This & that....
We are just less than a month in and so far I can tell you the following….
Humans are kind beyond belief – from friends of my brother opening their home to us in Maputo and making us feel part of their family, to washing heaps of clothing and linen, to spoiling us with meals in their home and gorgeous seaside cafes. To suggesting places we must visit in Maputo and further afield, to helping with finding a new tablet for Sophia, to just going out of their way to help us and show us immense kindness and love. To Sharni, a complete stranger who saw us in a bit of an uncertain spot in some very random village and offered us to come and stay in their home!!!! This Eastern Cape family opened their home to us, feed us, took us out fishing and snorkelling on their boat and likewise helped us with anything we needed and embraced us as part of their family. They had never met us or had any connection to us but with wide open arms they helped us. We have been blown away by people’s immeasurable kindness and desire to help. Thank you special families x
Tofu Beach – This was highly recommended by our Maputo friends and we loved it! I think Tofu is usually packed with South African holiday makers, but this year with covid it was much quieter. (Which is what we prefer) We stayed at Fatima’s Campsite which was fine but with no other campers the campsite felt a bit lonely and desolate. But the various little beach cafes selling the best iced coffees, delicious peri peri chicken and freshly squeezed juices was a real treat. But the highlight for us was the beach which had THE most incredible swimming sea. I wish we had endured the desolate campsite and stayed for a little longer…
Emotions & Feelings – Some of you might be wondering what we are feeling so far…… in the first 10 days Dev asked me when we would emotionally and mentally tread from holiday-makers to travellers. In a way I think we currently have our one foot still “on holiday” but the other foot gently reaching out to travelling / “this is the new normal”. Life definitely is slowing down, and I can feel myself mentally not stressing so much. About a week ago we were panicking about where to next as Malawi land borders are closed and we were then considering if we should risk going up North Western Mozambique to get into Tanzania or else go to Zambia…. I can already feel us going more with the flow and letting each day take us where it needs to.
Josh has been missing our dogs a lot and has had a few days of big tears :( But being such a gregarious child, he finds friends wherever he is (even if they cant speak English!) and makes up elaborate games with a knife and coconut/other plant and he is loving the sea always being at our doorstep!
Sophia seems to be in her element. When I asked her what she has loved the most about this trip her reply was true to her nature…. “Mum, I love spending so much time with you and dad and us being a together all the time”. She finds time to play alone but mostly she loves just chatting and being with us or Josh. We have often found her playing her barbies (the kids were allowed one small daypack with toys in it) - at Tofu she had made an entire Barbies house in the back of the bakkie – with tea tins, mugs, pillows to boogie boards! Our kids have always been close, but already we can see this friendship growing even more close.
Dev and I are good. Actually more than good ….We love exploring and being exposed to all these new places. We love way out there towns and side street markets, we love sunsets and sunrises in gorgeous places, we love exploring towns seeped with history and abandoned churches/buildings. We are in our element.
With us travelling in the out of season times, we once again find ourselves in a gorgeous little 2 bedroomed chalet this time with green grass and trees, a pool and the sea 300 m away. All for less than R500 per night. Inhassoro is proving to be another win! There is apparently a cyclone hitting a little further south later this week so weather not looking ideal, but hopefully we will get a clear day to visit Paradise (Santa Carolina) island just off the mainland …..