Its been almost a year since our group of BMXers and Skaters went on this trip. I've been wanting to share this news with you for quite some time.
Adriaan Louw and I are busy making a full length documentary of this adventure that took place in December 2008.
Here is a brief write up of the trips concept:
Via the Backroads! – a BMX / Skateboard Adventure
Via the Backroads is an Extreme Sports Adventure based on traveling through South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique. Our group of 10 guys consisted of 5 skateboarders, 4 BMXers and one 1 filmer braving the backroads to explore new spots of BMX and Skating interest. We promoted our respected disciplines by taking it to towns and areas never before exposed to BMX or Skateboarding.
This exploration adventure took us to more than just new spots. We met people that were open-minded to our lifestyles. In cities people would prejudge Skateboarders and BMXers as vandals or trouble makers. In places like Swaziland, Mthata and Fort Hare we were welcomed with open arms.
For 25 days BMX, Skateboarding and Adventure was everything! It took us to amazing places. Places that are overlooked by others. And it was here that we encountered the greatest experiences.
Finding a virgin spot or drinking a beer at your hut while overlooking the Trankei landscape was what made this trip so enjoyable.
The Urban Extreme Sport that contrasts the unique and beautiful Southern Africa landscape was captured on camera and is sure to be an interesting and enjoyable documentary.
I've been wanting to add some of my slideshows to my blog, but did not know exactly how to upload and show it. Today I figured it out and thought I'd share two of my old slideshows with you.
I edited a documentary style slideshow after I did my trip through Southern Africa. I made use of my own photos and added some vocals and music to it. It was a fun project. Check it out!
It was smooth sailing heading from Vilanculos south to Maputo and back to South Africa.
I stayed in Tofo for 4 days and just relaxed on the beach before going to Maputo. I had an amazing time at Fatima’s Backpackers and had to go back with friends.
The past December holiday (2008) I went back as we did another “Via the Backroads” trip and Mozambique as included as one of the many destinations. (news on Via will soon be posted).
The Backpackers in Tofo has a shuttle service that takes travelers and passengers back to Maputo. This is a convenient service as the Chapa leaves at 4am and takes you to your backpackers in Maputo arriving at lunch time.
I was in Maputo for only one day. It was a Sunday and the streets were empty. I walked around the city for hours looking for an internet café and eventually found internet access at a hotel. My experience of Maputo was that this is a run down city though the presence of investment and money was visible. A distributor of paint will become a millionaire over night if the council of Maputo decides to give the city a facelift. My stay was short as I boarded a bus the next morning for Johannesburg.
I would often buy food from street vendors and at the komatipoort border post I had my last street meal. I walked through the street vendors and bought Nshima and a ¼ Chicken. It did not look great, but I was just too hungry. The girl that sat next to me on the bus refused to buy the same meal and said she would rather wait. I was still in Africa mode and did not know when we would stop again and had to fill my stomach.
It was not 15 min after I finished my meal that the bus stopped outside a shopping centre. I walked in and bought a fruit juice, I was back in South Africa and it felt great.
I left Malawi just before lunch and made my way to the border of Mozambique. From the border I took a Chapa to Tete and arrived after dark yet again. I had no idea where I was and no one could speak proper English. Luckily the driver was from Zimbabwe and understood me. He took me to a hotel and upon arrival I knew that this place was not for me. I asked around for a cheaper option and ended up at a rest house next to the highway. This was the first time I paid for a bed, but had little option as it was dark.
The next morning I woke up early to be at the bus stop at 6am. When I arrived at the bus stop there were no more busses left and I was told that the busses leave at 4am and should wait another day. So I walked towards the end of town and waited for a pick up truck going to Chimoio.
At 8am the first pick up truck arrived and I took the lift to Chimoio. I sat on the back of the truck for a complete day driving through the hottest province of Mozambique, the Tete province. This was a very long day and just before sunset we arrived in Chimoio. I had to find accommodation fast as I sat on the back of a truck for 10 hours covering 400km and it would be dark soon.
I jumped of next to the road and started walking towards the town centre. Chimoio was a lot bigger than what I thought it would be. I asked around for a place to stay but no one could speak English. Eventually I met a guy and he said he would give me a lift to Pink Papaya Backpackers. I knew about this place thanks to my Lonely Planet Guide.
The next morning I was at the bus station at 4am looking to take a bus to Vilanculos. All the busses passed Vilanculos, but you had to pay the full fair to go to Maputo. I decided I would take a Chapa to Inchope and wait for a pick up or a bus to Vialnculos.
I met a Zimbabwean on the Chapa also going to Vilanculos. We arrived in Inchope and climbed of at the intersection waiting for a lift. Adriano (my Zimbabean friend) said we should try taking a truck as they always took passengers for extra money.
We walked up to a parked truck and asked a lift. I had this feeling that the trip was going to be hell as we started of with an argument about how much we should pay for the journey. With no alternative transport we boarded the truck. We were the first two on board and I thought to myself it could be comfortable. Then we stopped at a pick up point and they just started loading the cabin full of people.
I noticed that the truck was transporting another truck that had broken down, so after the first stop I told the driver who was by that time already drunk that I was going to go sit in the back with Adriano.
We would stop at every town and the drivers would buy goods like goats and chickens to sell at a later stage on the trip. At all the pit stops they would use our money to buy beer and food and chat to the ladies. These guys were there to exploit us and I knew we would not arrive in Vilanculos anytime before dark.
My initiative to go and sit on the truck on the back gave the drunk drivers the idea to add more people and before long the back truck was also filled. Luckily the back truck had a CD player and we listened to Dire Straits and Peter Tosh all the way.
Then matters got worse as we arrived at the SaveRiver police check point and one of the passengers Dina was in the country illegally. He left Zimbabwe with no paperwork and was heading to South Africa. This meant that we had to hide for almost 20min as they inspected the cargo load. This did not bother the drivers or Dina as they would pay a bribe if we got caught and head on.
It started getting dark and even the passengers became annoyed. We were stopping all the time as the drunk drivers changed places driving at no more that 50km/h.
The truck stopped at the turn off for Vilanculos and we were informed that this would be how far they would take us. We were forced to get of and find alternative transport as we lost yet another argument. Adriano, Dina and I caught a lift on the back of truck and arrived in Vilanculos at about 10pm.
Adriano offered me accommodation at his place for the night and the next morning I booked in at the backpackers.
This was truly the longest 3 days of traveling I have experienced and I was glad to know that further south more people would speak English, more transport options available and shorter distances to cover.
