I started the week hot, annoyed and exhausted after a 25 hour bus ride from Tete to Maputo. The bus dropped me on the edge of town at a little after 5am, after waiting for a minibus into town and seeing how full they were in rush hour (people hanging out of the doors), I decided to take a taxi. I met my new CouchSurfing host in the city, he collected me in his car, we dropped off my bags at his place and then we went to get breakfast. Luckily Thiago was kind and trusting enough to leave me sleeping in his house all afternoon while he was at work. In the evening we went out for a meal in a restaurant that is popular with CouchSurfers in the area. After about 30 mins, our group had grown from 3 people to 11 and everyone was having a good time. It was a really great evening and a great way to relax after such an awful journey.
I stayed with Thiago, another Brazilian Vale employee, for a few days and had a really good time. We went out to a restaurant each night and met up with some of his friends, they were all really friendly too and I am now quite excited about visiting Brazil, when ever I actually make it that far.
After staying with Thiago I left most of my luggage in his flat and stayed one night in a hostel in Maputo so that I could get the shuttle bus from there to Tofo. This bus was also a little crowded but at least I had a real seat. I booked a dorm in a nice lodge called Turtle Cove and was really pleasantly surprised when I arrived to find that it is pretty much a private twin room.
For the last few days I have been chilling out in Tofo, walking down to the beach and drinking in a small street bar. I’m hoping to snorkel with Manta Rays and Whale Sharks, but I need to do a little more research before choosing a company to go with. The only complication is that I don’t have any accommodation arranged from the 27th December and all the places here seem to be fully booked, but before that, I think I will be attending a hog roast for my Xmas meal, here in Turtle Cove.
Merry Xmas to those people who celebrate it!