Summary

A traveler's account of experiencing a cyclone in Mozambique, deciding to wait it out, and eventually leaving for South Africa, capturing the journey through a photo-a-day challenge.

Abstract

The author recounts their decision to stay in Mozambique despite the approach of a cyclone, having been forewarned by accurate weather predictions. The narrative describes the intense experience of the cyclone's landfall, the subsequent rains, and the preparations made to evacuate quickly, including keeping their vehicle packed. Despite the rough conditions, the author took walks on the beach and captured the experience photographically. After the cyclone, they detail the wet journey to South Africa, where they took advantage of the unexpected entry to maintain their vehicle and enjoy a brief respite from the weather, including camping by the Olifants River and engaging in outdoor activities like paddling and hammock relaxation.

Opinions

The author had a strong desire to visit Mozambique, which influenced their decision to stay despite the cyclone warning.
There is an appreciation for the accuracy of modern weather predictions, though the author admits the actual experience of the cyclone was more intense than expected.
The author shows resilience and adaptability, managing to find moments of enjoyment and relaxation even in the midst of challenging circumstances.
A sense of gratitude is conveyed when the campsite owner offered them a cabin at the price of camping after a day of continuous rain.
The author values photography as a means of documenting their daily life and experiences, as evidenced by their participation in the photo-a-day challenge.
The cyclone experience was physically and emotionally taxing, as mentioned by the author's need to recover from the stress it caused.
The author views the unplanned entry into South Africa as an opportunity rather than a setback, utilizing it for vehicle maintenance and further exploration.

PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE

Escaping the Cyclone in Mozambique

Week 134 of the photographic documentary of my daily life

It’s one thing knowing there’s a possibility of a cyclone reaching the land you’re traveling in as you took off in cyclone season and a totally different one experiencing this severe tropical weather life.

And yes, weather predictions these days are pretty accurate and reliable. They did predict the incoming cyclone days before it even reached Madagascar, the island off the coast of Southern Africa.

Yet, we decided to stay. Looking at the predictions, we decided it was not gonna be that bad and we won’t let a cyclone cut our stay in Mozambique short. A country I wanted to visit for 8 years ago and a country that took us lots of driving to finally make it...

We were on T-12 hours when I headed out on a lovely afternoon walk on the beach. Yes, the wind had been howling for days already. Yes, the ocean was rough but that wasn't gonna stop me from getting some fresh air.

The cyclone was supposed to hit the mozambican coast at 2 am on Friday morning which meant we'd be sleeping. Or not. Storms like that will keep you awake even if you're not inside a tent.

And yes, the cyclone did hit the coast a few kilometers north of us. The night was rough. We didn't sleep much. There wasn't too much rain yet but the wind had been howling all night long.

We had moved inside a chalet at the campsite but that wasn't a proper building as you'd expect a chalet to be. This is Africa after all. We had two concrete walls and two thatched ones. Better than a tent we said.

During the morning the rains set in and wouldn't stop until we left the country. I went for a walk on the beach that afternoon. Just to get out of the room and get some exercise in. But I didn't get far. The wind was forcing the rain to come horizontally in your face. Not that pleasant.

Friday was even worse. We kept on checking the predictions in an hourly interval. Since days already. But when we saw the precipitation predictions for the next few days we decided to leave.

Now.

And one of the preparations we had done before deciding to wait out the cyclone was to pack up our car and have it ready to go at any time. And so we did.

We checked out after breakfast and were packed withing half an hour.

Let me tell you one thing. It was a wet day. The windscreen wipers did not get a break. The entire day.

After spending the night in a hotel room due to a combination of not wanting to set up the tent in the cyclone rains and not finding a campsite in the town we ended up in, we were quickly back on the road.

It was supposed to be our last day in Mozambique and so we used all our local cash to buy as many fruits and cashew nuts as we could get. The best we could take with us from this trip to the tropical destination that got now washed away.

We drove through parts of the country where the land on both sides of the road was flooded. Saturated with water up to the rim.

We crossed the border into South Africa trying to escape the rains that followed the cyclone but this evening we didn't make it out of it. When we arrived at 6 pm at a campsite, the owner felt bad for us and gave us a cabin for the same price as camping.

Let’s put it that way, we didn’t argue. Or complain.

The next morning was in fact the first one in over a week where we got to see some sunshine. It was unreal. We left as the clouds were building up again and we crossed this river on a bridge that might not take much more water before being flooded again.

As we never intended to enter South Africa but did so now with no alternatives left, we decided to take advantage of it. Getting spare parts for our vehicle and paying a mechanic would be cheaper here than back in Namibia.

Plus, some works shouldn't have been pushed back any further. The roads in southern Africa were very hard on our vehicle and more maintenance was long due.

We stayed at the mechanic in Middelburg for 7 hours before we drove on. Not that far as the day was late but we found a lovely campsite on the Olifants River. Our only neighbors were a family of geese.

And since we didn't just enjoy the peaceful setting and location on the river but enjoyed the sunshine especially, we decided to stay for a second night.

I took the chance and did laundry. Washed all the clothes, towels and anything that got wet during the cyclone.

I can't talk about this place without mentioning how often I paddled up and down the river. There were some rapids just above camp and so I paddled downriver until the next rapids. It wasn't as long as I had hoped for but at least I got some fun exercise in.

And in between all of it, I was just hanging out in my hammock. Recovering from all the stress the cyclone had put on my body. Because we certainly did worry.

And this is the entire route we've taken through Mozambique:

Our route through Mozambique. | Screenshot from Googlemaps.com

This has been my week in photographs. 7 days. 7 photographs. Anyone can join. Once. Or weekly. It doesn’t matter. We welcome everyone! Dennett started this photography challenge in 2020 and many have participated ever since.

Erika / Eileen / K. Barrett / Juan / David / Mia / Susan / LensAfield / Kim / Barbara / Diana / Barb / Sandra / Shruthi / Ellie / Pene / Olive / Gustavo / Jane / Penny / Jillian / Shell / Ivy / Lisa / Lynne

And these are the previous weekly photo essays:

From Blue Skies and Empty Beaches to Cyclone Weather and Surfer's Paradise

Week 133 of the photographic documentary of my daily life

medium.com

Palm Trees, Beaches and Lots of Marine Life — A Tropical Paradise on the Indian Ocean

Week 132 of the photographic documentary of my daily life

medium.com

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