Today we can lie in, as we can't go
anywhere until the gallimoto* is fixed. Ken disappears off in search of
spare parts while we explore the town. We visit the cathedral (known
affectionately as Gina Lollobrigida for obvious reasons)
and the museum, which is fairly standard stuff but has a craft centre out the back where guys are busy carving wood and making silver ornaments.
Back at the Tropicana we buy cold drinks and I teach Chris to play
backgammon while we wait for Ken. It's midday when he returns. He has
managed to find a shock absorber cone, but not a bolt for the trailer
which still has its makeshift bolt. Nevertheless we are carrying on,
and we quickly load up our stuff and set off for Pemba.and the museum, which is fairly standard stuff but has a craft centre out the back where guys are busy carving wood and making silver ornaments.
Mercifully the road is now paved, and in two hours we cover the same distance that we covered in the whole of the previous day.
We stop for lunch at a village and entertain the locals. Jackfruit are being sold by traders all along the road. I don't think I've ever had jackfruit and would like to try one, but too late. As always, the traders are selling what is grown locally, and we are now out of jackfruit territory and into bananas, which is no good, I hate bananas.
We arrive in Pemba at about 5, but the
fates are still against us - the hotel that Ken planned to stay in, the
Nautilius Beach Resort, is full (due to the uncertainties of the travel
in Mozambique he generally hasn't pre-booked the accommodation). They
suggest The Caracol (The Snail), which is just up the road, so we drive
up and then Chris and Blondie and I stand guard over the vehicle while
Ken and Mark investigate the rooms. This time we are in luck - nice
apartments overlooking the sea. For dinner we cross the "prom" to the
sea shore and eat at the Pemba Dolphin, which is right on the beach and
serves excellent seafood.
* Chichewa for motor vehicle - literally "chariot of fire"