We came to Mozambique for a few days of scuba diving in the Indian Ocean. Our previous dives on the far side of the Indian Ocean were in the Similans off of Thailand and the Maldives- both were spectacular. Unfortunately the diving was not the same caliber here but the trip was exciting anyway. The pavement ends at the So. African border- you clear out of So. Africa, drive 100 yards of dirt no man’s land then deal with the Mozambique customs who were very nice to us (though we have heard other stories). After customs you simply put it in 4WD and take-off though the deep sand dunes heading north and keeping the ocean on your right side. When driving in deep sand the key is to keep up your momentum and speed. This is interesting of course because if you come around a sharp curve and meet another 4WD heading in the opposite direction he also is trying to keep his momentum up.The result is sometimes wild split second decisions to pass each other on the wrong side, fly off into the scrub at the edge of the dune and hope your speed will carry you through as you bounce wildly out of the track and try to keep control of the truck.
After the thrilling ride to get here to Pont d Ouro Dee decided it did not matter how the diving was as the drive alone was worth the adventure.
Meeting the dive operator, a South African named Hilton was a treat- he told us about being jailed for years in So. Africa during apartheid and described a few of its horrors without any bitterness.
His best story though was about his time on this coast which he has been visiting since his youth. He remarked how bars in the US often have free bowls of peanuts or popcorn on the counter to enjoy while you drink. Here in Mozambique prawns (shrimp) used to be so plentiful that the bars had free bowls of them on the counter as snacks.
Rob