Mozambique really is a beautiful country. Even though we were nowhere near the ocean, we had that laid-back feeling you get when you go to the beach. I can’t say much about the people, though, since they all ran away from us, but the few we had the privilege to meet – like the fashionforward ranger at Campismo Nhampfule – had a charm we came to know and love as typically Mozambican.
Next we arrived at the Parque Nacional do Limpopo and set up camp in Campismo Nhampfule. It was desolate … with a ranger sporting the whitest shoes I had ever seen on someone in the middle of Mozambique. We were completely alone that night, as the ranger left for town soon after we arrived. I guess having his first campers in two months was something to celebrate! Mom and Dad set up our shower cubicle with water from the caravan’s tanks so we could have a quick shower. Later that night we ate Dad’s famous spaghetti bolognaise, before curling up and drifting off to sleep to the sound of a car honking at the gate to summon a ranger who would never appear. Two days later, I’d seen enough silver marsh spiders and snakes not to be afraid of them any more. In fact, I almost stepped on a snake and only freaked out a little. OK, so it was just 15 cm long, but still that’s what you call progress.
The next day we drove for I don’t know how long. The road was bumpy at times, and it was clear that this part of Mozambique had recently been blessed with rain, as Mom constantly had to get out and check the depth of the puddles Dad planned to drive through.
