Magical Mocambique part 2

Yes, yes 2 updates in one day is unheard of!! We are in Pemba, my first foray into an Internet Cafe and it doesn't even do coffee!!! This bushcat needs to become a beach kitten, so this update will be brief, also because this keyboard is doing my head in!!

Anyway, beach beach beach then moved into bush bush bush. From Inhassoro we went inland to Gorongosa and am very glad we did. Like the rest of the country, it has so much potential. The floodplains were impressive, as were the fever tree forests. It just needs some infrastructure for tourists and  instead of the fancy booking system put in some hides and picnic spots. Oh and some road signs would help too. If they want to say "no entry" a "stop" sign doesn't do it for me, so we ended up doing a lot of turning around. But my overall impression of Gorongosa is "I'd like to go back"

Next night after Gorongosa as you've probably already read was great. Headed for Caia and went to see if we cound camp at M'phungwe, James White's chalets. Nope, not at all. I played the Rebecca trump card: "she's little and can't go on much longer. etc.." Anyway Nelson called JW, who duly arrived and the next thing we are setting up camp in his back yard next to his sawmill.

The ferry over the ZAmbezi was something else. It's funny how only at ferry stops and in big towns do we come across begging. Everywhere else everyone is busy smousing stuff which I much prefer.

I spent the ferry trip sitting in the car, watching the car being sprayed with cattle poo from the truck next door. 2 of them had fallen over and were being trampled. Aish! Maybe the bridge will be ready in 2010, maybe not!

While we have seen some bad roads, I think that they have generally been very good. Sorry Andor, no real potholes yet. Our Zambian trip yielded far more.
Food is really easy to come by as is diesel. We've only had to resort to road side sellers once. Luckily bread rools are found all over as are some scrummy little doughnuts, 1MTS each. We have been having them with our morning coffee. Johan, very handy pressie thanks!

Anyway enough keping you up to date. You'll have to wait for the next exciting instalment covering Ilha da Mocambique and Pemba itself. Oh OK. Let's do it quickly. Ilha is amazing. Camp Casuarina was handy and good even if the locals do use the sea as their toilet. I can't really see why anyone still lives on Ilha. It seems to be slowly fading away. The highlight that day for Kingsley Holgate and his entourage was meeting us as we walked off the causeway on our way back to the camp. We gave him a couple of tips for his trip back home and he did likewise, what a nice chap he was too!!!

Ilha to Pemba was an easy hop. Kingsley recommended Jardim's bush camp and that is where w\e are staying. Brenda the owner is great and has shown us, esp BW some really interesting things.

Anyway, my coffee awaits.