14 days of sunburn and UV rays, prawn fests and magical sunsets?lol?wot wud any African adventure be like wifout the mention of sunsets, potholes and markets :)

dec ?05 and jan ?06 was a kinda d?j? vu of the summer before, where we had been on a road trip to zambia and zimbabwe. This time however, we were the same number of ppl in st lucia(bens it?s d st lucia along the coast of d Indian ocean?maybe d Caribbean next tym!) and the same number of cars, 15 ppl 3 cars. Tho we bid farewell to this group and joined another family in sodwana bay, bringing our total down to 12 ppl and 2 cars and increasing to 16ppl and 2 cars once we got to Mozambique?but enuf about numbers and stats.

St lucia, for those of u who haven?t been there, is this lil magical town along the coast that is hidden away at the end of a lush green forest of trees with pencil thin barks and tufts of greenery at the top. U can smell the freshness in the air, sprinkled with a slight saltiness from the nearby ocean and estuary. The road to st lucia is a haven of greenery dotted every few kilometers by locals displaying their wooden crafts. Huge animals carved outta wood, stand guard to the varying sizes of baobab trees woven intricately out of straw, on sale to passing tourists, or just there as a symbol of the beauty of the region.

The town itself is typical of all holiday towns, the 2hr boat ride down the estuary is a relaxing way to take in the scenery, away from the hustle and bustle of those on the main road in the town to those tanning on the endless stretch of sand along the water of taking advantage of the waves and blue waters. The main road is a buzz of activity, crawling with 4x4?s, eating houses, lodgings, street markets?where u can get the juiciest pineapples and mangoes, sarongs and sunglasses and even get your hair braided by one of the locals?amidst ppl who seriously need to consider watching the UV rays and getting a sunblock with a higher SPF!

Spent a relaxing night at a place with a view of the estuary, where we enjoyed a good braai and a refreshing swim in a pool that we had all to ourselves?cloud and star gazing while floating on your back, with the noise of kids splashing about subdued in the background.

Twas a lazy morning and a hot one at that. stopped in mtubatuba, where there were throngs of ppl shopping, coz it was the beginning of a new month and year. It was absolute and utter chaos with lines snaking around light poles and dirt bins on the pavements outside. Stocked up on water and medication for the friends we were meeting and after buying a few essentials?we had no place do any form of shopping d entire trip?but that story can be dedicated to a whole other email, thanx to Renault?NOT!!!...we continued on our journey to sodwana bay.

Sodwana Bay, very much like St Lucia, lies nestled at the end of a huge tunnel of trees and sand dunes. Was a very peaceful and serene drive and one of the things that made me really happy were all the 4x4s on the road-mud splattered, sporting AA issued ZA stickers, trailing boats, trailers, caravans, quad-bikes, jet skies and all other types of paraphernalia. Sends my imagination in a frenzy, thinking about all the adventures ppl can have and have had?pure bliss.
These are def my fav types of holidays, just packing the bare essentials, coupled with good company and music, getting into a car and driving. Stopping along the way to explore paths gone by un-noticed, having the flexibility to create your own stops, eating what the locals eat?the natural fruits of the earth?and living simply. Was telling a friend that I must have been sum kinda roaming, wandering wanderlust nomadic gypsy in sum past life :)

Went for a swim that afternoon. It was a bit of a trek down to the beach over sand dunes and lil pine needles?well that?s wot I think they were. Was worth the walk?the sight that greeted us was a stretch of ivory sand leading into turquoise waters, which crashed down in huge white waves on the shore.

That night we had a visit from a 12yr old kid wif downs syndrome. Was staying at the chalet next to us. He understood everything, but had a speech impediment. It was beautiful to see every1 communicate wif him. cudn?t sleep that night coz it was so bloomin hot?well that?s an understatement, trust me! Ended up getting frozen water bottles in the middle of the night and using them in the same way u?d use a hot water bottle?taking swigs of water occasionally, to try and bring us sum kinda relief.

The next morning we left for Mozambique via Swaziland?and for those of u who?ve watched lord of the rings, we stopped at this positively enormous dam on the way, that looked like sumthing from outta the movie.

Sums, thort bout u?coz wen we got 2 swaziland we needed to get some calendars to me fathers friend and we stopped at a set of crossroads?very much like the ?gaam? (village) we stopped at wen we got back from kariba, tho less populated. The tree was there, the cows and goats were there, the pool table was outside a bar and directly next 2 this was a salon in the middle of no-where?and guess wot?!?!?! Went to get my braids neatened up and me friend got part of his head braided?lol?can just imagine ur reaction if u had seen us?lol.

Mzwandile thort bout u as well, coz remembered that u mentioned u were coming back to swazi at the end of last yr?wud have been awesome 2 see u or even chat to u, but didn?t have a clue of how to get hold of u :(

Was just passing through Swaziland so didn?t spend a night there, instead we drove straight through to Mozambique and spent the night in Maputo.

Ahhh, wot can I say about Mozambique? It?s one hell of a bombed out country, u can still see the remnants of war, even tho it happened over 2 decades ago. Houses and buildings lay like empty shells. Hotels on the beaches are bombed out and haven?t been restored. The architecture is sumthing to write home about, very Portuguese and wif a hint of Spanish. It all adds to the character of the country?loved the place, coz it?s bursting with streets begging to be explored, where u can easily get lost and landmarks waiting to be captured in your mind or in paper.

There?s a serious lack of paint in the country. It?s not uncommon to find buildings that look like they?re ready to collapse on the outside, but splendidly done up on the inside. If u just apply a lil bit of imagination, u can picture the landscape in all its glory. Must make mention tho, that there seems to be an abundance of red paint coz everywhere u go, even as u move further away from Maputo into the rural areas, u see dwellings on the side of the road splashed in bright red paint, advertising none other than coca-cola!

Roads to Mozambique are excellent, though once in the country, u better watch out! The potholes are of titanic proportions. The mail & guardian ran an article on travel in Mozambique and commented on how each pothole probably has its own dial and zip code!!! As for traffic laws?wot?s that? wot they teach at the driving schools and wot happens on the roads are on extreme ends of the spectrum. It?s like driving wif your eye?s blindfolded and I?m sure that a blind person will manage on the roads much more than we wud, coz their senses are all that much sharper! And no trip to an African country is complete without a trip to the market?lol?market in Maputo was a bit uneventful, considering the markets we?ve visited in zambia.

Day after we got to Maputo we pilled up the cars and left for Bilene, coz the beaches there are much nicer to swim at. Maputo beaches are disgusting?just like the streets, where u see containers full of rubbish overflowing onto the streets. Not much in terms of hygiene.

Drive there was very tranquil. Sat at the back of the 4x4 on my own, along wif all our provisions?so I was able to take in the full magnitude of the sights and sounds of the country. Had the windows open, so have the fragrance of nature tickling my senses. Just add sum stars to that and u have a truly inspirational sensation.

U shud have seen the amount of food we had. U cud have sworn that we were moving into the house for a month! There was a cyclone that hit Mozambique the day b4 we got there and that had caused flooding further north from where we were, but thankfully the only consequence that affected us was the change in weather. We had 2 good days and we made good use of it at the beach.

We had driven to Xai Xai the one day, which is about 2 hours from Bilene. Weather was much better there and there was a huge reef where we went snorkeling. A truly magical experience. Was the first time that I had been snorkeling and it was breathtaking. We swam out about a 100m to the reef and then swam alongside it. Was in the water for 4 and a half hours at one go! It?s an entirely different world out there and the feeling that overcomes you wen u swimming wif the different specie of fish, is one of awe.

Twas a very humbling experience as well as one full of appreciation and thanks. Appreciation for having the opportunity to have such a remarkable experience and thanks to the Creator for creating everything around us.

Another magnificent sight that greeted us was the flight of 100?s and 1000?s of butterflies and dragonflies soaring from outta the ocean. And I say this coz that?s where it looked like they were coming from. They came from deep in the horizon and there was no land in that direction?one of the miracles of creation. Nature?s confetti :) it was something that we were to experience a few times over the next few days. Pictures like that can only be stored in your memory.
Once back in Bilene, we made good use of the 2 quad-bikes that we were loaned to us. Since Bilene is like one huge quad-bike circuit?we were in quad-bike heaven! We went zooming through the streets of Bilene, dodging potholes and pressing down on the gas when we went through puddles, so that we had mud sploshes all over us?but the best was def, soaring over hills in the rain. It was pelting down, felt like a gazillion needles puncturing holes through ur body and eyeballs. It was the feeling of becoming one with the forces of nature?sublime dudes and dudettes?sublime.

We also hired a boat for the day in Bilene and took it to the mouth of the sea, where we swam wif the fish for a while. As the waves broke u could see the fish swim and every now and again splash outta the water.

Oh my gosh?the prawns we ate, were scrumptious. Every morning a few ladies came to the house selling buckets upon buckets of fresh prawns. They wud then weigh out the amount u required, beheaded and de-veined them and after a kwik wash, they were ready to be marinated and grilled?was in prawn heaven. In Maputo went to a famous restaurant called costa da sol and we ate grilled prawns drenched and I mean drenched in butter!!!not good for ppl wif cholesterol?.but oh so yummy *smacks her lips*

The border experience on the Mozambique side was a zoo wen we came back to south africe. There were ppl waiting in long queues, and once u actually got inside the building, there was utter chaos, with ppl pushing and shoving in all directions. Sum1 had told us to stand in d one queue coz we were south African. Standing in that queue, looking at those fighting just to keep their heads above the crowds, was heart-wrenching. Still have d face of one of the guys etched in my memory?was one of pure pain and discomfort, with sweat running down him?scary, I tell u.

Once at the front of the line, the dude behind the desk sent us to stand in another queue, so we went through the same process as every1 else. Very humbling experience, especially since there were ppl that were clearly going thru the system in 2 minutes. Took us over an hour 2 get through the crowds, 2 get our passport stamped. Where we cud have complained, we didn?t. we stuck out the pushing and shoving, the jabbing of elbows in our ribs and having our toes stomped on. Appreciated being in this position, coz it gave me a chance to experience wot many ppl experience on a daily basis.

And patience is always rewarded?went through customs on the south African side in a flash?painless. Thus came to an end the second leg of my African adventure.