Vilanculos

by Louwie Botma (South Africa)

Making a local connection Mozambique

The sight of light blue water was broken in the far horizon by a few small islands. The humidity forced my shirt from my upper body short after arrival and into the tropical water I went to. The water did not cool me down as much as I expected, yet I was not disappointed as I soon realized that the water doesn’t get deeper the further you went from the shore. This new experience amazed me, so I just kept walking until I reached the first fishing boat where some of the friendliest fishermen greeted me. Their boat was filled with some of the most beautiful and weirdest fish I have ever seen. Incredible to think that all of those fish were swimming around me at that very moment. We spent three long days on the road driving from Cape Town to Vilanculos, but we started our visit the same way any other tourist does as Nelito was waiting for us at the airport. Nelito started telling me about his hometown when he was still working as a chef in a coffee shop in South Africa. Curiosity started growing on me like a tumor every time we spoke and soon enough, I just had to make a plan to visit the incredible Vilanculos. Nelito promised us a camping spot in his yard which was very close to the iconic beaches of Vilanculos. Even though Vilanculos is a popular tourist destination and the people should see a lot of tourists, there was a lot of staring when drove into the rural areas and started putting up our tents in Nelito’s yard. By sunset we had a bit of a crowd coming to visit us every now and then, most of the people were quite shy, but all of them had the biggest friendliest smiles. After a while, Nelito called me to the side and whispered to me that the chief of the village would like to come and meet us. Of course, we agreed. The chief was an old man but also had an enormous smile on his face when he greeted us. At this moment I was almost sure the entire village was in Nelito’s yard. The crowd got quiet as the chief spoke, in Portuguese obviously and we could not understand a word. Every time the chief spoke, Nelito translated for us. It turns out that this was the first time ever that white people were sleeping in their village, away from the lodges and hotels. The first thought that came up to me is that we made a mistake, I mean is it really safe to stay out here when nobody has done it before. I am sure the chief could see there was some doubt in our eyes at this moment as shortly after his announcement he spoke to his people. We were assured to have a good time and to get the protection from all the people of the village as he asked all his people to look after us, and they did. We went to the market almost every day where Nelito got some fresh fish, vegetables, and fruits to prepare us the tastiest meals. Each night we sat on his porch with a Mac-Mahon beer eating fresh fish or prawns while listening to the stories of the locals. Each day we were part of their routines we learned so much about them and just as much about ourselves. Every time we walked anywhere a bunch of playful children always followed us, when we went to any shop the people would break the line to make space for us to be helped first. We felt like celebrities. The people of Vilanculos don’t have life easy and have to work harder than most of us do without getting a paycheck, but everything they do, they do it with a smile.