Kosi to Swazi and then Maputo

The morning we left Lala something or others lodge we started walking into town and away from the Mozi border. We were depressed that we came all this way for nothing, and the Swedes were depressed because they hadn't eaten breakfast. A small pick up came by and we squeezed into it, later it stopped to pick up a woman selling bananas. That was really great, because now we could eat bananas. The town was already bustling when we got there, and after trying to communicate in broken English where the taxi rank was, we were on our way. Lucky for us it was outside of a gas station that sold more than bananas, and had a restroom. We talked to the kombi driver and he said, sort of, that we could only go so far with him. I cannot remember for sure, but I believe he took us from Kosi Bay area (the town name is Emangusi) to Jozini which is were the dam is, and then up N2 to Golela. Here he let us out at the deserted border station and drove away. It was early on Sunday morning and not a lot was happening, but we were really hopping that we could find another kombi on the other side. This border post was pretty run down. The roads were dirt, the shops did not have much and the women's bathroom was boarded up. The passport check people stared at us, I do not think that they had seen 5 white backpackers crossing their border on foot.

Here we made some decisions. It was still early, and Mozi was not far, so we decided to save Swazi for another trip and try our hardest to make it to Maputo. We got a kombi at another rank, and they spoke even less English. This made it a lot harder to communicate the urgency that we felt about leaving. A kombi can fit 15 people, but usually in rural areas it does not have 15 people who are all going to the same place. In these cases it can leave when it has 5 passengers. Since there were 5 of us we filled up the Kombi's quite nicely. However, the taxi drivers goal is to get 15 people so we argued with him about the wait. Since it was quite hot by this time, and the other passengers were ready to go as well, we only waited a half hour more or so. Most of Swazi is a blur now. I do not remember were we changed taxi's or what happened when. I remember just bits of the day, and some conversations, and that's about it.

We went up from Golela to Nsoko and then to Big Bend, then to Siteki. I think we changed kombi's here. Then on to Mlawula and then Lomahasha. Here we argued again with the driver. He wanted to wait for more passengers, we wanted to continue. After we had gotten out to get into a cab (as in a car that uses a phone and costs more money) he promised we could leave right away. Lomahasha is the border check point on the Swazi side, but the Mozi name is Namaacha. Since we could not pronounce Lomahasha, and Namaacha is in another country, we could not really blame the drivers for being confused.

It was maybe around noon when we got to the border check point and the grandeur of it was a welcome relief. There was air con and hard wood counters, bathrooms that worked, and people who spoke perfect English. We were really glad that they did, because when they told us that there were no kombi's (or Chapa's in Portuguese) waiting on the other side of the border, they had to say it four times to make it make sense. That was some really realy bad news for us. The guard was really helpful, and convinced us that it was not the end of the world, and that we could get a lift safely on this side of the border if we were patient. That was when the Panthera Azul bus pulled in. It was a nice bit of irony because we did not take the Panthera Azul bus, which picks up and drops off in Durban, because it only runs on Sun, Tues, Fri, and we were leaving on Saturday. We had planned to take it back to Durb's however, and it was nice to see that it was a real bus, complete with air con and seats for every passenger.

That turned out to be a problem this time. Every seat was taken and we were not aloud to stand in the aisle, so we were not aloud to ride on the bus. We must have looked so sad because the guard really set out to convince us that a ride would work out soon. We should just take a minuet to get some food and then rest in the shade. The Swedes thought this was a great idea and we headed away from the border check points air conditioned office to one of the stands just outside. They didn't have much to offer on a Sunday, and there were only 2. When we came back through on Tues. We noticed that the border was quite a lot busyier. I wondered off, thinking that if I ate another bread product on the road I might just die. I stared at the ground, then at the road, begged God for mercy, and that was when the most beautiful thing happened.

A large white pick up with a full cab started pulling into the border check. The drivers name was Emile and he said that when I saw him my eyes were the size of saucers, and I looked like I might break into a panic. I waived him down and asked him, in the most pitiful way, if he had room for 5. I had to ask him twice because when he said yes so readily I was sure he had misunderstood what I had said. He said that he would be glad to take all 5 of us into Maputo, and that he could not accept any money. Just through your bags in the back. Par smiled so widely when I told him that we had a secure ride, and he smiled even bigger when he saw the shiny new truck. We felt so lucky, and so happy.

On the way to Maputo we say just how rural the area was. The first Chapa that we passes was maybe a twenty minuet drive from the border. Emile was a South African dealing in the scrap metal business. He worked in Mozi during the week and weekended in Durbs. He was just heading back to his place when we ran into him. Since drinking and driving seems to be just a minor law, and Emile was built like a rugby player; Johann bought he, Emile, and Par a lovely Mozi draft for the road. The beer in Mozi is much better in ZA, and the bonds of friendship were cemented. Emile asked where we were planning on staying, and we had to tell him that we had canceled our backpackers because we were not sure that we were going to make it to Mozi at all, he got a little bit worried. We told him we had a map to the backpackers and that we knew of another if the first was full. He told us that we were welcome to stay at his place, because it was quite large and his roommates were not home.

Emile was the best part of Mozambique. His house was gorgeous, and it was indeed quite large. It was right 0n the beach. The Indian Ocean was so unbelievable. It was actually almost hot. The waves were small, and it was incredibly salty so we were very buoyant. The beach was safe, even at night, and we all went for a swim before dinner. Emile took us to a Maputo favorite. It was a pizza joint, with more of the great Mozi beer. He also introduced us to the traditional Mozi night cap. It is a shot of a strong liquor called 1920 followed by a shot of espresso. Only the espresso you drink more slowly. Although it made the espresso taste quite nice, I do not believe that this will be my favorite night cap. The next day we went to dinner again, this time at Costa Del Sol which is one of the oldest restaurants in Maputo. I had an amazing fish kebob. I also tried cane liquor. Par said that in Sweden it is famous and that it was quite nice. It tastes like vodka a little, only more highly distilled. It almost evaporates on your tongue. Emile ordered me a coke to go with it which made it a whole lot better. The next day Emile gave us a lift to the bus station, and after they sorted the bus out for half the morning, we finally left for Durbs.

Mozambique is by far the most amazing place that I have been thus far. It is beautiful, and safe, and they have a wonderful Latin culture. The ocean was quite nice and the prawns were as big as your hand. We may not be able to get back to Mozi before June, but I am really going to try to go back soon. The more I learn about it, the more it realize how much we did not see. Just north of Maputo there are the loveliest beaches and marine life, and a wonderful rural culture. And then even more north you have the borders of Malawi and Tanzania (where the Maasai live). It was an incredible adventure, and I am so glad that everything happened as it did.