This trip was initially meant to be a group travel but it ended up being a trip for 4 *thank goodness*. For me, a trip for four meant that it would be a peaceful, quiet road trip and everyone’s needs would be easily catered for. At 4am on a Friday morning, we did our intro’s, packed our bags in the car and we were up and ready to go.
On the road
The roadtrip started out quietly, we listened to the radio until sunrise. It was only after the sunrise that the conversations begun. The 3 people I was travelling with were no stranger to Mozambique. They shared their experiences and promised it would be awesome, they just warned me to brace myself for heat and humidity. All three of them watched me pack a bomber jacket because I insisted.
Seven hours later we were at the border gate.
The Moz Sun
We left dressed for the 4am morning in South Africa and arrived to Mozambique sun around 11am. At least I was warned about the heat, two things I noticed in Mozambique as we drove in:
- The people are hard core hustlers, everyone was selling something. From insurance to beer to sarongs and sandals. They were always in Your face ready to sell something, and it was uncomfortable.
- Moz is red. Vodacom and 2M were visible at every corner from the border gate until we got to Bilene. I recognised the Vodacom brand and I was very curious to find out what 2M was beacuse they made sure You would noticed it.
Home Away From Home
We finally arrived at our destination just before the sunset, the San Martinho Beach Club
The first sign of a bougee area is… Palm trees. They were everywhere and it added a nice touch to the place. We spent a few minutes exploring the place and the menu before we settled into our home away from home. Apparently the Sandbar & Lounge Café (restuarant within the beach club) was not always there. It was later built when they noticed that people would cross over to the other side of the lagoon or go to town to get food and drinks. There was clearly a market so they build the area for their residents.
The Sandbar & Lounge Café offered beautiful views that you could get lost in for hours.
The First Supper
Earlier in the day I was asked to check if there was vegetarian food before we settled and I saw three options I could work with. I went for the unexpected, a vegetarian curry. It was either that or a Margarita pizza or toasted cheese and tomato sandwich and chips. So, vege curry it was. The orders arrived, except for mine. I had to wait an extra 35 minutes or so and what was served was horrendous. A soup in a fish shaped bowl and rice on the side. When we inquired, they said that was their version of a curry.
The soup didn’t leave much to be desired. Luckily I packed little vegetarian food packs that saved the night. I knew at that moment I might have to settle for chips because it’s the most accessible food item on any menu.
After that we went back to the house for chats and drinks and then we retired for the day.
Day 2
The Beach Walk
I asked my man to wake me up in time for the sunrise and “You were sleeping so peacefully. I couldn’t wake You up” happened so I woke up when the sun was up. We walked out on our beach front balcony and the beautiful breeze made up for not seeing the first sunrise there and we went for a walk. There was so much activity very early in the morning, You could’ve sworn it was 12 noon already. The loudest activity was the group of ladies next door from our house discussing who’s cooking on the day. They all wore matching pajama’s and it reminded me of this trip. I digress, we took a stroll and stopped at every building we spotted.
The building that appealed to us the most was the public pool. It had a slippery slide that was high and we wondered where it led to. The view from the top of the slide was gorgeous. When we reached the edge of the lagoon, we turned back and headed to the house to prepare for day 2.
San Martinho Hotel
So, the San Martinho Beach Club has two sides to it. The beach houses and the hotel, we moved from the house to the hotel. The word hotel gives me the picture of 7 floors and an elevator. Their hotel was fancy looking one bedroom chalets with a shower. Included in the package was an exclusive pool, easy access to the lagoon, the restaurant and breakfast.
The pool and the patio was one of the highlights of the trip. We had our own mini party with the hotel music and our drinks. We also met interesting people. I randomly said “Hey guys, welcome to my YouTube channel,” and one of our neighbors overheard me say that. He asked me if I’m a Youtuber and I said yes. “OMG this is the first time I’m meeting a Youtuber, I’m so excited”. Everyone laughed. Then there a was couple from Moz that also came to join us briefly and they were generous with their drinks. We had our own but they insisted that one day when they came to SA we would spoil them cause they spoiled us.
We dressed up and prepared for the second supper *cue dramatic music*
The Second Supper
I came to supper already expecting the worst, my guy suggested that we build the supper together from what was available on the menu and taaadaa, I had a meal I enjoyed and finished. We built a pizza that was done exactly how we asked them to make it. I was excited about food again and now that the stomachs were lined, the throats were open, and it was time to party…
The Night Life
Before we hit the club we went to the street not far from where we stayed that looked vibey. We walked from one party joint to the next until we witnessed a few boys spinning their bikes on the streets. You know how guys usually show off and measure their “bigness” with their cars. It was the case with the quad bikes there. The big bikes made the most noise and caused the most dust. The locals also praised the big bikes more.
Then we were off to the club, I was ready for a Moz party; a night out with plenty of Portuguese music and ready to learn new dance moves. My Love, did we not dance to Amapiano the whole night?? I sat down expecting a change of music and nothing! The first sign that this would happen was the security guard at the door singing one of my favourite Yano’s songs “Sponono” word for word. This genre, Amapiano, is really taking over the world. And in true South African style, guess which song had us call it a night… Sister Betina. In the meantime!
Day 3
My man finally woke me up to view the sunrise, cela nithi hooray! It was such a lovely treat. It was cold but it was worth it. I’m a sucker for sunrises and sunsets and this was definitely one for the books.
The Coconut Bar and the Drinks (When in Moz)
We decided to give another place a chance with the food, as You can tell by now, my vegetarian diet was a challenge. But we were hopeful there was variety. We went to a place called the Coconut Bar and we ordered the infamous 2M (remember when I said the town was red, this was the other brand that was visible everywhere). 2M is the local beer, 2 Mac-Mahon, it had a familiar taste. When I was told SAB produced it, it made sense.
As for the food? I was okay with this I guess, we adapt and we move.
The Lagoon
The lagoon was warmer than the pool and quiet shallow. We walked far into the water and it was still by the knees. It was also interesting to watch how the hustle continued. From selling the quad bike rides to selling accessories made from grass.
We played in the water for a while until we wanted to cross over to the other side but it was becoming very windy very fast and we opted to leave that for the next day. The rest of the time meant quality time.
Day 4
This was the pack up and go day but we had one more thing to do, tour Maputo. After breakfast we loaded the car and off we went.
Maputo Tour
Maputo was a 2-3 hours drive, as with South Africa it was interesting to see shift between the rural areas and the city. It reminded me of Cape Town. The beach front hotels in town looked exactly like the ones in Cape Town, think Dolphin Beach. We saw the Samora Machel Statue and then we went to the fish market, we walked in and we were hustled at every corner. I was curious about the place, and if I still ate fish it would’ve been paradise. It’s literally a buy and braai set up.
The market was another interesting place, it reminded me of the Rosebank market back in the day. This was the perfect spot to buy souvenirs and affordable hair. Town looked like Jozi; the fabric stores, the street vendors. All of it looked familiar, I found a few souvenirs and it was time to drive out.
The Last Word
Personally, I dislike holidays with a full itenary. The holidays that You need holidays from because You are exhausted, so this was perfect for me. The only thing missing was the boat or jet ski to the beach side. The guy who was meant to take us there didn’t pitch. Other than that I had a blast; well rested and I got to see this country I’ve been meaning to experience. The company I was with was perfect, we hardly ever used the speaker or felt the need to.
One thing I would advise, research the place beforehand. I’m a freestyler but I know people who have a checklist they would love to fulfill. Also, traveling with smaller cars is less of a hassle. Smaller as in, a SUV rather than an taxi type car. Also, Moz is very humid. I experienced breakouts on the second day, luckily I had treatment to soothe the irritation.
What’s next on the bucket list? We don’t announce, we just go! Lol!
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