Pemba to Ibo Island, Mozambique – When Henny satisfied Henrik

all of us woke up at 3:45 am as well as headed down to the bus station to catch the 4:30 bus North to Pemba. Each morning ended up being harder to get up as our bodies were slowly running out of fuel. We slept for many of the 10 hour bus journey however woke up each time the bus stopped near a village. In Africa, numerous villagers make ends satisfy by selling different products to the passing buses. You can pick up anything from faucets to online chickens best with the bus window.

One of the numerous times we were provided food & beverage on the journey to Pemba, Mozambique

Want to purchase a chicken/bamboo mat/soda/fruit?! On the method to Pemba, Mozambique
Seeing the locals purchasing chickens at every stop as well as being woken up continuously by their “bock-bock-bocking” provided me a excellent idea. At one of the stops I bought a online poultry from one of the villagers for just over $3 as well as he passed it to me with the window with a huge smile.

I was most likely the very first “Mazungu” (white person) he had offered his poultry to. As I made my method up the aisle towards where Henry as well as Alice were sitting, the locals on the bus began to roar with laughter at the Mazungu with the frango (chicken). When I reached Henry’s seat I plopped the online bird, flapping in his lap. He grabbed it by the legs as well as looked at me with a such a dumbfounded look that made the poultry worth its weight in gold.

“What am I expected to finish with it?!” he exclaimed, clearly already frustrated by the flapping, cawing poultry on his lap. I said: “It is my present to you, you should take care of it, his name is Henny.” Henny is a nick-name I provided Henry when we very first satisfied so seeing as I was providing him a hen, it seemed like a appropriate name for the bird.

Henrik’s new friend, Henny. Bus trip from Nampula to Pemba

Just then Henny’s legs came untied as well as it began anxiously flapping as well as attempting a take on getaway from Henry’s untrained grasp. one of the locals snatched the bird with calm dexterity, grabbed a hair elastic from Dariece’s hand, as well as rapidly bound the hen’s legs together which seemed to calm it down.

The bus was full of laughter as Alice selected a new seat away from Henny as well as Henry, while the German as well as his new flightless good friend sat nervously side-by-side in their seats. The locals discovered it even much more funny when Henry as well as I attempted to feed the bird coconut biscuits as well as water.

By the time the commotion died down we had shown up in Pemba. Upon arrival it ended up being apparent that the four of us were totally unfit to care for a online poultry seeing as we were all frightened to touch it as well as didn’t understand exactly how to hold it without it flailing around like, well…. a poultry with it’s head cut off.

So, mainly because of Alice’s animal rights speeches as well as general anti-Hennyism, we ended up providing Henny to a extremely happy, extremely hungry looking regional who guaranteed he would not eat Henny as well as he would raise him well. My assumption is that Henny was on the BBQ within the hour, however Alice felt much better when the bird was out of our hands. Mine as well as Henry’s vision of travelling the world, playing ukulele, as well as dressing up our online poultry faded, as did the picture of the hungry regional disappearing down the dirty street bring our feathered friend.

the grateful regional who we provided the poultry to, Pemba, Mozambique

Although we had a great deal of fun on the bus as well as during our long travel day, the accumulation of hours spent on the road were starting to wear us down. tensions began to run a bit high as our exhaustion as well as irritation with African travel set in.

We hadn’t fought, however it was remove that everybody was running on empty as well as with short fuses. We agreed, after much debate, that it was finest to unwind on the beach in Pemba for an additional day before heading North to the Quirimbas Archipelago.

It’s a great thing we did. all of us felt much better after sleeping in up until 7:00am as well as costs a unwinding day at the beach. The women stayed in the beachside restaurant while Henry as well as I played in the sea with the youngsters from the surrounding villages. We developed sand castles, held them by the arms as well as hurled them into the water, as well as boosted them as much as do backflips. all in all it was a excellent day.Goats On The road enjoying a day at the beach, Pemba, Mozambique
Nick building sandcastles with regional young boys on the beach in Pemba, Mozambique

That night it ended up being obvious that staying the additional day was a great choice, Henry got speaking to a German guy named Urik who has a hotel on Ibo Island, the precise island we were heading to. He explained where to catch the bus as well as stated we might stay at his hotel.

The next morning at 7:00 am we went to the bus stop to catch the bus however rapidly understood we were about 3 hours as well late. Go figure, bus at 4:00am. We took a taxi to the junction outside of town where we spent a couple hours flagging down every car that passed by asking for rides. In between passing cars and trucks Henry provided me some ukulele lessons as I struggled to discover the most complex of all ukulele songs, Tears in heaven by Eric Clapton.

After hours of ineffective ukulele method as well as hitch-hiking, Henry called Urik as well as to our amazement he was on his method to the island with some supplies (he wasn’t planning to leave that day, however altered his mind).

So he chosen us up as well as we jumped in the back of his jeep believing we had an simple lift. turns out the well-known acronym T.I.A (This Is Africa) rang true when once again as we took our seats on propane tanks as well as milk crates in the back of his extremely full jeep.

Shortly after departing, Urik’s just recently serviced trailer (which we were pulling behind us) lost a wheel as well as crashed down the deserted dirty road. When Urik completed cursing he explained in an strange method that we would get a couple of locals to view the trailer while he drove us to the ferry.

So back in the jeep we got as well as headed to the ferry going mach 10 down the bumpy dirt path towards the sea. On the method one of the jerry cans in the back began to leak as well as the fumes ended up being almost unbearable. fortunately I was distracted by my new instrument, however by the time we shown up all of us reeked of petrol as well as felt light headed. except for Henry, he was sitting up front speaking German with his new good friend Urik.

Journey from Pemba to Ibo Island – A extremely tight travel space!

Henrik & Nick with the damaged down trailer, Pemba, Mozambique
Urik flagging down a group of locals to view over the damaged trailer while he goes back into town

local men to the rescue! Pemba, Mozambique
Urik left us to return to his trailer as well as as things go in Africa, we sat under a huge baobab tree, sweating profusely as well as waited for a ferry which never came. As the sun started to get low on the horizon, all of us started planning where we would camp for the night. These islands, as well as certainly all of northern Mozambique, is typically rarely went to by tourists. This was extremely obvious since the four of us were practically the only Mazungus we had seen because Nampula. It likewise ended up being remove that the word “ferry” refers to a fisherman’s boat who picks up passengers if he occurs to be going to Ibo Island. It was 4:30pm as well as Urik’s boat had yet to show.

the 4 of us waiting on the tide to find in so we can head to Ibo Island, Mozambique
waiting for the tide to find in so we might go to Ibo Island, Mozambique

Luckily, one more Mazungu hotel owner named Linda, concerned the shore to pick up supplies as well as provided us a ride. On the method we passed Uriks boat which was running late. We sailed to Ibo just as the sun set on over the baobab tree where we almost slept, casting a long shadow on the smooth, dark sea, which showed completely the reds as well as yellows from the late African sky.

When we shown up in Ibo we stayed at a hotel Linda suggested named “The African Pot“. had by a French chef expat, The African Pot will go down as one of the very best guesthouses we have ever stayed in. The spaces were clean as well as well decorated, the personnel was friendly, as well as every meal was prepared to perfection by the fantastic chef Stephane.

The next day we hung out as well as got in some much needed relaxation. bit did we understand that all the exhausting travel, the bumpy bus rides with chickens on our laps as well as youngsters puking was all going to be worth it since the next week ended up being a ideal testament to why we travel. The four of us had ended up being close good friends as well as as we organized our island trips as well as sailing trips, we understood we were in for an legendary adventure.

Mozambican kids, Pemba

Mozambican women, Pemba
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