During our last day on the beach, I signed up for a quad biking tour of the area with Stephie, Sabrina and Andrew. At 10 am the four of us met our tour guide, who gave us a brief description of how to operate the bikes. I have never ridden a quad bike before and was a bit nervous about stalling and being the worst driver, but after a few minutes practicing in the parking lot I got used to the shifting and acceleration and had no problems.

We cruised down the main road for a few hundred meters, then quickly turned off onto a dirt road lined with palm trees. The sun was warm on my skin and the wind blowing in my face as we zipped along. It was a great pace to see the area: we covered more ground than by walking, but went slow enough that we could see the houses and surroundings. The bikes are loud though and the two-stroke engines that they use are the worst from an environmental point of view.

We were mostly on dirt/sand roads that had some small hills. You could mostly travel along in third gear, but would have to watch out for the sandy bits at the base of the hills. Several times Andrew didn’t shift in time and stalled half way up. I did not stall at all, but had some difficulties with the steering and at one point didn’t turn early enough away from a car that was stalled in the road. I didn’t hit it, but had to reverse and go around correctly.

Whenever we passed a house or hut, people waved to us and the children came running up, wanting a high-five. It was great fun.

The area is very lush and full of palm trees. Our guide told us that each tree is owned by a specific person and everyone comes to harvest their own coconuts when they are ripe. I thought this was an interesting concept: instead of owning the land and planting whatever you want on it, here the land is shared and people only own the plants and trees. That means that someone could plant a low growing plant beneath someone else’s palm tree and benefit without needing their own space.

We cruised along the interior of the area then made our way to the coast. We stopped at a few points along the way to get some views of a lighthouse and the popular surfing beach. We were on a plateau above the beach, which offered wonderful views of the area below.

At one point we encountered a local guy who was selling freshly roasted cashews that he harvested from his own trees. They were the best cashews I’ve ever had. Stephie and I split a large bag.

Towards the end of the tour, we stopped at a tourist craft market for some water and to look around. I haggled hard for a pair of shorts while Stephie got a T-shirt and Sabrina purchased some fabric. Having been to so many different craft markets on this continent, I didn’t see too many novel souvenirs that I was interested in. The young boys selling everything were quite aggressive which was also a turn off. I quickly got out of there and went to the beach while Sabrina was finishing up.

We took a different way back to the lodge and had a bit more time on the road to see how fast we could go. I hit 45 km/hour for a moment, but mostly we went about 30-35.

Our last stop of the tour was at a resort situated high up on the hill where you could look out at the Limpopo river flowing into the Indian Ocean. The entire area was covered in mangrove forest and I really wished we had one more day for a kayaking tour of that area.

Our two hour tour lasted over three hours and we were all very happy with it when we got back. It was the second best thing I did (after the amazing snorkeling).

After lunch, I went down to the beach with some others and we took turns playing with some boogie boards that they rented. I caught a few waves and zipped to the shore, but the current was very strong and the waves were not breaking regularly, which made it very difficult. I think we were not at the right beach for that type of thing.

For the most part, the afternoon and evening was very relaxing but a bit sad since it was our last day at the beach. Before dinner we all gathered for drinks at the bar and had a great time discussing past and future adventures.

Monday was my birthday, but of course no one on the trip knew about it. I had mentioned it to Stephie but swore her to secrecy because I didn’t want it to be a big deal.

We awoke early once again and were on the road by 6:30 am. We had a long way to travel back south and our guide wanted to get to our destination by mid-afternoon.

I spent most of my birthday on a truck, sweating in the heat. It was not the most pleasant experience ever, but I recalled fond memories of birthdays past and that helped to pass the time.

Along the way we stopped at a local tourist market, our only opportunity to buy souvenirs. Many people went on a shopping spree, but I didn’t really see anything that caught my eye. I did, however, go to a wine shop and buy a few bottles for dinner.

The pre-departure guide I had received indicated that we would be spending that night and the next in Inhambane. We did pass through the village on our way, but we were all a bit surprised to discover that our lodging, the Palm Grove Lodge, was right next to the Barra Lodge where we had stayed at earlier! Barra lodge was advertised as being in Praia do Tofo, which made it sound like it was a different area completely. I think everyone was upset to learn that we would spend essentially 4 of 8 nights at the same beach, especially when that beach wasn’t the most beautiful one in the area.

However, we all made the most of it. After lunch, I went over to Barra lodge where there was internet access and had a quick chat with Jacob. Stephie and I also organized a quad bike tour for the following day.

There was an Afrikaans wedding on the beach, right at our resort that most of us watched in the late afternoon. Andrew, who is a tour agent living in Cape Town, told everyone it would be a great cultural experience to see, and I laughed at that knowing it would be like any Western wedding, just in a different language. And sure enough, I was correct. It was funny to see all of the guests dressed in white along with the bride though.

I started gathering people to the dinner table around 6 pm and announced that it was my birthday. I had purchased five bottles of wine that day and poured for everyone. Our guide, Tawanda, sang to me while giving me a long, sweaty hug. That part was a bit unpleasant. But once everyone gathered and had a drink in hand, they sang happy birthday in five languages! First there was English, then German, Italian, Dutch and finally Portuguese. It was interesting to discover that they were all to the same tune, except the Portuguese version, which was completely different. I got to start the line to get dinner and had a lovely time chatting with people.

Typically after eating, everyone would disperse back to their rooms very quickly, but this night everyone lingered and chatted for some hours. Stephie secretly ordered some dessert from the bar so I had trifle and some mini tarts. It was too much for me to eat so I shared with everyone else.

I also lucked out with rooms: I had agreed to share a room because the price was much less, but when the resort manager was showing us to our rooms he said that someone could take this single room. No one else spoke up, so I claimed it for myself. I enjoyed a queen bed with own shower for two nights.

It wasn’t the amazing climbing weekend in Vegas that Jacob and I had for my birthday last year, but overall it was nice.

I knew that the view from our campsite would offer a stunning sunrise so Stephie and I agreed to get up before dawn to be ready. Unfortunately, Stephie did not take into account her phone changing time during the night due to European daylight savings time so I was awoken at 3:45 am by her alarm. I dozed back to sleep, but it was restless at best. We were up at 5, which was just after first light.

As we waited on the beach for the sun to show itself above the horizon, more of our group came to join us. We watched a brilliant sunrise with several boats on the horizon and the clouds changing colors gradually. By 6 am the sun was fully up in the sky and we were having breakfast of omelets and fruit salad.

We were racing the tide that morning so we quickly broke camp, picked up our comrades at their post resort then headed off to Two mile reef. It was a two and a half hour boat ride out to the reef and since the sun was not too hot, I sat on a small wooden platform above the main deck. We knew that dugongs, or sea cows, inhabited the waters where we were heading but sadly we did not see any.

Our boat was the first to arrive at the reef and as the captain set anchor, I donned my mask and fins and plunged over board.

Two mile reef is often called the aquarium, and for good reason! The reef is a stunning collection of brilliantly colored corals in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Schools of fish were everywhere and no matter where you looked, you saw something new and amazing. It was the best snorkeling I’ve ever done. The visibility was really good and it wasn’t crowded with people. The only thing you had to watch out for was the coral: the entire area is protected as a national park and there are big fines if you are caught standing on the coral or breaking it. I could have snorkeled all day!

Surprisingly, when I looked up I noticed that most of our group were already back on the boat. I slowly made my way back to them and discovered that I was the last to board. I guess everyone else got bored more easily.

We then set off for Bazaruto Island where we were to have lunch. This island is half sand dune and half jungle, with many sandbars surrounding it. We had to approach in a very non-direct way to avoid beaching on the sandbars. You could easily tell the regions that were more shallow by the different color of water.

The captain set anchor off the coast and we waded ashore onto a sandy beach. I set off on my own to scale the largest sand dune and enjoyed a pleasant, quiet hour climbing up and running along the top of the dune. The run started off well, but as the sand became less packed, my feet sunk in and made travel difficult. The views from the top were epic and it was fun to race down the steep side taking huge leaping strides.

I made my way over to the other side of the island where lunch was to be served and joined the group for a short swim and snorkel before eating. I didn’t see much in the way of fish, but it was nice to be in the cool refreshing water. Lunch was served in the shade of a few trees on the beach and was the best calamari and fish stew I’ve ever had, again being prepared on the open fire on the boat. It was a piece of heaven.

After lunch we had an hour or so to explore, but by that time it was too hot to do much so I sat in the shade with a few others then we walked down to where the boat was moored. We waded to the boat and all boarded, heading back to the main land.

It was a long trip back to Smugglers and the main land, but we passed the time by playing a few memory games and eating popcorn.

We arrived back at camp in mid-afternoon and had some time for a swim, shower and short read before dinner.

After dinner a few of us arranged a ride into the village to go to a local bar. A common type of transport in the area is called a tuk tuk and it is a three-wheeled motorized car that can hold the driver and three passengers. Tuk tuks don’t go very fast but the roads are bumpy and there are no doors so you have to hold on tight.

It was a Sunday night and the Afro bar was not hopping! We were the only ones there except for the barman, the owner and two of his friends. It was a huge space, with indoor and outdoor seating and you could tell that it sees a lot of traffic on the weekend. We sat outside at a picnic table and had a few drinks, but it wasn’t quite the local experience we were hoping for since there were no locals to talk to! Everyone was exhausted after getting up before 5 so we left around 10:30 and headed back to our lodge.

These two days were the highlight of the trip and I have some wonderful memories I will cherish forever.

After the night at Smugglers, everyone on the tour had the option (for an extra fee) of joining an excursion to the Bazaruto Archipelago for two days. 14 of us joined, with only two people staying behind so they could go diving instead of snorkeling.

We left Vilanculos early in the morning, but instead of piling onto the truck, we piled onto a traditional boat, called a dhow. Before the advent of motors, these boats were propelled by sails, but now they all include a small engine to help on those days when the wind is low. Stephie and I sat in the prow of the ship, looking out over vast expanses of ocean and our island destination far in the distance. There was very little wind so the captain fired up the engine and we set off! I was actually quite glad for the engine since it makes for a much smoother ride (and is less motion-sickness-inducing) than the sail.

It was a two hour ride out to our first snorkeling area and the time passed by quickly with the wind in our faces and everyone eagerly searching for dolphins in the water. Our first stop was a rocky reef, on the edge of an island, where we spent an hour and a half snorkeling. The visibility was good and I saw many different types of fish (no pictures because I don’t have an underwater camera) and some giant clams! Snorkeling was really easy because of the strong current: you didn’t need fins and hardly had to kick, instead I just let the current sweep me along with the fish. It was really cool, but other people didn’t like getting swept along so quickly and they got out after just a few minutes. I loved it! It was especially great when our guide, Ashley, came up to where I was and pointed out fish and clams, giving them names I had not known. The reef itself was composed of rock which was very sharp so we wore booties on our feet instead of fins. The reef wasn’t very impressive, but the fish more than made up for it.

When I noticed that everyone else had stopped snorkeling, I walked ashore and joined the group for lunch. The cook actually made lunch over an open fire on the boat! I had seen the fire going and was wondering what he could make in such a confined space. I was so impressed when I discovered that lunch consisted of two salads, fresh barracuda steaks, and crab! The crab was very different from what I’ve had before: they were very small and didn’t have much meat to them, but what they did have was sweet and succulent! And for dessert we had fresh bananas that were just the right level or ripeness and perfectly sweet.

After lunch we had an hour of free time on the island so I went exploring. I set off down the beach and saw many crabs scurrying about. There were two different kinds: the sand crabs and the rock crabs. They both blended into their environment really well and were quite skittish as I approached. They were really fun to watch and I spent some time trying to get photos.

I curved around the edge of the island and caught up with Andrew and Jackie from my group. They were headed back to camp and told me I had half an hour left. I spied a sand dune in the near distance and wondered what the view would be from the top, so instead of heading back with them I plunged forward on my own.

The sand dune was only about 100 feet tall and I gained the summit rather quickly. From the top I could see all edges of the island (it’s not that big) and several other islands in the surrounding area. I knew I was short on time and since I could see our camp on the other side of the island, I decided to take an overland route instead of following the beach back.

The side of the sand dune that I had to descend was very steep but the sand was pretty hard packed and I enjoyed racing down and managing to not tumble head over heels. There was almost a trail to follow back, which I was very glad for since I was barefoot and the plants on the island all had thorns. I passed a few trees where dozens of egrets were roosting and talking to each other, their white bodies making such a contrast with the radiant greens of the foliage.

Soon enough I was back at camp where I surprised everyone by appearing from the opposite direction. I joked that I circumnavigated the island but everyone knew that would take too long so I described my overland route and made a few people jealous.

The tide had come in a lot while we were eating lunch and exploring and suddenly our beach was nearly non-existent! The captain and cook spent a few minutes hoisting the sail since the wind had come up, then we all boarded and set off, back to the main land.

We tried to sail for some time, but the wind was too weak and finally, the captain gave up and turned the motor back on. While we enjoyed the scenery and chatted about the fish we saw, the cook prepared tea and coffee for us! Then a huge bowl of popcorn was passed around and we gorged ourselves with an afternoon snack.

Due to the recent floods, we couldn’t camp on the island, so we headed back to the mainland, to a secluded beach that could only be reached by boat. We dropped off part of our group at a fancy lodge, then continued a kilometer down the shore to our camp. When I say “camp”, I use the term in the most broad sense. The place we stayed was a permanent campsite with our tents already pitched and sleeping pads and bags inside. There were flush toilets and even two showers with hot water! There was a building that contained the kitchen and an open air thatched hut with picnic table as our dining area. It was amazing.

I took a lovely shower then wandered along the beach before dinner. Tea and coffee was served before our meal of roasted chicken, salads and fresh fruit. As it got dark, a camp fire was started for us and we sat around it for several hours swapping stories and watching the stars.

I haven’t mentioned star gazing yet, but as you can imagine, it was amazing! There are no cities nearby and hardly any villages so the sky got so dark at night. The milky way lit up sky since the moon was new. At one point I saw five shooting stars in a span of ten minutes. And it was warm at night so it was nice to sit out and gaze upward.

Stephie and I decided to sleep outside since the tent was stuffy. The camp was situated on a slight hill, but we managed to find two small flat-ish spots and we bedded down to the sound of crickets and frogs and watched the stars until our eyes couldn’t stay open any more.

The next day I got up at 5:30 and packed up and was ready for breakfast at 6 am. Nomad has a saying that “it’s not a holiday; it’s an adventure!” and that is true. Although it was beach vacation, there was no sleeping in until mid-morning. When the sun rises at 5:30 and the temperature never dips below 75 F, it is quite hard to sleep very late, but 5:30 is a bit early, even for me.

We were on the road by 6:30, with 300 kms to travel up the coast. The truck we were traveling in was quite spacious, with 24 seats. Nearly everyone could have two seats to themselves, which was quite nice. Sadly though, it was a bit difficult to see out the front. Behind the driver in the truck’s cab, there was a window facing forward, but it was so high up, that you had to stand to see out of it. There were large side windows throughout which opened down, but with the blistering sun, we kept the windows closed to prevent sunburn. The down side was that it got very hot in the truck during the heat of the day.

After 7 hours of driving, with only one short stop and three police check points, we arrived in Vilanculos, which is a coastal town in the Inhambane Province. The place where we stayed, Smugglers Resort, was right on the beach again, but this beach was not as nice as the previous one: instead of being sandy, it was lined with sharp rocks and covered with garbage. A group of us walked down the beach a bit while lunch was being prepared, but we turned back after a while because it wasn’t very pleasant and it started to rain a bit.

Since the beach wasn’t a viable option for entertainment, a group of us walked into town after lunch for a look around.

Mozambique was a Portuguese colony until 1975. When it gained independence, the Mozambique government gave the Portuguese 24 hours to leave the country. They left by the deadline, but but burned many buildings in the process. The political factions vying for control plunged the country into civil war which lasted for 12 years. Mozambique is now one of the poorest countries in Africa and development has been very slow.

This was made clear during our walk through the village. There were very few new buildings and most of them were dilapidated and run down. There were no large stores at all, just small one-person operations with a lot of empty shelves. The market in town was quite large and had many stalls, but it was not the typical craft market that caters to tourists, like I was used to. This market was definitely for local people because most of the stalls sold every day goods like clothes, shoes, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. Since there wasn’t much at the market that a tourist would be interested in, our group headed out pretty quickly.

On the edge of the market, I stopped to buy some locally made bread to see what it was like. I got two rolls for $0.30 and shared them with the group. They were light and fluffy and still warm. Delicious!

We walked back to Smugglers a different way, which lead us down some dirt roads next to the ocean. It was a pleasant walk and was really nice to get a bit of exercise after so much sitting.

In the evening Stephie tried to get a group to go out to a local bar that she found, but the best she could do was convince four of us to go out to dinner. We went to a nice restaurant on the edge of town. It wasn’t exactly a local experience, but the calamari curry I had was really amazing and the Portuguese green wine was outstanding. There weren’t any taxis available to take us back so the owner of the restaurant drove us herself!

We had a full day at Barra Beach, our first full day on the ocean and everyone in the group was eager to take advantage of where we were. One of the major attractions of the area is swimming with whale sharks, which are the largest sharks in the world and are vegetarian so there’s no danger to humans. The lodge we were staying at offered a two hour ocean safari in which you go out on a pontoon boat, looking for whale sharks (in the winter they look for blue whales). I booked a place for myself then took a walk along the beach to pass the morning.

At 11 am, I covered my body in sunscreen, took a motion sickness pill and met the group at the dive center, next to our lodge. We helped launch the pontoon boat into the water and all jumped aboard awkwardly. And off we went!

The pontoon boat was not exactly comfortable to sit on: everyone sat on top of the pontoon, with our feet in straps on the floor and holding onto a rope behind us. We all got a bit damp from the spray of the boat but our spirits were high and everyone was on the lookout for whale sharks.

We saw four dolphins skimming the surface a few hundred feet away and hoped they would come closer, but they had other plans.

The sun was warm on our faces and we watched the coast line recede. After awhile we saw another pontoon boat out, looking for the same thing.

After an hour of no luck, we were all getting a bit disappointed. Finally, our guide decided that we wouldn’t see anything so we turned toward the small reef to do a bit of snorkeling.

I was feeling good until the boat stopped moving forward and was at the mercy of the waves. I instantly felt seasick! I put on my snorkeling mask and fins as quickly as possible and jumped into the water, hoping that would help. Being in the water helped, but I didn’t feel great.

The visibility wasn’t great because the waves stirred up the sandy bottom, but I saw a few interesting fish, none of which I could name. I swam along with the current for awhile and was having a good time. Then I looked back at the boat and realized that nearly everyone was already back on the boat! I thought perhaps the time went by faster than I realized, but when I got back I discovered that only 15 minutes had passed.

After the slightly disappointing snorkeling, we headed back to shore. Our ocean safari was a bit of a bust, but it was still an enjoyable time.

When we got back to the lodge, we enjoyed a delicious hot lunch made by our cook, Vincent, which included flavored rice, stew and fresh fruit.

In the afternoon, I went for a swim at the pool then did some reading. Towards evening I took another walk along the beach and watched the sun set. Before dinner, I joined a few fellow travelers for a cocktail at the bar.

David and Hella are two newly retired people who live in Germany. Hella grew up in Namibia and David in England. When their only son was 10, they took a year off of work and traveled around the world. Since then, they have traveled extensively and are now looking forward to longer trips and more adventures.

Joanna and Marianne are both from the Netherlands and have grown children. They’ve been friends for a long time and for the past 7 years, they have left their husbands at home to go on trips together.

Kath and Beckie are friends from England, in their mid to late 30s and only recently started traveling together. Beckie has taken several overland trips with the company we are with, Nomad, and has seen a lot of Africa.

Remo and Fredericka are from the Italian part of Switzerland. They have been married for three years and are at the end of a 5 month long, round-the-world trip.

Over cocktails and dinner, we swapped travel stories and brief life histories. It was nice getting to know other like-minded people.

The lodge is on the beach and there are a few other resorts nearby, but nothing resembling a village or a place to go in the evening, so after dinner and chatting for a bit, everyone headed to their own rooms for the night.

After a hectic day getting my visa and doing final preparations for my trip, Jessica dropped me off at the Gautrain station, which I took to the airport. I had a nice dinner at the airport and waited for my departure.

It’s only a one hour flight from Jo’burg to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique and the time went by very quickly.

Upon arrival I learned why I had to get my visa in advance: there were four custom officials checking people in at some desks and none of them had the means to process a visa on the spot. I’m glad I dodged that bullet!

My taxi driver was waiting for me and we were off in just a few minutes.

Even though it was 8:30 pm, the streets of Maputo were crowded with pedestrians and cars. We inched along for over 45 minutes, just trying to make it out of the city. Since it was dark I couldn’t get a good sense of what Maputo was like other than hot and sweaty. It was nice to see so many people mingling on the streets though, since in South Africa most people retreat indoors since it gets dark.

We finally made it through the city and were driving on the highway for a long time. The traffic thinned out and there were no street lights. Then we came to a foggy section. I had been in the taxi for well over an hour when I realized I was a woman along with a stranger in a car, heading down a foggy, dark highway at 10 pm. It sounded like the start of a horror movie!

Luckily, I arrived safely at my destination, Casa Lisa, where I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The room I was shown to was bare bones, but it was just for the night so it didn’t matter. As I was getting ready for bed, the lights suddenly went out! I thought they had lost power so I just went to sleep, but I was told in the morning that the owner shuts off the power at night but no one informed me of that!

In the morning I met two other women who were getting picked up for the same tour: Sabrina, a 20 year old from Switzerland who came to South Africa to learn English and was then traveling around, and Sonya, a 70+ year old from Sweden who had worked in Mozambique 23 years ago. We ate breakfast together then lingered over coffee for awhile.

We were supposed to get picked up around 11 am, so I packed up my few things then sat outside, sweating and reading. Then I waited. And waited. And waited.

Noon passed, then 1 pm.

I was starting to get a bit nervous that the tour had forgotten us when the truck finally arrived at 1:45.

After doing some quick introductions to the other 14 people on the tour, we all piled in and set off.

That’s when I discovered that the others had stopped for lunch on the way to pick us up and were not planning to stop for several hours! Even though I was supposed to get lunch that day, I didn’t. Luckily I had some snacks for myself and there were some apples and cookies that people shared, but it wasn’t exactly the grand start I was hoping for.

We had 500 km (310 miles) to go after I got picked up and the “highways” in Mozambique are narrow and full of pot holes. And since we were in a large truck we could only go 80 km/hour max. We were in the truck for nearly 8 hours that day. I thought that was bad, until I realized that the other people had already been on the truck for 7 hours before they picked us up! They were in Swaziland that morning and crossed the border then came through the Maputo traffic to reach us.  15 hours on a truck is not fun, no matter how many people you have to talk to or how comfortable it is.

I met my fellow travelers that day and discovered that most of them were from Europe. There were 4 people from Switzerland, 3 Germans, 1 Austrian, 3 Brits, and one Canadian. They all seemed nice and well traveled. I talked to a few of them while going along, but many of them also took naps or listened to music.

We finally reached our destination, the Barra Lodge at Praia do Barra, around 9:30 pm. It was too late for the cook to prepare dinner so after dropping our bags in our rooms, we met at the restaurant and ordered dinner. The pizza I had was decent, but nothing on the menu was exactly local or traditional. Everyone dispersed to bed quickly after dinner, except for me, Sabrina and Steffie (a 30 year old from Berlin). We headed down to the ocean and had a mid-night swim. It was super dark and the waves were quite big so we didn’t go too far out, but the water was nice and refreshing after the long, hot drive.

I had signed up for a camping tour and thought that everyone else on the trip was also camping, so it came as a surprise to find that some people had paid for an entirely accommodated tour. There were some older people on the trip so I could understand that they didn’t want to camp. But then I found out that because of the recent floods in Mozambique that most of the campsites typically used were under water! Those of us who signed up for camping were actually upgraded to rooms in lodges for most of the nights. The others on the tour had started in Jo’burg and spent a few days in Swaziland before picking me up and they camped those nights. They were also going through Kruger and the Blyde River Canyon on the way back (after I departed) and they were camping there and got their fill of tents. I really lucked out since I paid a lot less than the accommodated version and got nearly all the same amenities!

At Barra Lodge, I was in a basic chalet that had two bedrooms, a bathroom, small kitchen and a sitting area with two twin beds. I shared with Sabrina but since I had my own room it was nearly like having my own place.

The first day had not been the most exciting, but we were spending the entire next day at Barra and I looked forward to my first real Mozambique adventures then.

I had an amazing trip to Mozambique last week, which I will write more about later, but here are some photos (with captions!) to look at now.

https://plus.google.com/photos/115644650404072729236/albums/5998854074536700497?authkey=CIqt3OzPhKnWEQ

On the last day in Bloemhof I booked a week’s holiday in Mozambique with a tour group. The trip logistics were all planned out and I just needed to get to a lodge outside of Maputo on the evening of March 25. I booked plane tickets that day (free with points on my credit card) and organized transport from the airport.

On Friday afternoon I got a call from the travel agent asking if I had gotten my visa to Mozambique already. I had read online that it was not necessary to get it in advance and told the travel agent so. She replied that on-arrival visas were becoming more difficult to get and that I should check with the embassy just in case. I called the embassy on Monday morning (since Friday was a holiday) and they said that yes, indeed, I needed to get it in advance but that it could be processed the same day. I downloaded and filled out the form and got everything together.

I had a big meeting on Monday morning that lasted much longer than expected so I only got to the embassy at 1 pm. I was told that I was too late that day! Visa applications were only accepted from 8 am to noon each day! I would have to return the next day.

Of course, my flight to Mozambique departed the next day but I was assured that I could get the visa at 2:30 pm and my flight wasn’t until 7 pm, so that should be enough time.

I also needed to get anti-malaria medicine. I asked at the equivalent of CVS and was told I needed to get a prescription. With no local doctor, I was unsure of how to solve this problem until Jessica suggested that I ask at the chemist. There’s one next to the office and in just a few minutes I was set (the day before my trip).

After dropping Jessica off at work on Tuesday, I headed back to the embassy to put in my application. I handed in the paperwork and was told that I needed to go to an FNB bank and deposit R750 ($70) into their account. The nearest FNB bank was 6 km away, with heavy morning traffic. Once I made the deposit, I had to return to the embassy to drop off the deposit slip as proof of payment. Then I had to wait until 2:30 pm to pick it up.

I tried to keep my anxiety level to a minimum but it was difficult because not only was I waiting for the visa, I was also waiting to borrow a sleeping bag from Suzy and she forgot to bring it Monday and Tuesday morning!

I went back to the Mozambique embassy at 2:30 and picked up my passport with the freshly assigned visa. What a sign of relief that was!

Suzy had her husband drop off the sleeping bag at the office just as I was leaving to go to the train so that worked out as well, but just barely.

It was nail-biting at times, but it all worked out at the last minute. I caught the train I wanted to, got to the airport on time, had a decent dinner there and waited for my one-hour flight.