Mozambique Part 2 - Pria do Tofo

The police checkpoints and Maputo traffic set us way behind so we had to push from Marracuene to Inhambane and Tofo in a single 12 hour push. The main highway EN1 exceeded my expectations - it was as good as any road in South Africa, complete with shoulders, paint and signage. Just one problem: it passes through every one-pony town along the way (because the national highway is the ONLY highway and paved road in the country) so you have to slow down to 60km/h at every town and the police are waiting at each one. So despite the 'highway' speed limit of 100km/h, our actual average speed was 50km/h. It takes a long time to get anywhere here.

We finally made it to the Indian Ocean. The clean beaches stretch for kilometers and are nearly deserted. We spent hours walking along the beach into town stopping to pick shells as we went or dive into the ocean to cool off. Tofo, and the adjacent beach in Tofinho, is a popular tourist and diving spot so there are plenty of bars and hostels and kids selling necklaces on the beach. Some of the children are smaller than James, haggling for any sale or trade directly with our impressed kids.

You can buy veggies and coconuts and bread in the market at mzungu or tourist prices. We settled in a campsite down the beach and away from the action. We spent 4 nights here, meeting all kinds of interesting people. The kids attached themselves to an energetic New Zealand obstetrician and his wife, who couldn't help but 'talk shop' with Nicola when he learned she was a nurse. The weather was glorious and we would be awake by 5am (everybody else is) and spend whole mornings making sandcastles completely alone on the beach. We learned quickly to get out of the sun by 11am - it would burn the skin off your shoulders, no exceptions. 

On one of these mornings I awoke early and looked across the tent to Nicola, already sitting up. She gestured to something, so slowly I fumbled around for my glasses and when my eyes focused, there perched on top of Elizabeth's slightly bent knee was the biggest scorpion I have even seen; Elizabeth was still asleep. I dashed out of the tent in my underwear, waved politely at the confused Kiwi woman standing with a coffee in her hand, grabbed any container I could find and dashed back to scoop up the bug just as Elizabeth opened her eyes. Good morning little one!