Balancing act

Ato de equilíbrio.

I’m not sure whether this phrase translates well or not, but whatevs. As we trogged up the damp beach towards Tofo market we passed this woman walking with a bowl of fruit on her head.

We caught a lift with a driver called Alfeu, towards another of Mozambique’s tourist hubs, Vilankulo (amended from the colonial name of Vilanculos), further up the coast. Apart from some swerves when the driver was checking messages, the journey went relatively smoothly until we hit the deep sand of Vilankulo’s grid layout and had some fun deflating tyres and needing hordes of children to push. We made it to the lodge recommended to me by a mate in Maputo, and it did not disappoint with its friendly staff and beachfront location.

Although it was drizzling, to the bewilderment of the lodge staff, we strolled along the beach to explore the town. A more laidback location may be hard to find, with Tim trilling about parallels with the Caribbean. A power outage had been affecting the whole town for over a day and people moved around slowly in post-rain moistness. We were in need of coffee and menus teased creamy frappucinos but could not use any electronics to produce the goods. The stroll took us past a hotel with the best view in town, and its own generator. We enjoyed an hour with coffee and a peaceful garden overlooking the sea, and started to enjoy the relaxed pace of life in Vilankulo.