Richard Stupart

Stare at a computer screen long enough and I swear your mind becomes a mass of white noise.  Which pretty accurately describes this evening – too many interesting links, blogs to follow up on and general clickery and I become an excitable puppy, unable to concentrate on anything long enough to really function. Blogging becomes an even harder task, as coaxing my thoughts into a structured story of any sort is akin to herding cats.  Which was why I went instead to go and rummage through the part of my cupboard where I store all of the goodies from past travels, to see if there is a story that I may have written previously on one of the various diaries I took with me to the places where the Internet has yet to arrive.
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I am a stats junkie when it comes to all things Internet.  Looking through the incoming links for this blog, it seems that a good few people came to the site looking up the various articles to do with backpacking through Mozambique – something that I have only spoken about from a personal point of view, or through talking about specific backpackers (if you don’t read the post, stay away form Fatima’s in Tofo – it is a dank hole).  It seems useful then, with the dust now having settled and hindsight being a bit clearer, to put together a list of useful things that I think you should bear in mind if you intend to go exploring Mozambique.

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Not quite a backpackers, so much as two sets of four-bed dorms behind the actual Pensao Pachina hostel – seemingly run as a sideline by the barman. Nevertheless, this spot makes for an acceptable (depending on your tolerance for accommodation standards) stop for a night when waiting to go onward north or south on the EN1, as you can crash here, walk to the ferry the next morning and get across to Maxixe in time to catch a bus or chapa onwards to your next destination. Read the rest of this entry »

Fatima’s Nest is a backpackers and camping spot situated right on Tofo’s main beach, and was a hive of activity during the period that we stayed there (over new years 2009). Unlike Fatima’s in Maputo (from which there is a shuttle for 600MTN), Fatima’s in Tofo is much larger, making for far less of an intimate, relaxed atmosphere.

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Next to Fatima’s Place, The Base is the other popular option for backpackers transiting through Maputo.  Unlike Fatima’s, The Base is located closer to the interesting part of town, making for much shorter walks to the areas with major sightseeing and cultural attractions – useful to bear in mind if you are intending to do some Maputo sightseeing during your time in the city. Read the rest of this entry »

Wandering aimlessly through the poor, occasionally nonexistent, lighting of Vilanculo’s brick city on Christmas night, I was trying to find an ATM to be able to draw enough money to return to Maputo the next day to meet friends who would be arriving there in a few days time. Revelers were spilling out of, or hovering loudly near the burnt orange light of dirty doorways – casual bars all, supporting Christmas night in the dust of the streets beyond. Read the rest of this entry »

After three weeks away, a bubble bath and soft bed were bliss. I have little doubt that the after-trip downers will start biting shortly, but the trip was well worth it and I am glad of the time, sweat and sense of humour that went into it. Read the rest of this entry »

Situated on the beachfront of Vilanculo, though recessed from the main beachfront road by a long driveway, Zombie is one of the nicest backpackers in Vilanculo, with a pool, double and dorm accommodation kept neat and clean (itself a luxury in much of Mozambique). A central bar and hangout area with book exchange and interesting groups moving through the place in the day makes a rainy day more entertaining than might otherwise be the case in the wet season. Managed (for the time that I was there) by Sabrina and Denis from Odyssey dive safaris on behalf of the owners, who had been away for a few months, it is well worth considering as a well-located option when backpacking through Vilanculo. By way of introduction from Sabrina and Denis and the daytime managers Ricardo and Narcisso, I met a wealth of interesting people and thoroughly enjoyed my time spent there. I cannot recommend the place highly enough for travellers passing through or spending some time in Vilanculo.

There are a lot added now - transcribed from a drty little schoolbook I bought in Vilanculo and have been recording thoughts in whenever I had free time in the last few days. There are typos – I know, and I will clean them out as soon as I have a sec – and it is a bit rough in places and the writing could use more polishing and blah blah blah. But life has been more for the living and less for the eloquent describing in the last few days, so the eloquent describing was put on hold. The others arrive in a few hours,  so I am off to meet them and will carry on using the grubby book in the days ahead – and the internet and this blog as soon as I am able.

And back in Maputo for a couple of days. Due to intermittent (non existent) internet and trouble with plug adaptors, I have not yet posted the last few days, but have them all written down in a grubby little schoolbook and will add them to the site tomorrow, with a bit of luck. So I apologise and will flagellate myself suitably at an appropriate time as penance.