Left Tofo with a much smaller pack. I finally realised that I didn't need so much stuff and and that it wouldn't be fun hauling it around while hitchhiking. I also noticed that this time they didn't charge me double for the bus rides because of a huge bag I had, like they did on the way to Tofo. Leaving Tofo I hitched a ride the 22 km into Inhambane, then took a ferry ride across the bay to Maxixe (ma-she-she). Since leaving Tofo, I havn't seen a single white person, and am feeling glad to be getting away from the tourist destinations and getting into the real Africa. Even though i was the only white person on my 11 hour bus ride from Maxixe to Chimoi, and no one spoke more than 10 words of English, I quickly became very popular and made friends with everyone on the ride. When i pulled out the camera to catch some of the great scenery, all my new friends wanted me to take pictures with them. Back in Livingstone Zambia, my friend Nick had a flag made for me with his school clubs motto on it, "stay positive", with the idea that I would take pictures of it with cool things from my trip behind it. So I got the great idea to start with all my bus friends holding it up at the front of the bus, while going down the road. It seemed fitting considering how hard it was sometimes to stay positive on a 11 hour bus ride in Africa with no AC.
If you ever really want a good pineapple, it might be worth the trouble of flying to Mozambique, then taking buses or whatever other means and getting to the middle of the country. I hate pineapples back home, but then some dudes made me try one they had just bought on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, when the bus stopped and everyone lined up to pee on the road. We watched the guy that sold it to us cut it into 4 long slices. when he cut into it, it was like cutting into a hose; it just gushed juice everywhere. when I bit into my piece, it was still so juicy I had to hang out of the bus window to eat it, or else get everything soaked. It was kind of a spectacle seeing 10 of us hanging out the bus eating pineapple on the go. But, yes, the verdict was, that it was the best pineapple in the universe.
Great story Justin. Am following along and enjoying your travels. I hope you blog about all your adventures over the next two years.
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