Copyright © Tanya Piejus, 2003

Tuesday 5th November

We waved goodbye to yet another island at stupid o’clock this morning for our final destination of Rongui. It’s also part of the concession owned by the London businessman who’s set up on Vamizi. We have the old problem with tides here so had to time our entry correctly. We could get into Rongui at about 3 pm so spent the morning and early afternoon diving off the island. I went into do the invertebrates with Julie although I only spotted one giant clam and one Diadema urchin in my alf of the transect. There weren’t heaps of fish either but there was a helluva lot of coral. It was a carpet of hard, soft and old damaged coral without any sand patches. Quite remarkable.

I had the option to do a fun dive in the afternoon before we finally headed into Rongui, but along with Sophie and Julie I feel a bit dived out. We all elected to stay on Orion and toast in the 33-degree heat. My feet got burnt before I remembered to put on any sunscreen and they are glowing well now. The Bluefin crew caught another barracuda which Ed has been hacking up into steaks for yet another fish dinner.

Yesterday I got up in time to join Mary and Nick on the turtle nest walk. For diving we had to wait till midday and high tide. To kill some of the time till then I finished A Prayer for Owen Meaney which was excellent., then Nick took us for another walk across the middle of the island to the south side. The interior is dense bush which grows on coral rock. The whole island is made from sharply-eroded, dead, compressed coral. We went down the beach at 11.30 and signalled to Orion. We saw the crew try to pull up the anchor, but nothing happened. They continued trying to tug at it for 45 minutes until Morne got into the water to see what was going on. He found the anchor wedged under a rock and finally freed it. It was touch and go whether we’d get two dives in. I gave up my place on the first dive so that Nicky would definitely get one as she’s now a qualified Open Water Diver. As it turned out, we just had time to squeeze in a second one and I did the invertebrate transect with Mary. It was a shallow dive and we didn’t have time for a jolly afterwards as we had to head back to the island before sundown.

When we got back we found the three chickens on the braai so Mzungu (the white rooster), Muntu (the black rooster) and Edwina (the hen) are no more. They were pretty tough old birds, as we’d predicted, but at least we won’t be getting any more 4 am wake-up calls.

Nick knew of a beach that phosphoresces when you walk on it so most of us set off after dinner to investigate. Sadly, even though the tide was right, the light display wasn’t really working. Walking right near the shore made the sand sparkle with eerie green. Tooni stripped naked and Nick and I got down to our underwear to see if it was better in the waves but there was too much suspended sand for it to be visible. Apparently, when the wind and other conditions are right the waves glow in a most spectacular fashion as they break.

Wednesday 6th November

This morning’s mission was to kayak further along the island then walk across to a beach on the other side. I was due to ride in Nick and co’s motorised tender as I’m still banned from kayaking. The problem was that there was no petrol for the outboard. I was summoned to the tender which Nick and his two local crew then paddled and poled along. I sat in the middle like royalty, much to the amusement of those in the kayaks. Eventually we had to get a tow as the polers ran out of bottom to push off from. As we went along, Sophie was filming with a video camera. She followed people around, paparazzi-style, for the rest of the day, recording a typical day of expedition life.

The walk to the opposite beach wasn’t long but it was getting to the hottest time of day when we arrived. I managed to burn my feet in the sun on the Orion yesterday and they suffered on the hot sand. We walked down to the site of another turtle nest and the guide showed us the shell of an enormous, long-dead green turtle. They set fire to the underside of the turtle to remove the tortoiseshell - while it’s still alive.

When we got back to the other side, the kayaks were high and dry and a long way from the water. We slurped our way back through the lunar landscape of sticky, grey mud and hauled all the boats to what water was left. Again, we had to rely on poles and towing by the kayaks to get back to camp. Even Orion was beached, precariously tilted, by the receding tide.

As my burnt feet wouldn’t have been happy stuffed into salty neoprene, I forewent the afternoon dive. They came back raving about how excellent it was but I was also rather dehydrated, so I think I did the right thing by not going. Instead I did my washing, joke that that is, and tried to stay in the shade. It was 37 degrees C with no breeze.

This evening, the hordes of hermit crabs are out again scuttling and clicking down the beach. They swarmed all over our leftover food, bumping their shells together in competition. We also have a rat problem and two were in the food basket. Gizmo has come into her own since we’ve been here.

Friday 8th November

Yesterday was our last day of intrepidness before the long journey back to Pemba. We were all ready by 6 am. A group of kayakers set off from Tecumagi Island nearest Cabo Delgado, our end-point. I went on Orion to dive. We were supposed to be having a fun dive but Tooni piped up at the last minute ‘Does anyone mind if we do a survey?’ None of us replied which basically meant ‘If we must…’ I did the fish ID with Julie against a pumping current over a great bed of coral. At the end of the 100 m, we all about-faced and glided back on the flow of water. It was almost like flying.

We picked up the kayakers and the two groups swapped over except for me. Those who had kayaked then did go for a fun dive while I sat on deck and watched their marker buoy hurtle off towards the horizon. They obviously had a ripping current too. When we finally chugged up to the cape, the kayakers were stuck against a drying reef that prevented them rounding the headland itself. So we sat and waited for the tide yet again. Eventually it came up high enough to allow the kayakers round. There was bugger all to see really. The cape is a thin spit of land covered in scrub with an old lighthouse on the end but Tooni was keen to do the ceremonial end to the trip. Orion couldn’t make it round, despite only having a 90-cm draft so we had our end-of-trip photo on Orion’s bow with Cabo Delgado a kilometre or so behind. When the kayaks came back, Tooni and Sophie managed to totally capsize theirs while trying to get onto Orion. It had to happen. Ed fell off the boat at Mocimbo de Praia so we had to have a boat turn over at some point. It was fitting that it should involve our team leader.

Nick and Pete were happy for us to spend our last night on the beach. Our one night on Vamizi and one on Rongui have turned into a week between the two islands. The guys were up at 4.20 this morning to wave us off. Not having seen women for two months, it must have been quite overwhelming to suddenly have a dozen bikinied female mzungus invade their island.

Monday 11th November

So the expedition is over and we’re back in civilisation. We’re lying on sunbeds outside the plushly functional Hotel Cardoso with an hour to go before four members of the team fly home. We’ve quickly adapted to the comforts of hot water, clean sheets and an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast, so much so that the last three and half weeks feel like they never happened.

After we waved goodbye to our last island home, Captain Dali gunned the engine of Orion for 13 long and tedious hours to Matemo. We had a 45-minute enforced tea break at a random island after a sudden and violent rainstorm had us all scuttling into the cabin. The captain didn’t want to take the boat onto the open ocean for fear of running into more heavy weather but the ever-bothersome tide wasn’t at the right level for us to head into the channel. As soon as we stopped, the usual curious audience of young men and kids gathered on the shore to give us the African stare.

We did our three-week trip in fast rewind as we ploughed on past Quissanga, Medjumbi and Rolas. We reached Matemo just before sunset where six of the team decamped to the beach. The other four of us prepared for a night on the water. Joe and Nadine whipped up a delicious bean stew with rice and poppadums followed by fruit salad and cream. Joe cooked bread for breakfast, all on the foredeck of Orion. It still astounds me that they can produce such gourmet fodder in such basic conditions.

Tooni was heavily windblown on the front of the boat but the three of us at the back slept well. At 3.30 am, six bouncing lights appeared on the beach and the always-ready boat crew picked the rest of the team up in the tender. We trundled along for another eight hours after celebrating Laurie’s 30th birthday with chocolate cake cooked on last night’s hot coals. It was a poignant moment when we reached Pemba - relief for finally being able to stand on land again and sadness for the end of the expedition. The sight of hotels, cars, beer and soft beds was unnerving at first but it wasn’t long before we were revelling in them all and actually feeling clean for the first time in weeks. With all hands on deck, it didn’t take us long to completely offload Orion. Captain Dali put on a clean shirt to come and say goodbye to us. Tooni had tips for each of the four crew, graded according to the hierarchy they work in on the boat. Then we all shook hands and said a surprisingly emotional farewell. They’ve been absolute diamonds and we had lumps in our throats as we waved to Nacir when the Orion chugged away for the last time.

We dined in the now-open Nautilus restaurant and managed to acquire several free drinks from the still-in-training bar staff. About half of us managed to stay awake until 10 o’clock, then a comfortable bed and the promise of a late lie-in became too tempting.

Yesterday we breakfasted luxuriously at the hotel. Ed and Joe came round with paintings done by a friend of Joe’s. Joe is such a sweet-natured guy and is putting his brothers and sisters through school. He couldn’t afford to go to university and now has a family of his own to support. He can make more money truck-driving or chauffeuring and that’s what he plans to do, although he certainly has the brains for much more. Sadly, he can’t afford to indulge his talents in the way that we would take for granted and, as Africans go, he’s among the few fortunate ones.

Julie harangued the Lost and Found people at Pemba airport but they denied all knowledge of my backpack. We sat through strange food, a refuel stop and landings that required applause when they were successful in order to return to Maputo. Julie and I went on another mission to tack down my luggage, only to be told that they sent it to Pemba on 27th October. So the mystery continues - Julie will be back on the case when she goes to the airport this afternoon. We went out for dinner to an Italian restaurant and stuffed our faces and drank too much. Tooni had done a scientific study of each of us and read them out in alphabetical order. They were really funny and very touching. Mine mentioned the word ‘stoic’ a lot.

[I started writing more in note form from this point on to catch up a few missed days, hence the change in style for a while.]

Did walking tour of Maputo from ‘Lonely Planet’ lead by Sophie. Fort, market, old port - baixa. Fresh OJ and cakes in a nice café. City dead as it’s Bank Holiday in honour of when Maputo got its municipal status. Emotional goodbyes to Julie, Shawn, Sophie and Mary who flew home at lunchtime. Evening meal at Mundo’s - not impressed by very non-Mozambiquan place frequented only by tourists.

Tuesday 12th

Weather not good so went to local shopping centre full of posh boutiques. Tooni and Jo went to get legs waxed. Bought new pants - paid as much as would have in UK. Long, hot walk to Fatima’s backpackers. Booked in for night then went with others to airport. Still no sign of backpack. Woman is trying to ring Beira to find out if it was unloaded there. Went for a stroll from Fatima’s to change money and find internet place. Took pizza back and spent evening chatting with a German guy and a Brazilian couple who have come for eclipse in December.

Wednesday 13th

Up early for bus to Vilankulos. Went to bus station with German guy who was travelling to Inhambane. Stood in wrong queue for tickets for ages but managed to get our right buses in the end. Sat next to Sebastiao, a Maputo taxi driver who spoke English and chatted throughout 10-hour journey. He got out at Massinga to visit his father. Arrived Vilankulos about 4.30. Nice woman - receptionist at one of the lodges - showed me the way to Baobab Beach. Cool campsite with dorms in traditional bush huts and a bar, bush shower and toilets. Went to John’s Place for prawns and chips. Got chatting to Neil, British pilot who flies tourists to the lodges on Bazaruto Island. He knows Mark Whittington, the ecologist who did the first surveys of Quirimba Archipelago. Told him about our work. Apparently, the Bazaruto population of dugongs used to be 300 - now more like 30. Actory ships with seine nets have been seen off the coast - he sees them from his plane. The Russians used to fish out the reefs there. Would be interesting to do comparative survey.

Thursday 14th

Walked into town to buy a razor and use internet but kept getting harangued by locals, especially a young boy who saw me last night and wanted to be my guide. Gave up on shopping and headed up long main street to find Sail Away. Luckily, two girls from Baobab are heading off to islands tomorrow and I can join them for a two-day trip. Walked on up to Aguia Negra resort to ask about diving. The bloke who does it has gone home to South Africa so couldn’t book anything. V. hot walking about 4 miles. Finally, got back to internet place at Cultural Centre and did emails. Kind of gatecrashed a computer class. A bloke who works there wants me to teach him English, although he’s pretty good already.

Spent afternoon swimming and on the beach then evening at Baobab talking with a really cool Norwegian guy called Mags. The bar was full of South Africans (Boers), one of whom got very pissed and started picking fights.

Friday 15th

Two Spanish girls, Dolores and Elena, and I were taken to the Sail Away office by Jackie and Mike who life at Baobab. We walked down to the beach nearby and climbed aboard our dhow to Benguera Island. It was motorised, which rather took away the magic, but they put the sail up anyway for the hour-and-a-half trip. On the way, we were joined by four humpback dolphins. Arrived at Gabriel’s capsite around 10. It’s in a beautiful spot on and idyllic sand island. We checked into a chalet with four beds then breakfasted on bananas and juice. A young boy - Zacharias - was engaged to show us the way to to a freshwater lake o the far side of the island. It didn’t look far on the map but took us an hour to get there - a long, sweaty walk with little water. It was worth it, though. The lake was very pretty and was held in by a huge sand dune, like on Fraser Island in Oz. Foolishly, we decided to climb the dune which was about 100 feet high and set at an angle of about 50 degrees. I felt like I was going to pass out but made it to the top for a stunning view of crashing waves, sandbars, blue water and bush. The lake allegedly has a relic population of crocodiles but we didn’t see any. Had great lunch cooked by Sail Away chef/camp manager. Siesta then beach until sunset. He greater flamingos flew in to feed as the sun went down behind a storm-laden sky. When we went to dinner we’d been joined by Malcolm, a South African who grew up in Malawi, Zimbabwe and France. The Spanish girls went to bed early but I stayed up with Malcolm drinking beer and walking on the beach.

Saturday 16th

Up at 6 for snorkelling at Two-Mile Reef. Great fish life although coral has been badly damaged by storms. Huge pufferfish and parrotfish, lots of soldiers, butterflyfish, clownfish, fusiliers, etc. I also saw a turtle (hawksbill). On the way back to Benguerra we stopped off on the southern tip of Bazaruto to climb the dune there. It peaks to a perfectly smooth, steep slope that sweeps round in a long crescent. Absolutely beautiful, as is the view of the island. Sand almost too hot to walk on. Messed about in ocean between exposed sandbars. Strong current as tide was coming in. Sad to get back to Benguerra. Neither M. nor I wanted to leave so we hatched a plot to stay. He knows the Sail Away people and is here as their guest so he said he’d arrange for us to go back tomorrow somehow. Waved off Dolores and Elena - they have to fly home tomorrow. The were gutted to leave. It’s the perfect island paradise. Walked down the beach with M. and found a shady spot under a casuarina for the afternoon. 20 more people arrived on the dhows, but we weren’t feeling sociable so took our dinners elsewhere. M. asked the camp guy to make us a fire after we’d eaten so we sat beside it with a beer and chatted some more. Eventually crashed out about 10 on the floor of M.’s huge tent on a mattress.

Sunday 17th

Had breakfast at camp then crashed out on the beach for the morning. The other guests went snorkelling so we had the place pretty much to ourselves until another 13 turned up. Sail Away is certainly doing good business. M. arranged a lift back on a motorboat. He managed to radio through to David at Sail Away and said I’d been reported ‘missing in action’. He put their minds at rest about where I was. Got back to Vilankulos about 2. Jackie at SA was cool about us staying - she understood that we’d been having a great time. Went back to Baobab and felt oddly empty without M.’s company. Dossed on the beach and swam for a while. When I got back to the bar, M. was there with Jackie’s husband, Mike. He invited me to join them for a video and prawns. Had a really nice evening eating fried prawns - the best I’ve ever tasted - and pasta and drinking beer.

Monday 18th

I’d already arranged with M. to travel back with him to Maxixe as he was driving a truck to Jo’burg for Dave. After a long morning of faffing about with Wayne getting things organised, we set off about midday. Drove through lushness of coconut palms and cashew trees, avoiding potholes, overladen trucks and wandering goats. We was supposed to drop me at Maxixe so that I could catch a ferry to Inhambane but changed his mind about staying in Xai-Xai for the night and said he’d come to Tofo instead. I’d been feeling down about leaving him but that made me v. happy.

Tofo is a small beachside community, mostly of camps and lodges of varying sorts but still pretty uncluttered. We decided to rent a cabana (chalet/hut/bungalow) for the night and got one at Nordin’s Lodge at one end of the lovely beach. Had a wander along the sand checking out the restaurants. M.’s determined to find a local dish, casquinhas, for me to try. Hotel Marinhos had some and a generally good menu so we showered, changed and went there. M. fibbed to the waiter and said I was writing about Mozambique for the BBC so the chef had better make his best ever casquinhas. They were v. good - crab meat mixed with potato, onion and seasoning then returned to shells with breadcrumbs on top. Then had surra - local fish - which was excellent and wicked chocolate mousse, plus 2 glasses of red wine. Wandered back to the cabana well stuffed and slept like babies.

Tuesday 19th

Walked back down beach to Casa Barry for breakfast. M. wanted to eat at 7 but nowhere opened till 8. While we ate a full English, he talked with another South African who’s just taken over the restaurant. He drives up here at night as the roads are clearer and there’s less hassle from the highway police. M. had a ponder and decided to do the same, so I had another day of his lovely company. Walked back via Tofo Scuba and booked two dives for tomorrow. M. wants to learn to scuba dive and is thinking of coming here to do it. He was particularly taken with the promise of whale sharks and manta rays which I should see tomorrow. Went for a swim in the ocean then walked round the headland at low tide to Tofinho, a great surf beach. Poked around in the rock pools for crabs and gobies and watched the local people collecting seafood and bait fish. Messed around in the crashing surf at Tofinho until we were too tired to stand up in the waves then walked back. Crashed out for a while. Washed my expensive pants then went out for lunch at Casa Barry. Had a long search for the new internet café which also serves pancakes. Like most of the businesses here, it’s run by South Africans. Had some nice emails from England and NZ. Crashed out in cabana again. M. wanted to get as much rest as possible before his early-hours drive. Went back to Hotel Marinhos for a salad - all I could eat after the other huge amounts of food we’ve had today. M. had another full meal - he certainly enjoys his food. Went to bed early so that he could sleep as much as possible before the alarm went off.

Wednesday 20th

Woke up before the alarm went off but it frightened me out of bed about an hour later. Within 10 mins, M. was gone with a promise to send me a text message when he’d crossed the border. Got up in time to pay for the cabana and walk up to Casa Barry and Tofo Scuba. I booked into a basic chalet, which I get myself for R90 a night, and got ready for diving. Another SA-run operation, Tofo Scuba seems pretty well run. John was our dive guide and local guys helped with kitting up and loading the inflatable. We bounced out over the surf and started the hunt for whale sharks. Didn’t know till yesterday that there are whale sharks here and within a few minutes we were hopping into the water with snorkelling gear as one came cruising towards us. It was a relatively small one but even so it was much bigger than me. It didn’t seem bothered by us and went slowly past with smooth swishes of its powerful tail. We soon came upon another one but the sound of the boat must have put it off because it dived before we had a chance to jump in with it. The next one was huge and more obliging. When I jumped in, it came swimming straight towards me, its wide mouth subtly gaping as it hoovered up plankton and other goodies. I swam alongside it for a while and hopefully managed to get a couple of good snaps with my MX-5. The dive itself was also fantastic. It’s known for its manta rays. We only saw one but the other fish life was stunning. Massive numbers of orange, yellow and red fishy things, great long trumpet fish, a huge honeycomb moray having its mouth cleaned by tiny wrasse, a torpid lionfish and mammoth lurking potato bass. It was one of the best dives I’ve had the pleasure of doing. Only the ‘Yongala’ [in Australia] beats it for diversity and quantity. Again, my camera was well used. The vis. Wasn’t great so I hope they come out OK. I’d love to have a digital underwater camera.

Casa Barry provided a complementary breakfast so I just had time to eat that before heading back up for another dive. Two more whale sharks on the way back meant that we didn’t return until 11. The second dive was in Mike’s Cupboard, a series of potholes full of corals. The vis was poor and we were being battered by swells and an itinerant current. After this morning’s extravaganza it was a bit of a disappointment but still on a par with most of the dives I did up north. We saw a crocodile fish which is apparently quite rare and is an odd-looking, wide-mouthed bottom-dweller. We saw a couple of bottlenose dolphins on the way out which somewhat compensated for the less-than-perfect conditions.

Malcolm’s text message finally came about 4 pm. I was starting to get worried as I’d expected to hear from him when I returned from the first dive. He was back in SA and on his way to Jo’burg. I’m looking forward to him being at the airport on Friday. He’s got my whole weekend pretty much planned. Had a stroll on the beach and relaxed in the afternoon. Ate dinner with a pair of Gorgeous SA blokes who were on the dive this morning. I’ll need another roll of film as I’ve been tempted into another dive tomorrow by John. There’s the promise of more manta rays and a lot else besides.

Thursday 21st

How glad am I that John persuaded me into the water this morning? The Office has gone to the top of my dive site list with the ‘Yongala’.

It wasn’t just the promise of a great dive that got us into the water. The RIB was bouncing about on a churning swell that was rapidly turning stomachs. I don’t usually get seasick but even I was going green about the gills while a poor Dutch bloke heaved his breakfast over the side.

As soon as we dropped into the water, we could see down to the ocean floor more than 20 m away. As I swam down, I followed the direction of John’s outstretched arm and nearly spat my regulator out in awe. Four massive manta rays were hovering on the edge of s shelf, flapping gently in the current to keep their places on a cleaning station. They were all at least 4m across and two danced in perfect tandem, mirroring each other’s moves with perfect grace. Now I understand why so many divers consider manta rays such special creatures to encounter.

We just hung onto the edge of the shelf where multitudes of other fish flitted and lurked, watching the mantas hovering within each reach of our hands. One cruised in to where I was resting and the long spike of its tail pivoted above me. Jean-Luc, a guy from the former Belgian Congo, had to duck as enormous ray batted its wings over his head while it took its place in the grooming queue.

With extreme reluctance, we dragged ourselves away after ten minutes of this spectacle and drifted with the current through canyons and round pinnacles. Even after the mantas, the rest was still stunning and as we came to the end of the dive, a little white-tipped reef shark scooted sinuously across our path. As we ascended, we looked up towards the surface and two more of those enchanting, elegant, lithesome rays were silhouetted against the shimmering brightness above.

As we lurched and thudded back to shore on an even bigger swell, the pumping adrenalin ensured that we all had huge grins on our faces instead of looking like we were about to throw up - all of us except for the woman who’d left her fins on shore and so couldn’t dive. She was remarkably philosophical about missing out on what the rest of us considered to be the dive of our lives.

The excited dive chatter continued over lunch which I spent with a South African/Australian couple who now live with their two kids in London and a couple from the Isle of Wight doing a big global travel. I later caught up with Jean-Luc who invited me to travel back to Maputo with him, his driver and two Portuguese girls who’s he’s also offered a lift to. He works for the UN and has been at their base in Inhambane for a while. He always manages to spend most time at the bases near good dive sites. Funny that! We had another excellent meal at the Hotel Marinhos and arranged to meet there tomorrow morning for breakfast before the long drive back to Maputo.

Friday 22nd

My journey back to Maputo was much less eventful than Malcolm’s. He’d been warned by the owner of the Marinhos that the latest ruse is to put rocks I the road at night to force vehicles to stop. They’re then ripe targets for hijacking. Malcolm not only found rocks blocking his way but also branches then someone lying in the road pretending to be injured as he drove through the night. He knew better than to stop but managed to blow a tyre on the truck by driving through the roadblock. Sadly, it marred his trip to Mozambique and he was extremely relieved to finally cross the border to South Africa. Jean-Luc’s UN car was probably the safest place I could have been on my trip south so I was doubly grateful for that piece of luck.

Back in Maputo, I had a while before I needed to be at the airport. Jean-Luc let me have free use of his fridge and bathroom while he went to get his own car then drove me to the airport. It’s a pity Malcolm didn’t get a chance to meet him; I think they’d have got on well.

When I got to the airport, I went straight to Lost and Found and the first thing I spotted was my backpack on the pile of recently-returned luggage. I had mixed feelings about its return. I was glad to have my own possessions back but loathed the thought of having to cart it back to London with everything else, not having had the use of its content for the entire six weeks I’ve been here.

When I boarded the plane, I watched my luggage being trundled towards the plane on a trolley, ready to be loaded for the trip to Jo’burg. Before they packed the hold, the ground crew began fishing inside it with long grappling hooks. This was strange enough, but the situation became even more bizarre when I realised what they were poking in there for. They hauled out a dozen foot-long lizards, still alive, and beat them to death with their hooks. Just how does the luggage compartment of a jet aircraft become infested with feisty reptiles? Only in Africa!

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