Mozambique - Part 5

The motorized, multicolored wooden dhow skipped over small turquoise swells as if attempting to fly. Our wannabe seaplane was bearing towards the Bazaruto Archipelago, a collection of lush, tropical, white sand islands spread 6 to 16 miles off of Mozambique’s southern coastline. Lonely Planet described the area as a “quintessential tropical paradise”, so my hopes were high.

We’d left Vilankulo at 7:45am, when the captain of the expedition declared the cool, cloudy weather acceptable for snorkeling. Wearing my heaviest coat atop my bathing suit, I sat shivering on the rough plank seat, trying not to think about how much money I’d paid to get in that cold water without even the warmth of a wetsuit.

(Above: I took off my jacket for the photo and tried to look warm.)

When the 15 year old driving the boat tenderly eased it into a rocky inlet, with a proficiency that belied his age, Liam, Gavin, myself, and the 2 Dutch guys on the trip, disembarked. Once having donned flippers, a mask, and a snorkel, I was the very last one from our group to summon enough willpower to inch myself into the sea. The chilly water wasn’t as clear as it could have been, but the abundance of pretty fish darting in and around the deeply creviced rocks, like neon clad 80s children playing hide and seek, sweetened the deal sufficiently. I saw a clownfish, an eel, a swordfish type fella, and a fire engine red, spiky starfish, but my favorite spotting was a bright, carroty colored school, each constituent boasting big, glossy, purple eyes.

I swam nonstop, kicking and paddling at a near frantic pace to keep warm. Several hours after we’d begun, my limbs ached, and Liam, Gavin and I climbed over several yards of flat, burgundy rock onto a sunny beach clearly ripped right from some poor sucker’s screen saver. Scuffing my feet through the toasty sand, I trailed my friends toward a lonely bay.

The paradisiacal environment had the effect of knocking 20 years off of our respective ages and we played like children; building dams, witch castles and canals, and then defending them from the eternally threatening incoming tide. Boys once again, Liam and Gavin had a violent sandball fight, and staying true to my 8-year-old self, I did not participate in that. Eventually, tired, hungry, and seriously needing another sunscreen application, we snorkeled our increasingly rosy selves back to the waiting boat.

Jigsaw puzzling our bread, tomatoes, green peppers, and hard boiled eggs into sandwich form, without the convenience of utensils or plates; we devoured our lunches and decided to take a walk. Slowly strolling the direction we hadn’t yet explored, the 5 of us softly tread along, stopping extensively to examine tide pools, pretty conch shells, and an incredibly massive whole hand sized sand dollar; surely the currency of some enormous whale. We were alone except for residents of the few, $300+ a night cottages (the only type of accommodation available on the archipelago). These 5 star tourists detracted only minimally from our sense of seclusion.

Many contented hours later, our boatman found us on a sand bar extending from the island like a curly tail on a dog. Liam hurried to help me spell out ‘MOZAMBIQUE’ with the shells I’d collected for the task before we climbed back into the waiting dhow. A torn and faded patchwork green sail unfurled downwards, nimbly searching for and finding the wind like a sunflower craning its face toward the sun. A stiff breeze kicked up and the loud running motor seemed unnecessary until we realized it was being used as rudder. The boat shored up onto the beach in Vilankulo, and 8 blissful hours since it’d begun, our excursion came to an end.

The 3 plates of saucy chicken and rice we nourished ourselves with later at a tiny, nameless restaurant run by a giggling, friendly, “mama” was 1000 times tastier than the dinner we’d eaten the previous night for the same price. After wolfing down our food, we all put our 2 cents into the choosing of a pineapple and it was a definite win. Back at the hostel, we shared it with Americo who was there practicing his English with another tourist, and after our sweet and sour dessert, our little friend pulled out parting gifts for each of us. Necklaces he’d crafted from various seeds and reeds were what he bestowed upon us, and after placing them around our necks and saying goodbye, Liam and I hid under our billowy mosquito nets whispering about what a perfect day it had been until we fell asleep.

Day 5 Budget

$1.36 eggs, bread, veggies

$42.86 snorkeling

$1.25 chocolate

$1.61 dinner

$0.36 pineapple

$10.00 dorm bed

$1.25 water

Total 58.69