A Quick Detox to the Ilha de Moz

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NiteOwl

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Mozambique Island lies 1500 km north of Maputu as the proverbial crow flies. The latter replaced it as Mozambique’s capital in 1898 when it simply became too small to house the burgeoning population. Today it is a World Heritage Site, but a shadow of its former glory. Time to take a look before it falls apart or gets restored…

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My last visit to Northern Mozambique was in 2005 and then we did a dog-leg via Malawi. It seemed like a good idea to take a break at the end of this year (2012) to fill that gap in my personal atlas. Since I’m travelling alone I want to be as light as possible, so no chair, no sleeping bag, no tent outer, no extra tools, no spares…

It’s the start of the holiday season and I join the great trek of all the migrant labourers heading home for Christmas with as many earthly goods as possible.

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For many, the effect of this overloading is a predictable failure of tyres, bearings or suspension.

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Apart from the toll gates (R179 in total from Pretoria to Messina), progress is smooth. After a cold pie in Louis Trichardt the road cuts through the Soutpansberg and the final hot stretch to the border.

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An abandoned mine shaft looms over the town of Messina, its only use now as an antenna mounting site.

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The queues at South Africa’s only border post with Zimbabwe are a perennial problem, and during the festive season they can stretch for hundreds of meters. I grab my water bottle and join the sweaty line in front of the Immigration counters.

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Apart from a total lack of tourism promotion, Zimbabwe is positively tourist-hostile with the rates slapped on vehicles entering the country: R 40 for a motorcycle  Temporary Import Permit (TIP), R60 carbon tax, R90 Road access tax, R180 3rd Party Insurance: R 370 in total ! TIPs for cars are R90, by the way, and you have to pony up another $4 to use the Beit bridge on your way home.

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Most roads still have the thin strips from the UDI days alongside them (tar was very scarce in those days). Apart from some branches laid across the road, they are still usable in places, but traffic on the main roads is thin compared to South Africa.

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Dusk is gathering as I pass the Lion and Elephant hotel near Bubi but the ripoff at the border has made me determined to spend the minimum amount of time and money in Zimbabwe. 10 km short of Masvingo I pull off into the bushes and strike camp. 760 km down!

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The traffic gradually quietens down as I unpack and prepare some coffee. More is nog 'n dag!

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