Mozambique

Saturday 20th February 2016 – Today we decided to take a long walk along the beach to see what lies beyond Tofo. Along the way we met a couple of lads, Pedro and Lawrence who were waiting for the sea to calm down a bit so they could go spear fishing. They showed us their home-made spear gun, which is very simple; a piece of wood, a metal rod with a crude barb at the end and a trigger which releases the rod. A piece of catapult rubber provides the force to propel the spear. Lawrence demonstrated it in action and despite its simplicity it worked very effectively. As we walked along the beach we spied a troupe of monkeys playing on some shacks in the dunes above the beach and we went to investigate. Cresting the dunes we saw a number of large thatched huts spread over a large area; probably luxury holiday accommodation from days gone by. The area was very overgrown giving the area a slightly Lost World feel. We picked our way to one of the nearby huts and as we got closer saw a gate with a large red metal sign: peligro minas (danger mines). Very carefully we retraced our steps and returned to the safety of the beach. As we walked we came upon the rotting remains of a box fish, then a puffer fish. Crabs would scuttle into their holes in the sand as we approached. I tried to dig one out but like the mechanical digger in Fantastic Mr Fox I just wasn’t a match for the wily crab. As high tide approached the crabs began feeding in the surf far from their holes. Sensing my moment I tried to trap one but only ended up with a painful nip from an irate claw!

Sunday 21st February 2016 – In the morning we arranged with one of the fishermen at the market to rent his speargun and flippers the next day. We were to meet him at the market at 10am in the morning. The weather was overcast and we spent the day reading our books at the hostel.

Monday 22nd February 2016 – We woke early and went for a quick dip in the ocean. Later in the morning we bought a couple of freshly caught red fish and a large langoustine from a passing fisherman while we were sunbathing on the beach. Our plan was to barbequeue these for dinner. The spear fisherman never turned up at the market that morning. It seems the best way is sometimes just to do things yourself and not rely on anybody else. This is a lesson for future locales. Leaving Alysa to blog that afternoon I walked south along the beach towards Tofinio (we had walked north on Saturday). The weather had turned stormy and soon it was raining heavily, thunder echoing in the distance. Leaving Tofo beach the surf became stronger. On the next beach four fishermen were fishing with rudimentary rods. Glancing at their baskets it was clear they were having some success. I think that with the simplest of fishing equipment it would be quite possible to feed yourself here. After a quick dip in the surf I cut into the village of Tofinio, a popular destination with South Africans in holiday season. There a group of Mozambiquans were trying to push start their jeep. We pushed it up and down for about 20 minutes but the battery was absolutely dead. The next beach along was deserted, save for the hundreds of crabs feeding in the surf. Reprising my intended mantle of Aaron the Crab Catcher (not sure how good that sounds come to think of it) I chased the crabs and eventually found a technique to catch them. The idea is to cut them off from the sea and then block their escape whichever direction they take. After a couple of escape attempts they bring their claws up in defence at which point a gentle flip flop can hold them in place while you pick them up behind the claws. In the evening we had a lovely time cooking the fish on the braii. That night, in the early hours I woke up with a burning sensation on my face, specifically the ‘mask’ area around the eyes. Discarding my pillow which I feared may be the culprit I returned to an uneasy sleep.