On Easter I went to Mozambique with Sue, one of my best friends here. We wanted to do it as simple and basic as possible, so we ended up getting bus tickets all the way to Maputo. 17 hours to Joburg, 8 hours to Maputo. It is a good way if you want to be economical, ecological and see about 30 different petrol stations along the way ( it turned out that the petrol stations are not that different after all).
Driving through Karoo desert in the middle of the night with thunder, lightnings and pouring rain was also an experience of its own, especially in a bus where the seats were so small you felt like you had dramatically become obese... not the most comfortable ride. But Sue and I made beautiful bracelets and anklets out of hemp meanwhile having yet another conversation about traveling, development, purpose of life, problems in the world, the usual small talk. Driving through the country also gives you a whole new view of the country as the landscape changes, you drive through little towns that you had never heard existed, and it gives you an idea that not all of South Africa is as busy as Cape Town or as touristy as the Garden Route for example. There are places where people live their ordinary lives and are used to the buses just driving through never stopping by. I wonder if I ever get to explore those places a bit more.
We got to Joburg around 6 in the morning on a sunday. We arrived at Park Station which is right in the middle of the centre. People usually refer to Joburg as the crime capital of the world, and the centre is certainly a no-go area, at least for white people.
But we were so tired from the bus ride that we just ended up walking in the centre anyway. How stupid was that. But it was fine, and we were just lucky. We walked around, saw people opening their little shops, starting to sell newspapers and bananas on the pavement and minibus taxis started to fill the streets. The only other white person I saw was my travel companion Sue.
When we got back from Mozambique we stretched our legs a little bit and as we walked at the exit of the bus station we got stopped by two security guards saying that we mustn't walk there, we would get robbed immediately. Where were they at 6 in the morning?
I guess two foreign young girls are crazy enough to do that, or just don't know the facts. I know we should not have done that. But I must say Joburg centre has a strangely nice feeling to it. It is a huge city. The centre seems to have lost the sense of time and stopped somewhere in the 60s. If only the centre could be upgraded and secured, it could be a beautiful cosmopolitan city.
Mozambique at first looked like South Africa, but as we drove closer to the coast to Maputo, it suddenly changed completely. Signs were in Portuguese, and Maputo just looked different to any other South African city I have seen. The pavements are covered with rubbish and dirt, and most of the houses would need some renovation. Maputo is a relatively peaceful city. It is a lot safer and people are very friendly. Sue speaks Portuguese and I could understand basics because of my Spanish so we were able to communicate with the locals. That gives a whole new perspective to traveling and deepends your experience.
Mozambique is doing well considering that it only gained independence recently. It is however very poor, and most people make a living through subsistence farming. We often bought our dinner from the streets where women were sitting at dark in the evenings, selling vegetables and fruit. In Mozambique you can also get the world's best cashew nuts that are being toasted and sold on the streets. Because Mozambique does not have a large industry many of the the products sold in supermarkets come from South Africa and are thus overpriced. We were often craving for chocolate but it was not easy to find. Cadbury chocolates were three times as expensive as in SA.
From Maputo we did, what most backpackers do, a trip to Inhambane. It is another 8 hours up north on the coast. It is a beautiful old town close to a beach called Tofo. Coconut palm trees are everywhere, at the beach the sand dunes continue where the waves stop. In the middle of all this are small villages, where people live and continue living in a sustainable way that makes you feel embarrassed of the materia surrounding your life. But life is still hard, the huts made out of palm leaves are fragile to wind and rain, and must be constantly looked after. It is not easy to make a living, many people go to Inhambane market to sell fruit, vegetables, nuts or bread to make a small living. I met this family in a village that was making these small table covers out of coconut and these lampshades out of coconut trees, very creative.
Malaria and other tropical diseases are a constant threat and rural areas often lack clinics. Yet the people I met during my short walk through some of the villages, seemed confident and relaxed. Mozambiqueans are a joyful nation, at least by the look of it. You hear laughing everywhere. Life is slow motion and simple.
I also think Mozambique is more African, in a traditional African meaning. Women wear African fabrics and are not as westernised. Instead of going to Pick n Pay people go to the market for their groceries. It also seems a way to socialise with one another and there is no hurry to buy your things.
We met this Mozambiquean family at the market, they had their own tailor shop. They invited us to stay with them for a night. It was really cool to get to see the how people live and talk with locals. They made us a beautiful Mozambiquean meal with fish and pap and we talked about Mozambique, Canada and Finland and world politics, and had a great evening. They were so polite and hospitable, the family of 10 children stayed in one room as we slept in the other room.
I hope we can visit them again sometime.
Overall Mozambique was a necessary break from studies and SA, as Stellenbosch sometimes makes you forget that you are in Africa. Mozambique is a country that needs a lot of your time though, it is not easy to try and see everything in a week. I hope I will be able to go there again and be able to slow down myself too.
