Masters of Africa - Been there

Lunch in Ponta do Oura

Dave — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:54:10 +0000

We awoke this morning to yet another beautiful day in Africa and decided to head back along the coast for a bit of exercise and to take in our surroundings. After packing away our belongings, we armed ourselves with hats, sunscreen, our camera and a water bottle or two and set off, slowly making our way along the six or so kilometres of deserted beach that lay between us and the small town of Ponta do Oura (who’d have thought we could walk so far without motorised assistance).

After threading our way around the town for a bit we stumbled across a fabulous little place called Kaya Kweru, and sat atop their deck overlooking the town on the one side and the gorgeous stretch of beach we had just walked along on the other. It took us all of 30 seconds to decide on the prawn dish as a main course and sat back with an ice cold Deuce M or five, soak up the sun’s warmth and taking in the view around us.

Our delicious lunch at an end we headed back into town for another look, but then decided to forgo the hike up to the lighthouse and head back to our camp as a number of ominous looking clouds appeared on the horizon.

We spent a few more lovely days at Malongane, trying to determine our next steps and to plot a rough course for our estimated stay of two to three months in the country. We had hoped, perhaps naively, that we would meet similar people doing overland trips as soon as we arrived in Mozambique, or at the very least other adventurous campers with whom we could share information and hopefully gain a little insight from their previous experiences.

Although the camp itself was wonderful and not all that busy, the people who were there kept very much to themselves, with barely more than a nod hello when our paths did cross. Of those few friendly happy campers who were willing to chat, none had been further north than Malongane or Mamoli.

Unfortunately the local knowledge was sorely missing as well as most of the inhabitants have never been out of the area, although they were all immensely pleased that we wanted to see and get to know so much of their country.

Nobody that we spoke to seemed to know of anywhere else in the area that offered a camping option and so it was that we decided to leave the beautiful beach of Ponta Malongane and make our way up to Maputo, with an intermediate stop in the Maputo Elephant Reserve.

Out and About in Ponta Malongane

Dave — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:35:56 +0000

The next morning we took stock of our situation and were very pleased with our choice of accommodation. The resort was like a secure, self contained village with a little shop, restaurant, bar, dive centre, chalets and campsites. In season this tranquil piece of paradise must be mayhem, with between 200 and 400 people in the campsites alone (and only about 16 showers to share the load). That said, we were 2 of only about 20 people staying at the resort and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

This sprawling resort was situated right on the beach and offered beautiful walks along the coastline, fishing, diving, snorkelling and just plain old relaxing.

During our first walk in the late afternoon we saw what must have been hundreds of crabs scampering along the shoreline in search of titbits to eat or in the throws of performing some bizarre ritual known only to them. They stretched for as far as the eye could see but dashed away as fast as sideways lightning whenever we came near. It was a sight to behold!

Typically each day we would go for a long walk in the morning, perhaps taking a flask of coffee and our books with us, returning for a quick bite to eat and then headed back again to the beach.

Arriving at Ponta Malongane

Dave — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:13:57 +0000

Our first attempt at finding Ponta Malongane was an unmitigated failure! We followed the directions (or at least were convinced we were following the directions) given in our guide book and found the road running parallel to the beach through the residential area. After a short period of congratulations on being so clever (our GPS had no idea where we were) we zooted off towards our first stop.

About 2km into this sand track it started getting fairly overgrown and difficult to navigate. Bushes and thorn trees scratched down the Beast’s sides, steep inclines and declines with some acute turns became the norm and all this on increasingly softer sand. We strongly began to suspect we were on the wrong road but with no way to turn around, on we went. We knew the roads were going to be bad, but this was rather heavy going for our first day. Time was a ticking and the nerves were racing as we began to envisage the potential problem of getting stuck out there without any assistance and the prospect of hauling out all of our shiny new 4x4 recovery equipment (and then standing around waiting for somebody to come and show us how to use it).

Finally topping a hill we came to a dead-end at an abandoned property with inconsiderately narrow gateposts that narrowly allowed us to perform a tricky 27 point turn into and head back the way we had come.

Back in Ponta do Oura we quickly found the right road (one street up and quite obviously looking like a main road, largely as it had a big sign pointing the way to Ponta Malongane). Although we had finally found the ‘main’ road, it was only moderately better than driving directly on a sandy beach! Being so hot and dry only made the sand that much more difficult to get through and we were witness to our first vehicle recovery – thankfully it wasn’t us! After all the horror stories and predictions of the Beast getting stuck before we even reached Mozambique due to our not so slender frame, we were ecstatic to get safely to Ponta Malongane another 8km or so down the coast. There was no town to speak of, but rather a small curio market and a few huts bunched together which made us realise just how big Ponta do Oura was in comparison.

The Toyota 4x4 Conservation Outreach

Ruff — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:12:42 +0000

Toyota 4x4 Conservation Outreach

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: conservation)

It's always great to see a large company give back to the community. It's even greater when the long term benefits of these acts actually benefit us all as a whole. That's why Toyota's Conservation outreach project is so unique. Toyota are targeting conservation students and game rangers to help address needs that are currently hindering wildlife conservation management in Southern Africa.

The plan is to bridge gaps between governments, game parks, and of course the rangers themselves so that together solutions can be found to problems plaguing conservation in Southern Africa as a whole.

If you're keen on learning more or you want to be involved, check out this . Take a look at the handy presentation as well, courtesy of the 'The 4x4 Conservation Outreach blog'.

Win an all-new Hilux!

Ruff — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:56:44 +0000

Earn your citizenship in Hilux Country and you could drive away in an all-new Toyota Hilux! In Hilux Country you get to outplay the competition in a series of games that measure your toughness. Will you get that passport?

Get your passport now. Visit http://www.hiluxcountry.co.za and show your true mettle - not for sissies!

The Border Crossing into Mozambique

Dave — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:43:14 +0000

The Border Crossing into Mozambique

The border crossing at Ponta do Oura was, much to our surprise and huge relief, absolutely painless. The border post, on both the South African and Mozambican side, is nothing more than a small, prefab building with one official to complete vehicle inspections and one official to complete the immigration procedure. Officials on both sides of the border were welcoming and friendly. It was exactly what we needed for our first crossing!

Fifteen minutes, two stamps and about R50.00 later we were on our way. It was as simple as that. There was no unpacking or rifling through our belongings, no requests for bribes and no intimidating behaviour. All in all it was an absolute pleasure.

Upon entering the Mozambican side of the border, the single road leading from South Africa seemed to split into a veritable maze of sandy tracks veering off in all different directions. There was a distinct absence of formal signage (something we have now come to accept as standard in Mozambique) and were therefore thankful that the Mozambican official had shown us which track would lead us to Ponta do Oura. And so after once again letting air out of the tyres we trundled off in the direction indicated.

The road that we followed chopped and changed all the way along our journey; after hesitating in the beginning as to which was the correct path to take, we soon came to realise that it made no difference as they inevitably rejoined one another at some point, be it after 5m or 500m. After bumbling along for about half an hour holding our course constant we came upon the rather uninteresting and shabby looking town of Ponta do Oura, home to one of the top 10 dive sites in the world.

I’ll be the first to admit that it was a bit of a let down as there was really nothing much to the town itself; a few buildings scattered about here and there, most with cracked facades and faded paintwork. The main centre of town was pretty much deserted and most of the shops, markets and restaurants seemed to be closed during this quiet time of year. After a quick look around Tanje Beach Resort we thought we’d rather try our luck at Ponta Malongane about 8km further down the beach.

Kozi Bay

Dave — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:12:16 +0000

A few days and a number of campsites later we reached Kozi Bay and decided to stop at the Kozi bay Coastal Forest Reserve before continuing north.

After deflating our tyres somewhat and engaging 4x4 we tackled the soft and sandy path to the reserve. Ordinarily this track wouldn’t have been particularly difficult for any other 4x4 enthusiast, however given that we’re heavier then most 18 wheeler articulated trucks and that the previous night’s downpour had turned the ‘road’ into a mass of muddy trenches, potholed ascents and tricky side slopes, it was rather fun.

Cath handled the Beast superbly and a few kilometres later we arrived at our destination.

The campsites themselves were easily the biggest that we’ve visited so far, with both sun and shaded areas, plug points, water and built in braai facilities. The first day was really spent setting up and getting our bearings. We discovered afterwards that the sea was miles away and unfortunately there wasn’t much to do where we had set up without the use of a vehicle (once our camp is unpacked, it is impossible to move the vehicle without packing up again, which was really not an option).

Thus we spent our time on admin – cleaning the clothes (note to self: do not leave the washing for more than 2 days ever again), reorganising the boxes in the Beast and generally trying to figure out our next moves.

They did have the most beautiful jetty onto the lake where we were able to sit and watch the Fish Eagles and Palmnut Vultures overhead.

We also had our first run in with a snake – en route to the Jetty we stopped in at a small gazebo type shelter that has a number of diagrams of the reserve and the birds and fishes found in the area. Without looking too carefully before heading in Cath very nearly stepped onto a bright green snake. Needless to say with a loud shriek and a heart stopping moment we turned tail a leaped out the entrance. The snake followed but only to slither towards the cover of the forest. Once we had recovered sufficiently we took a tentative look inside, this time to be rewarded with spotting another snake, this one quite contently wrapped around one of the beams and not going anywhere. Being about 3 times the length of its previous cousin we backed out and left – saying a small word of thanks and vowing to always check first before entering another building.

Whilst still in the camp we met another couple who had visited Mozambique a few years earlier and warned against the back hand nature of the officials whose paths they has the misfortune to cross. It was not a pretty picture, but one that we have heard before and something that unfortunately we can do nothing about. The one story I remember him telling us was how coming over a hill they were stopped at a roadblock. After taking a look around the car and checking all their documentation they we informed that their car was making too much noise when it drove and as such they would need to pay a fine. Needless to say they were less than impressed by this attempt at bribery but arguing only made it worse and increased the fine – moral of the story; no matter the condition of the vehicle or the state of you documentation, there will always be a way that they can solicit a bribe and there is nothing you can say or do to stop it.

And so it is with the preparation and test runs complete that we now gear up for our first border crossing – here’s holding thumbs.

Johannesburg Motor Show 2008

Craig Hannabus — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:19:56 +0000

I braved the rainy weather on Sunday to make the trip out to Nasrec to go to the Johannesburg International Motorshow (JIM), and it was well worth it. There were representatives there from almost all the major car (and bike) manufacturers, and it was just fascinating to see all the new models and concept cars on display.

One of the more interesting (and certainly one of the most attractive concept cars) was Toyotas concept hybrid car : The FT-HS. When you first see it, it's really hard to believe that this thing of beauty is actually a hybrid. The car features a 3.5 liter V6 coupled to Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) system.

Toyota has used the Johannesburg International Motor Show to add three new editions to its Hilux range. I must say, the 4x4 vehicles Toyota offers really did dominate the stand. It's hard not to see why the Toyota 4x4 is such a sought after vehicle.

The new Yaris TS was also on display, Toyota's first 'performance' vehicle in a very long time. Powered by an all-new 1,8 litre Dual VVTi petrol engine mated with a 6-speed manual transmission, is sure to turn some heads.

It was a really enjoyable day, I had a good time.

Join us at JIMS this weekend

Ruff — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:57:42 +0000

The 8th and 9th November are the last two days of JIMS (Johannesburg International Motor Show). Join us at the Toyota stand to view the latest Hilux models, amongst other things.

We're in Hall 6 and would love to have a chat with you. If you take any pictures, please share them with the MoA community by uploading them (Register today).

Hope to see you there!

Finally, We're Off

Dave — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:59:31 +0000

About three weeks after getting to Natal we were finally ready to leave South Africa and get stuck in to our adventure. Although now behind schedule, the delay had given us the opportunity to get used to the Beast and to grow more accustomed to the concept of African Time – something we knew would soon become a way of life for us (singing "Always look on the bright side of life, de dum, de dum, de dum, de dum").

And so it was, with one 4x4 course and two practice runs under our belts and what felt like months and months of packing and repacking, we were, at long last, on our way. We started by heading up to Northern Natal, towards the Kosi Bay area, where we spent a few days testing the vehicle and seeing what it was like driving 4 tons of machine over soft, sandy tracks before crossing the border and doing it for real in Mozambique.

Watch this space for Sandton Meets Africa – coming soon.