"Time and Tides in Mozambique" The Weekend Australian, June 2012
-
Upload
matthew-crompton -
Category
Documents
-
view
223 -
download
0
Transcript of "Time and Tides in Mozambique" The Weekend Australian, June 2012
-
7/31/2019 "Time and Tides in Mozambique" The Weekend Australian, June 2012
1/1
TRAVEL & INDULGENCE 5THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, JUNE 9-10, 2012www.theaustralian.com.au
Time andtides inMozambiqueIn thrall to music andmagicalunderwater experiences
MATTHEWCROMPTON
MOZAMBIQUE
TANZANIA
ZIMBABWE
SWAZILAND
SOUTH
AFRICA
Tofo Beach
BeiraIN DIA N
OCEAN
Pemba
Maputo
AbeachsceneinMozambique,whichboasts2000kmofsun-drenchedcoastline
MATTHEWCROMPTON
{ JOURNEYS:THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY }
THE first thing I notice aboutMozambique is the rhythm tropical and infectious, a quicktwo-step that sets your hips inmotion, head bobbingslightlylikeapalmtree swayingin thebreeze.
It moves you with a flavourwholly its own, African influenceswed to Portuguese, Arabic to Ind-ian.The2000kmofsun-drenchedcoastlinedrawsyouinlikeadance.
Ithinkofallthisat3amasabovethe throbbing bass of the music,Abduljuggles polyrhythmsonthedjembe. I have been dancing forhours at Fatimas Nest, a beach-side bar in the southern Mozam-bica n t own of Tofo ; the sky isbeginning to grey in the east butthepartyshowsnosignsofending.
Themusicon thesoundsystem
is an excellent progressive houseandAbdul,aslimcigarbalancedinthe corner of his mouth, is seatedon the edge of the packed dancefloor with his large African drum,beating out a d elirio us cadencethathaspeoplegoingcrazy.
I play in clubs all over theworld, man, he t ells me as I si tbeside him late r, my feet a lmostraw from dancing barefoot on therough stone floor. In Africa, Ger-many,Brazil. . .hereinTofoisstillthe best. Its all about people feel-ing me drumming, me feelingthem dancing. Here people arereally about the music, not justaboutthescene.
Exhausted, I walk 1km back tomy beach chalet up the wide,deserted sands at dawn, roselight ribboning the sky, feeling asif I have discovered somethingtrulyspecial.
A pattern emerges across aweekhere daylight hoursswim-ming and snorkelling with whalesharksin theturquoiseoceanand,whendarkness falls, dancinglike amaniac to great music in bars up
anddownthebeach.Much as I hate to leave, therhythmmovesme fromTofobackto the capital, Maputo, and then atwo-hour flight to the provincialcentre of Pemba in the far north,where the view from the hill sopensonto thecalmwatersof thelargestnaturalbayin Africa.
AsIdescendthelongslopeintothe 40ha Pemba Dive & BushCamp justsouthof Pemba,its notjust date palms and coast al man-groves along the way but drysavanna grasses and thorn trees.Stately baobabs stand like enor-mous sentries guarding fire-coloured waters as the sun setsoverthebeach.
We intended the bush campnot just asa resort but as a wilder-ness preserve, owner BrendaFranck tells me next morning atherhomeintheramblinggrounds.Weve got about 170 bird species,15kindsof reptiles,monkeys,civetcats,gazelles. . .andwetrytoworkwith the local community to edu-cate them about wildlife conser-vation not slashing and burn-
ing,oroverfishingthe reefs.Sarah Clever, who runs cater-
ing for the camp, later tells me,For a lot of Africans the bushmeanstrulywildcountry,andthat[canbe]areallyspiritualthing,thisoriginalwilderness.We tryto helppeopleheretoexperiencethat.
Around sunset, I take a guidednature walk around the groundswithFrancks son Kai.He explainsthe various eco-systems wetraverse and their animals and
medicinalplants.Theresa beguil-ing smell emanating from theearth warm and sweet and dry and I can feel the days t rappedheat on my bare feet. I lived thefirst 14 years of my life in SouthAfrica, says Kai, but its only upherethatreallyfeelslikehome.
I ts easy to settle into thelanguidtempobutImalsocuriousabout what lies offshore, particu-larly on the nearby islands of theQuirimbasArchipelago.
The triangular sails of leaf-shaped dhows a style appro-priated from Arab traderscenturiesagodotthehorizoninthe evening light as I make thecrossing from Tandanhangueport, four long hours down abumpydirt roadf romPemba.
As my boat approaches theislandof Ibo,the capitalof the400islesoftheQuirimbas,throughthemangroves, I can see the crum-blingcolonial edifices of Ibo town,its ancient Portuguese churchstanding like a vision out of timeacrossthe bay.
An hour later I head out frommy guesthouse into the dusk fordinner at the primitive islandkitchenof PanelaAfricana, whereFrench owner and long-time Iboresident Stephane Cade servesexcellent seared whitefish in amustard marinade with the Afri-can staple of manioc and groundpeanutsknownas matapa.
Originallyit wasthewaterthatdrew me here, Cade tells me.I loved everything about it:the boats, the scuba diving, beingonthe sea.AndwhenI discoveredtheotherislandstropical,whitesand, coconut palms, l ike alittle Maldives I was com-pletely hooked.
NextmorningImupatdawntocatch a dhow across the bay. Mydestination is the dive site known
only as the Shipwreck; here acargo ship sunk in the early 20thcentury lies partially exposed atlow tide, the palm-fringed andlargelydesertedislandof Matemostanding in brilliantly clear shal-lowsacrossthebay.
Therustingbowand sternlooksinister at first but wreckage, sit-tinginaslittleas1mofwater,islikean underwater playground, a vib-rant garden of live healthy coralsand thousands and thousands ofgorgeous fish, from thumbnail-sized clownfish to schools ofdeepwater species the size ofhouse cats chasing each otherdownthecurrent.
Hugeschoolsoftinyfeeder-fishtickle my body as I swim. I amsmiling so much, I keep gettingwaterin my mouth.
That night, happily tired andsunburned, seated at the bar inCades kitchen, I mention howdramatically the landscape of theQuirimbas seems to change withthe tides, huge sandbanks in thebaybeing hiddenand revealed,thedhows mooring far offshore to
prevent being grounded, childrensplashing in the shallows past theruins of the old Portuguese fort,where earl ier ther e had beendeep water.
Thats life here in the Quir-imbas, he shrugs. We must doeverythingwiththetide.Tofish,tomakea voyage,to dive,wegowiththe tide. Thats the first thing youlearn here: that the tide is reallytheultimaterhythmof life. pembadivecamp.com
{ A LITTLE FLIGHT READING }
PlayingHouseAmyChoi(TransitLounge,$29.95)
AMYChoihascontributedtheoccasionalessayandcolumntooursectionandatfirstitseems
rathera pitythisbookdoesntconcentratemoreonherrichlyobservedtravel experiencesandlessongivingherpartnerScottaprettyhardtimeastheytrotaroundEuropeandEgypt.ButoncethereaderclickswithChoiandgetsto gripswithherfrequentspikiness,thebookworkswellenoughas arovingnarrative,withplentyof insightintoherrelationship,thearrivalof twodaughtersand,especially,asojournin HongKongandMacauinwhich thisAsian-Australianauthorre-evaluates herheritageandher familyrelationships.
ALEXANDRAJAMES
LeRoadTripVivianSwift(Bloomsbury,$27.99)
SUBTITLEDATravellers JournalofLoveandFrance,thisgood-lookingvolumeis anillustrateddiaryof VivianSwifts wanderingsaroundthelandoffoiegrasandfashion.Itis not,sheadmits,abookwith alot of reallyusefulinformationbutshe doessprinkletraveltips amidherwhimsicalwatercolours.US-based Swiftis aone-timeFabergeexpertatChristies,sothereis plentyofcoverageof Frenchartand design,plusmusingsonfoodandevenbathtubs.Its encouragingto seesuchalovelyjournalemergeaspublisherscuttheirlistsandfocusone-books.Thisisa page-by-pagedelightthatwouldmakeagoodgiftforanyFrancophile.
SUSANKUROSAWA
Love Northern TerritoryOur Service Promise Expert advice every time
Top3experiencesinthenorthernterritory1.Enjoyaglass ofsparkling
wine while watching the
sunset over Uluru
2.Admire breathtakingscenery on a guidedclimb
ofKingsCanyon
3.Take inafamousDarwinsunset ona harbour cruise
exp
no
1. njoyawine whsunset
2. Admirescenery
fKing
3.Take inunset
David Reyne - acclaimed travel presenter and writer
*Conditionsapply.Valid forsale9 -22 June2012 oruntil soldout.Validfor traveluntil21 December2012(someblockoutdatesand seasonalsurchargesapply).Prices areper persontwinshareunless otherwisestated&are inAustralianDollars.Prices &conditionscurrentat timeofprinting &subjectto changewithoutnotice.Airfaresnotincluded.Transfersnotincludedunlessspecified.Freenightsincluded intotal stayif applicable.Voucherandcreditsare perroom unlessotherwisestated.#Subjectto availability. $25National ParkEntryfee perpersonpayable direct.Otherroom typesmaybe available,askyourTravelAgent fordetails.Surchargeof 1.4%applies forpaymentsby creditcard.AccommodationStarRating Categories:AAATourismratedaccommodationSelf-ratedaccommodation half rating. Sunlover Holidays is operated by Sunlover Holidays Pty Ltd, an AOT Group Company. ABN 24 113 463 415 T/A License No. QLD 3095715. WAUS_1205132
SAVE 53%
$239*per persontwin share
VOYAGES OUTBACK PIONEERAYERS ROCK
2 NIGHTS in a Standard Room
Delicious cooked breakfast daily
Return transfers from Ayers Rock Airport
$495*per persontwin share
3 NIGHT DARWIN ESCAPE 3 NIGHTS in a Standard Room atNovotel Darwin Atrium
Afternoon City Sights Tour including BotanicalGardens, East Point Military Precinct, Stokes HillWharf and the Mooring Basin
HARVEY WORLD TRAVEL
132 757
TRAVELSCENE AMERICAN EXPRESS
13 TRAVEL
STA TRAVEL
134 782
TRAVELWORLD
13 14 35
TRAVELLERS CHOICE
1300 78 78 58
JETSET TRAVEL
1300 538 738
For these and other great Northern Territory deals
contact your favourite Licensed Travel Agent or
13 88 33 www.sunloverholidays.com.au
SAVE 28%
$1,019*per persontwin share
THE GHAN RAIL JOURNEY 3 NIGHTSDARWIN TO ALICE SPRINGS
1 NIGHT in a Superior Room at Holiday InnEsplanade Darwin
1 NIGHT onboard The Ghan in Red Service
FREE upgrade to Gold Service
1 NIGHT in a Garden View Room atCrowne Plaza Alice Springs
FREE upgrade to a Mountain View Room
3 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 dinner
ALICE SPRINGS
3 Night Alice Explorer 3 NIGHTS in a Standard Room atAll Seasons Alice Springs Oasis
Includes 1FREE night Alice Springs City Sights Tour
SAVE 25%
$199*
TOURING
3 Day Kakadu and Arnhem Land TourAustralian Pacific Touring
FREE upgrade from Standard toStandard Exclusive accommodation
2 NIGHTS at Kakadu National ParkYellow Water Cruise and Eas t Alligator River Cruis e 1 breakfast,3 lunches and 1 dinnerDarwin to Darwin
SAVE 15%
$999*
3 Day Rock and Kings Canyon TourAustralian Pacific Touring
FREE upgrade from Standard toExclusive accommodation
1 NIGHT at Ayers Rock Resort 1 NIGHT at Kings Canyon Wilderness Lodge Kings Canyon rim walk and Kantju Gorge, Kata Tjuta(Olgas), Uluru sunrise and sunset viewing
1 breakfast and 1 dinnerAlice Springs to Alice Springs
SAVE 11%
$1,119*
AYERS ROCK PERPERSON TWINSHARE
Voyages Emu Walk Apartments 2 NIGHTS in a 1 Bedroom Apartment Delicious cooked breakfast daily
SAVE 47%
$299*
Voyages Desert Gardens Hotel 2 NIGHTS in a Standard Room
Delicious cooked breakfast daily
SAVE 47%
$299*
Voyages Sails In The Desert 2 NIGHTS in a Standard Room Delicious cooked breakfast daily
SAVE 42%
$319*ADD TOURS PERADULT
Uluru Base and Sunset Drinks TourAustralian Pacific Touring
Guided Uluru base tour, wine and canaps
FREE Uluru Sunrise and Kata Tjuta Tour
SAVE 50%
$119*
Desert Awakenings Voyages Half day 4WD tour including sunrise viewing ofUluru and Kata Tjuta
$159*
Sounds of Silence Dinner Voyages Gourmet buffet BBQ with selected beverages Star talk and star gazing
$169*
DARWIN PERPERSON TWINSHARE
Skycity Darwin 1 NIGHT in a Lagoon Room Darwins only 5 star beachside resort
$149*
Travelodge Mirambeena Resort Darwin 2 NIGHTS in a Guest Room Set amidst tropical gardens in the centre of Darwin
$245*
Vibe Hotel Darwin 2 NIGHTS in a Guest Room Situated on the iconic Darwin city waterfront
$299*
KATHERINE
2 Night Katherine Experience 2 NIGHTS in a Standard Room atAll Seasons Katherine
Delicious cooked breakfast daily Guaranteed late check-out of2pm
FREE upgrade to Deluxe Room# 4 hour Timeless Land Three Gorge Cruise
SAVE 25%
$245*
KINGS CANYON
Kings Canyon Resort 1 NIGHT in a Standard Room
Delicious cooked breakfast $50 fuel credit or resort credit per night
SAVE 21%
$149*
PERPERSON TWINSHARE
Hurry, sale ends 22 June!
SAVE 18%
$649*per persontwin share
2 DAY STANDARD KAKADU,ART SITES AND WILDLIFE TOURAUSTRALIAN PACIFIC TOURING
1 NIGHT at Kakadu National Park
Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre,East Alligator River Cruise, Yellow Water Cruise,Nourlangie and Ubirr Rock art sites
2 lunches
FREE Litchfield National Park Day Tour
Darwin to Darwin