Tofo - Mozambique

The boarder crossing went well. I had to pay for 3rd party insurance, but it only cost $10. Buying a visa took about 30 minutes for Rob, which is much better than the 3 hours I was expecting.

We stayed one night in Maputo then headed up the coast. We spent Christmas in Xai Xai near the beach. Four other people motorcycling through Africa were staying next to our campsite. They are the only ones Ive met so far.

We got to Tofo a couple days ago. Apparently its going to be very busy for New Years. There are a couple festivals happening. We know several people here that we met in Swaziland or earlier in Mozambique. Its nice to already have friends at a place.

The police haven't been too much trouble yet. Yesterday Rob got pulled over because he didn't have a helmet on. I went to go find him and the cop was pretty angry. Rob didn't have his drivers license or the papers for his bike. I didn't have my passport (foreigners are required to carry it), an international drivers license, my bikes papers, or a helmet. Remarkably we got out of the situation without any fines or bribes. We were really lucky.

I start my advance scuba course tomorrow. To get the certification I have to do 5 dives. After that Ill be certified to go 30 meters deep. Im trying to get it done before New Years then we will plan on leaving town on the second.

This is a cool area and I look forward to spending some time here. Its beautiful and most of the people are really nice. Right now I am going to brai (BBQ) prawns that we bought near the beach.

Swaziland - Piggs Peak

We spent the last few days in northern Swaziland near Piggs Peak. We took a back road there from Mbabane which made it a nice ride, but the roads weren't well marked. The people have been really nice and helpful in Swaziland. Its a beautiful country, without too many backpackers. Its been great camping for the last couple weeks and spending time in the mountains.

Yesterday we rode to Siteki. Its a town near the Mozambique boarder. Today we are going to cross into Mozambique and head towards the coast. Eventually we will try to go to Tofo, which is on the coast north of the capital. It may be difficult to find accommodation because of the holidays, but we have tents so it should work out.

It sounds like the police will be a hassle and we will probably need to bribe them along the way. I may have to buy 3rd party insurance for the motorcycle when I get there. Im a little worried about not having a license disk or international drivers license.

Rob doesn't have a visa and that will probably take a few hours to get. Today will be a long day, but from what I hear the beaches in Mozambique will make it worth it.

Swaziland - Mantenga

We did the boat trip in St Lucia. It was a 2 hour boat ride and we saw at least 20 hippos, crocs, flamingos, and tons of birds.

Monday morning we left St Lucia and headed towards Swaziland. The ride went really smooth and we made good time to the boarder. I got through the boarder without too much trouble. I didn't have to  show the affidavit saying I could leave the country with the motorcycle. The only issue I ran into was that I don't have a license disk. I had to pay 60 Rand (about $4) as a fine. I didn't know what a license disk was until the boarder patrol agent pointed one out on a car. I bet this is going to be an ongoing issue at boarder crossings, but I don't think I can get one unless I go back to Durban.

Rob got through the boarder without too much hassle as well. Hes not allowed back in South Africa for 5 years because he overstayed his visa, but he didn't get fined. He didn't have to pay a fine for the license disk because he had the carnet and said license disks are digital in the UK.

Monday night we stayed in a game reserve near the boarder. We stayed in huts made in a traditional Swaziland style. They were dome shaped made of clay and straw. It was way too hot to be comfortable at night. On the ride to the reserve we say wild pigs on the road. I think that was the first time I ever saw them in the wild.

Tuesday we rode to the Mantegna Nature Reserve area. Its in between Manzini and Mbabane, which are big cities for Swaziland. Its a nice place in the mountains. There are caves, hikes, kayaking and other outdoorsy things to do. Yesterday I did a hike and started at 12:30 in the afternoon. Halfway up I regretted started the hike at such a hot part of the day, but made it to the top and saw some incredible views.

We are going to stay in Swaziland for a little while but its a small country so not too long. My plan is to head to Mozambique next. I hear there's really good diving, so I'm going to try to get my advanced open water there. I got opened water certified to 18 meters a few years ago, but the advanced will allow me to dive to 40 meters. Hopefully we will be in the Mozambique coast by Christmas.

St Lucia

The number plate wasn't as difficult to get replaced as I had thought. We just went and had one made. The affidavit was all my friend needed to prove that the plate was stolen.

Now Im in St Lucia, which is famous for having hippos. St Lucia is a few hours north of Durban on the coast. We saw some hippos yesterday and we might do a boat trip today.

We are pretty much all set to head to Swaziland. Hopefully we will head out tomorrow or the day after. Its going to be interesting to cross the boarder with these bikes. Robs bike is from the UK and mine is from South Africa, so all our paperwork is different. He has a carnet and international drivers license. I have a affidavit and a US license. Its going to be a relief to get through the first boarder. I think it'll be fine but will probably be fairly time consuming.