Taking time out in Tofo – Mozambique

Posted on 2 May 2009

After every thousand or so kilometers its always a good idea to get your arse out of the saddle and just do anything totally unrelated to cycling.

This all came together perfectly in Tofu.

My parents had planned a trip to Tofo to check up on us. It had all worked out very well with the help of the team from Casa Malcampo from Cape St Francis. The Malherbes contributed towards the tour by putting us all up in one of the houses in Tofinho. Once again, all our thanks to Vasie.

So with not only family around us, but also our official yoga and muscle therapist Kacy, the break in Tofu was relaxing from the start. From sunny days in the surf to torrential downpours on Sunday nights looking for a cold beer and warm meal, we just chilled out while our beloved bicycles sat in the corner like naughty, muddy children.

Tofo is beautiful, however it is also expensive in comparison to the rest of Mozambique. Unless you know the tricks to stretching your Meticais you will pay through your nose. We spent two nights in a backpackers when we arrived and were stunned by the price of meals. The best solution for packing in a huge plate of food to fill the gap left by all the pedaling is to brave the markets.

You are guaranteed to satisfy any hunger for under 100Mts. The only catch is you are confined to the choice of chicken or fish on a bed of rice. Personally I don’t care as long as it keeps my tapeworm satisfied. They even bring you more if you finish the plate, so if you finished eating leave a little behind to save yourself the embarrassment of having another full plate of food placed under your nose. The normal etiquette of placing your knife and fork together will not do.

On our last day in Tofo after a long day of reflection and surfing,we were all winding down while Kacy magically worked on our knotted muscles, (five days of relaxation is more stressful than you think), we noticed a familiar character from home coming over the dune, Rooibos tea in hand and the infamous knotted beard hanging from his smiling face.

Bruce Gold, our last original hippy from Jbay, a friend to the community and as a kid growing up in the lineup of Jbay, the guy who always crapped us out for not using sunblock.

We sat drinking tea and chatting. So now everyone knows where Bruce is, not abducted by aliens or anything out of the ordinary. His just furthering his search for a perfect lineup to grow old on. He says it might take a while, his still only eighteen.






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