Mozambique

From Malawi the road took us into Mozambique, a five day journey that was every bit as character building as the jaunt across Tanzania. You may have read about the crab juice incident. There is also the "15 rancid dried fish vendors piling into the aisle" incident, the "night of 100 degree F/100% humidity stuck in a hotel room with no window" incident and the "bus ride next to a preteen mother with a terrifying eye infection/breastfeeding on Brent's arm" incident and what will inevitably be a favorite trip story, the "moment we thought we were being shot at and jumped over a table to save our lives from nothing" incident. But these were all just aspects of overland bus travel in Africa and do not reflect on what is ultimately an amazing country. It was in Mozambique where we were taken in by an expat Brazilian family for a night in a gesture that Kori and I will not forget. We did not see another westerner in our five day journey to the coast. This added to the feeling that we were as far out there as we could get. Once on the coast, we enjoyed seaside Mozambican life for a few days; bought and cooked our own cuttlefish (calamari) and prawns. I learned how to clean a cuttlefish after multiple failed attempts of getting splattered with squid ink. I also learned that I would make a lousy surgeon. As I was slicing away, the ink sac would inevitably explode, covering my hands and spraying onto my face. Kori would just look up from her book and say "I hope you're hungry because I am not touching that". This phrase seems to find its way into the kitchen most nights we choose to cook like the locals.

We have tons of stories about our time there that may be best told later. Mozambique is a haunting place, both beautiful and mysterious...the kind of place that stands among many of the other countries we visited.

The Mozambique crest, as well as their flag, bears an assault rifle.

Fishermen selling their catch

Women 'noodling' (hand fishing) at high tide

Pufferfish caught in a net

Boys taking their catch to market

Salt, the dog

Drying cowhides

Mozambican countryside, near the border of Zimbabwe

Scene from inland town on journey

Fish Market


Our adopted Mozambique dog, Salt. He lived under a boat on the shore and would get up right before the tide came in and visited our tent. Remus seemed jealous.


A look back at the coastline