The Israeli couple was angrily pacing in front of the departures board. It was 11:45 and the noon flight hadn't even been announced. They were about our age but I could tell right away that this was their first trip to Africa. They didn't know “TIA.” They finally followed our example and had a leisurely lunch and "by 'm by" as Uncle Remus would say, the plane arrived. We were only two-hours late getting to Inhambane, much better than a 7-hour bus ride. This is Africa!
We had arrived back in Maputo around 11 PM last night after the 200km ride from Gorongosa and a flight from Beira. Sundown Guesthouse was fully booked so Dennis made reservations for us at Quiet Corners. He also had our luggage moved from Sundown and had his driver take us there from the airport. Thank you, Dennis. Quiet Corners is not on a corner. Nor is it quiet. It's a little cheaper than Sundown but not nearly as nice, a tiny room with a sprung double bed. In fact, on a value/$$ scale it is among the worst five places we can remember staying at. And Maputo ranks very low on the list of cities we have visited. Thankfully we have seen the last of it.
Casa Barry: quiet, comfortable and affordable
We are staying at Casa Barry at the southern edge of Tofo, a twenty-minute, 700 metical ($20) drive from the Inhambane airport. Our reed and thatch 'casita' isn't the Ritz but it is comfortable and affordable; even with paying for breakfast and dinner, it costs less than a night at Quiet Corners. Tofo is known for its beaches and diving. The big attractions right now are the manta rays (done that!) and whale sharks. If the wind dies down we may check out a whale shark trip or maybe a morning of canoeing/birding in the estuary. Otherwise, this will be a lazy - and much more affordable - end to our Mozambique miseries before we return to South Africa.
