rain otherwise it would be impossible to drive on. I am driving on a dirt road that would create the kind of mud that the wheels would get stuck in with no chance to get out. The rain has changed the surface of the road so much that I frequently come across dips and bumps and I have to stop frequently and maneuver the car to avoid them. It is Sunday and there are convoys of South Africans are coming from the opposite direction heading for a vacation; their trailers behind them loaded with boats, jet-skis, bicycles or camping equipment.

Mozambique has suffered great many number of floods during its history because the country is relatively flat and not very high in altitude from the middle part of the country all the way to the Indian Ocean. Large rivers with high flows such as, first and most importantly, Zambezi River, as well as Save and Limpopo Rivers flow onto these large flat plains. Among these floods there is especially one that was probably the most devastating.

In February 2000 heavy rainfall caused a catastrophic flood in Mozambique. Flood turned into a devastating disaster, however, when Cyclone Eline hit the same area 22 February, 2000. Floodwaters peaked at an incredible 8 meters at places. More than 800 people died and 1.5 million people lost their homes. The death toll got even worse when many more died of hunger, thirst and malaria following the flood. United Nations was too slow to act despite the size of the disaster. Due to this delay, only 7 South African helicopters took part in the rescue operation where they picked up people from the rooftops and trees. The damage inflicted by the flood and the cyclone didn't end there. A significant part of the main highways and the railroads and most of the bridges were damaged beyond use. A quarter of the total agricultural land was damaged and about 80% of the cattle were lost.


Mozambique's EN1 highway. In a little while the quality of the road will deteriorate even more and be demoted to "impossible to drive through when it rains" class.

They are trying to reconstruct this infrastructure by the help of foreign aid. Even now the traces of the flood disaster can still be seen and for a long time to come they won't be erased.

- o -

I suppose I should stop here. There is a shared concern that my slowness is a product of the comfort zone I entered with my return to Istanbul. Buket and some friends brought this to my attention. I agree with their diagnosis and taking a break here. In the next update I will complete Mozambique part.
Stay safe...


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