Calanga

Today is a public holiday commemorating the day of the signing of the Lusaka Accord in 1974. This was between the Portuguese government that controlled Mozambique at the time, and FRELIMO, the group fighting for the country’s independence, and who are now the ruling party. Portugal ceded independence to Mozambique the following year.

I decided to bloody well enjoy a day off, knowing that when I get offline I can often consign work to a more distant corner of the mind.

Lundula and I headed to Calanga, a beach name I discovered on the map north of Maputo, but seemingly little visited. Getting to Calanga entailed driving north and turning into some sugar plantations just before the town of Manhiça. It felt like the wrong route but we persevered as we chugged past plantation workers clearing cane stalks and looking at us in a bemused fashion.

After the plantation the track suddenly got sandy as we hit several miles of dunes. We missed the sign indicating that tyres should be deflated to avoid getting stuck, so we got badly wedged approximately two hundred metres later. Luckily we received help from two blokes, Danilo and Benjamin, who were sinking beers nearby and had a shovel. They ended up coming with us to the beach and advising Lundula as he got a crash course in sand driving.

The dunes at Calanga were expansive, windy, wonderful and deserted. In built-up places the police are forbidding people from sitting on the sand. Luckily this wasn’t a concern here so we climbed some dunes and relaxed on the top, enjoying the views. Probably the best place to be during a pandemic.

Halfway back to Maputo, a strategic food stop for some fried chicken, salad and fries at a restaurant overlooking the Inkomati River.

A grand day out and an excellent mini-adventure.