August 2011 - South Africa to Maputo Mozambique

After a last beautiful Yoga practice at the Southern Sea, a hectic pack- and wipe-up of the apartment we were finally off on our way. The drive through South Africa was a bit monotonous and stretched over 3 days, it’s a huge country, 1800 km! We stayed one night in Beau Fort West and another in Bethlehem in the Free State. Both times we camped and got cold. It is winter in South Africa and you feel it. The mountains were covered in snow and on our second night we needed to get another sleeping bag on top of the three blankets we were already using. In the morning the tent had frost from the inside, even our hoodies were frozen! Packing up the tent at 5am in the morning with socks on the hands with the temperature reaching minus 4 degrees does not really sound like an African journey but that’s what it is.

We decided to drive through Swaziland in order to cross into Mozambique. The Swazi border crossing was hassle free, no visa was required and the officials were nice. On the way out of South Africa the customs official asked for ‘sweets’, spontaneously we said we are diabetics and don’t do ‘sweets’ , he looked a bit confused but walked away. We had just avoided our first bribe!

Swaziland was an incredible surprise; although we just drove through we managed to get a good overview of the natural beauty and diversity of the country. The roads are in excellent condition and people respect traffic rules! Even the minibuses in the centre of the capital will give you priority! No mess and aggression like on Main Road Cape Town. The country is very clean and must make for amazing hiking.

Crossing into Mozambique was also really quick especially because we had the visas already in our passports. Officials asked for ‘soft drinks’ we offered water and they declined, second bribe avoided! We drove into Maputo at night. Not truly recommended, the roads are packed with people and cars, driving manners are more South African like than Swazi. We found the Backpackers fairly quick thanks to the GPS, an amazing invention by the way (Erik you were so right!). We were able to park Cruisi inside and sleep in the tent, which we preferred compared to a 10-bed dorm.

Maputo is a great city. Although unmistakably African, it has a distinctive Mediterranean touch with tropical vegetation lining the streets. The signs of the 2 decade long war still evident on the many demolished buildings and the pavements which are more hills of stones and dirt, however, in-between this mess there are many charming little corners and gardens which give the city its special touch. We walked for about 10km through the city from the Baxia, to the waterfront and the fish market. It is possible even if locals tell you otherwise. People are extremely kind and do not harass you in any way. Not one person asked us for money.

It is a bit awkward to accept this kindness of people; one cannot avoid to constantly having this back thought of others not being truly sincere, however, we had many cases in which people offered their help and did not expect anything in return. Walking at night through the city is fine; the streets are full of people, Mediterranean style. Coming from South Africa this is something one is not used to anymore. South Africa might have impregnated us in the end with a lot of fear and conservation something that definitely does not harm on a trip like this but nevertheless creates a bit of an obstacle in personal relations. Lets see if the rest of the country will be as welcoming as the capital. We are finally off towards the beaches of Mozambique!