Farewell Mozambique

It was our last day in Mozambique, it started in the granite hills of Cuamba in the same way many others had, a 4AM chapa, mind you this one didn't even leave town until 7AM. The road was particularly bad, dirt, mud and potholes for the duration of the 200 clicks. At around midday we hit the border town of Mandimba.

The doors of the van opened and we were free game, about 20 people on us instantly. Money changers, refresco sellers, food vendors, taxi riders all shouting at us louder than the guy next to them so that we could hear about their superior product or service. After 8 hours in the cramped minivan apparently a minute to stretch your legs isn't part of the package and Jess and I just had to make do.

As the tax riders fought over our packs we tried to get our head around changing Meticash into Kwacha. I had a vague knowledge from an outdated Lonely Planet that a USD is worth around 140K and I knew it was also worth about 30Mets but with the locals yapping at us bugger me if I could work out the X factor of Met to Kwacha. They insisted it was 195 so we went with it and despite some attempts from them to confuse us with bad English we only got slighted a couple of dollars. We then looked around and saw our packs were being guarded by two guys sitting on their bicycles gesturing us to get on. I glanced at Jess, we both shrugged - when in Rome.

It was the first time in 3 days we could take in some scenery without the murmur of engine noise and we we're lapping it up. Balanced precariously on the pack rack of some old Amsterdam style bikes we were making the 7km final push for the Malawi border with the lush undulating hills of Mandimba as a backdrop. As our riders sweated the pedals Jess and I happily greeted the smiling locals as we passed. Almost at the border and Jess passed the comment 'Have you got your hiking boots?' The question blasted me back to reality. Shit! No I didn't. Just as we hit the border post we worked out they were still in the min van. In all the commotion I'd forgotten rule no.1 - Get your stuff! It had been 30mins and the rider reckoned 'maybe' the van would still be in town, as for my boots? Well with Mt Kilimanjaro only 25days away I had to try.

I left Jess with our packs borrowed the guys bike and sped back into town. I soon had more praise for my driver as I discovered the pedals were loose and the brakes didn't work. After replacing the chain twice in a sweaty, greasy mess I arrived back at town and again I was descended upon, but this time with curious looks. I looked around but our van was no where in sight. With broken Spanish/Portuguese and hand gestures I was able to explain my dilemma. In minutes the whole street was in discussion. Then a bloke with a motor bike appeared out of no where and another bloke jumped on the back. Seconds later they were speeding off into the dust shouting 'Boots, boots!' as they went. I only assumed they planned to chase down the van.

I hunched down on the curb, holding out little hope for their success. Not long had the dust settled had the vendors gone back to their routines, reshuffling soft drinks in their warm coolers, rotating corn cobs on the open fires. At other times I have considered these lives of basic activity and how seeing a white guy ride in on a bicycle would be something of an event, but now I was just lamenting my own stupidity of being the main act. Suddenly I heard a bike down the road. In a plume of dust and exhaust smoke it zoomed around the bend. As it came into focus I saw the guy on the back holding something. It came closer and I saw a pair of black sandals held in his hand. The idiot has taken someone else's shoes! As the bike pulled up I notice the huge grin on their faces and I look down. The driver is wearing my boots! To raucous applause he took off my boots and held them aloft. He then handed them to me and I gave him 1000k's for the trouble. I think it was about $8AUD but it may as well been $8Mil as the crowd went wild. Amongst the applause I put on my boots and rode back to the border to met Jess. Exhausted but richer for the experience.

Jess and our taxi rider

Heading back to the Border