One of the fabulous things about being a Peace Corps volunteer is the opportunity to travel and visit other volunteers and their sites! Traveling is a great way to see the different parts of the country…and in Moz these parts can be very different from one another…which makes it all the more important to travel as much as possible.
However, it should be noted that traveling within Mozambique is a total bitch (please excuse the language but it is), and this is especially true in the north of the country, where I live. The main mode of transport is Chapa. A chapa can be several things, however most commonly it is either an oversized van (think 20 people smashed into a space for 15 people) or a pick-up/flat bed truck in which case people ride in the back in the open air.
Anyways.. a few weeks ago my site mate (the other Peace Corps volunteer) and I traveled down 2 whole provinces to Vilankulo. Vilankulo is located in northern Inhame Province and is right on the Indian Ocean. It is absolutely gorgeous. The water is a beautiful blue and there is beach for miles. Vil is a total tourist town, attracting vacationing South Africans and others, which gives it a completely different feel than other places in Moz.
We spent time hanging out with the volunteers that are living there. The highlight of our time there was horseback riding on the beach. It was breath-taking and so much fun. My horse was named Brutes and he was a great horse. We started out riding along the shore of the Indian Ocean and then went inland up a few hills and got to have amazing views of the coast. It was great!
Equally amazing was getting to know the woman who owns the horse riding business. She is an expelled Zimbabwean that has been living in Mozambique for the last few years. Talking with her and hearing her story, especially as it relates to being forced to leave Zimbabwe was extremely interesting. She had a beautiful spirit and I very much enjoyed her company.
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