Day 8 in Mozambique

18 June 2011, Tofo

This was sadly our last full day in Mozambique.

While Neil went on an early morning dive I enjoyed a quiet morning sitting on the deck by the backpackers, drinking coffee with my book on my lap, watching the world go by. The young local boys were walking up and down the beach selling cashew nuts, bracelets and bags to any tourists passing by.

I didn’t realise how much time had passed by and when Neil returned I was still sitting on the deck glancing out to see and absorbing all the scenes for one last time.

In the afternoon when Neil went for his second dive, I decided to take a walk along the beach to Praia di Rocha and Tofinho.

I had to clamber down a high sand dune and over some sharp jagged rocks but I finally reached the bay of Tofinho after an hour or so. It was a beautiful small bay and I had the privilege of enjoying the quiet beauty all too myself.

I had read in a guidebook that there were caves in Tofinho. However, Neil had told me the story that these caves are not very pleasant as during the colonial period, to save bullets, victims were thrown into the cave to be drowned by the rising tide.

Quite a macabre thought and that is definitely the feeling you get when you stand on top of the Bucco di Assasinatos and realise it is narrow gully stretching out of the rocks and is barely 5 metres high.

The Frelimo Monument to Fallen Heroes rests on top of a hill overlooking the ocean close to the caves.  

Before I wandered back to Tofo I sat on the beach and read my book till I got distracted by a cute dog that came to befriend me. There were also two surfers that paddled out to catch some of the good waves at Tofinho Beach but I left them to enjoy the bay while I headed back.

Instead of walking back the way I came, I returned via a made up route behind the sand dunes that lead me threw the many holiday houses.

I stumbled upon Paradise Dunes and shortly thereafter I found Casa Barry and surprisingly, a road we had walked previously which lead down to Tofo. It took me about an hour to walk to Tofinho along the beach and only about 30 minutes back. Eish!

I then lay on the beach at Tofo and yes, you guessed it, read some more until Neil came back from his dive.

In the evening we took our last sunset walk along the beach towards Bamboozi and sat for a while on top of a sand dune watching the tide flow in and out.

After supper we strolled to Dino’s Bar as we heard they were having a Salsa night. However, when we arrived there was a wild party going on with American girls dancing on the bar. Not quite what we had in mind for our last night in Mozambique so we grabbed a beer and sat on the deck overlooking the ocean, admiring the full moonlight glistening on the ocean.

Even before I arrived in Mozambique, I knew I would love it and my time here proved to not disappoint my longing to visit this beautiful country.

My first morning back home, as I walked out the house, on my way back to work, I took one look at the dark, cold sky and I thought to myself, this is not right. I should be sitting outside our grass hut, listening to the ocean and feeling the warm sun on my body while drinking my morning coffee with my feet deep in the beach sand.

Time machine, take me back!