Inhambane Beach
I had travelled here on my first holiday in Mozambique with a joint group of Americans, Australians and 3 from Europe.
While I was the driver of the truck on a completely new route to me, it did not take me so much of a challenge to follow the google maps that had been using throughout. My only fear was to lose connectivity to network which never happened and i was so grateful for that.
Going through my Tour Itinerary, I remembered quite well to stop at some point mid way from Maputo for the exciting passage of coconut trees that stretched for kilometres along the coastline.
My core pilot
It was quite an exciting drive never short of new observation that I would quickly share with my core driver who was as well completely immersed in photographing every little aspect of life that he found interesting.
Paul spends most of his time on the sea. He was a drumists in one of the popular cruise ships that would go for months on the sea. I can understand his fascination of using the camera and observing what goes around on land. I envied his work, it must be so exciting, entertaining people who are already on holiday. Mostly they will always be smiling and sharing jokes.
My work is no different from his. Although I do just more than entertainment, I drive, guide and cook. I have fun sometimes but not always. I enjoy my work just as much as Paul.
The sun rises from the sea. The horizon is just as clear from dawn as the golden rays of the sun lands on land. The night was just as warm and the morning quickly takes the heat from the rising sun.
Sunrise at the Beach
And just after breakfast we took to the beach. Its a long beach with soft sand and barely any stones. The fisheries are already at work. Some are coming back with their boats loaded with all sorts of fish and yet others are preparing to leave with theirs for a day or more days in the sea. Its there way of life.
The coastline is neatly decorated with coconut trees and benches that have shades made from dry coconut leaves. There are exotic lodges as well and residential communities for the locals here.
Its time to meet our Guide who introduced himself as Alfonso. He is quite young but experienced skipper already have grown up in the nearby harbor town of Inhambane. Today’s excursion is to lookout for the whale-shark and any other sea mammals. He assured us that they had seen a good number in the previous trips the day before. So more than exciting was the hope that we also would most likely sea a lot.
I had no idea at this time what I was really expecting to see. I have never heard of a whale shark before until today. We had to travel with a speed boat close to 30 km in the sea.
The view of the land, the vegetation, landscape and beautiful lodges lining up the coastline was so amazing. The boat was traveling very fast now i bet close to 70 km/hr or more. It’s getting head-on with the sea waves which seemed to moving hills towards us. Alfonso doesn’t seem perturbed by that as he is chatting to his core guide. We quickly drifted way further from land and all I can see is mountains and hills of waves far and approaching very fast.
My stomach is unsettled and with each wave passing I feel my bowls vibrating and jumping to my rib cage. I tried to ignore the feeling and focus. I looked at Paul and could see his face had already turned green. I realized I was not alone but how long will I hold on.
The vomiting started without notification and the dizziness is unbearable. I crouched on the edge of the boat, water splashing right in my face as i could not hold back the vomit. The boat seem to be going at an extra-ordinary speed but yet in fact the skipper is already slowing down. My colleagues’ are way concerned with me and Paul, but the Guides are used to such sea-sickness and know better it won’t last long . The search for the whale shark began.
