A preface to me traveling in Mozambique

When I was studying abroad in Cape Town in 2005, three friends and I rented a car from Johannesburg and drove into Mozambique. We entered the country in the south and headed north up the coast to Tofo – a supposedly beautiful beach. It was a slow drive on severely potholed roads. We were pulled over once for our red triangle and also got a flat tire from a crater-sized pothole. But that wasn’t the worst of it. In fact, we never even made it to Tofo. About three hours south of Tofo, in the middle of nowhere, an 18-wheeler truck swerved into our lane, side-swiped our car and then kept on going. Our car was wrecked, and it took all of our time, energy and money to make it back to South Africa. At the time, I probably vowed to never return to Mozambique. Yet here I was, 4 years later, ready to try again – this time via public transport. From Lilongwe I could have taken the Vic Falls route, but Mozambique seemed exotic and more off the beaten path, and I hadn’t really (properly) traveled through before. And after making my way around East Africa on my own, I was sure I could handle it. I didn’t get in a car accident this time, but transport still wasn’t easy. It was well worth the challenge and adventure though, because Mozambique turned out to be one of my favorite countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Our rental car after being hit-and-run by a truck

Our rental car after being hit-and-run by a truck