We stayed at Barra Lodge, which is the flagship lodge of the Praia Do Barra area. Barra has a beautiful beach which is bordered by the Inhambane Estauary on the one side and the Idian Ocean on the other. Loads of coconut trees everywhere, making it quite interesting to park your car in the correct place and ensuring you dont have a huge dent the next day incase of the these little suckers decides to drop on your car over night.
The lodge itself is very basic, a typical family and diver orientated resort with smaller casitas and larger family ones that can cater for up to 6 or 8 people. There is also the new Cabanas, which we can see the aim was to progress with the times, but maybe doesn't really fit the rustic, truly Mozambican feel the rest of the resort offers.
None the less, 100% recommended purely based on the diving. If you are looking for a bit more upscale on the accommodation front go for their sister resort Flamingo Bay, from which they offer a shuttle service to the dive centre in anyway.
The local church, one of many, the school and scenery around Barra.
Bar Babalaza, can be found on the junction where you will turn off between Inhambane and Barra towards Tofo. It is certainly an instituation as it dates pre war and it gets quite busy over weekends and almost insane crazy over peak periods such as Christmas and the Easter holidays.
We stopped simply because of the name. A pun on the Afrikaans term "babbelaas", which means the worst hangover you have ever experienced. I can see how things can go quite lopsided here.
The dochem's were fabulously cold....
Two ladies Gill and Jenny opened a small deli called Chilli's in the small petrol station complex just after the tunroff to Tofo. If you are tired of all the market food and the local restaurants such as Tofo Tofo and What you want, it is definately worth while making a stop here.
I am a total sucker for anything that has to word deli in it and made Dru stop immediately to see what home made goodies I could get my hands on. The guy next door sells out of the oven fresh pao and we bought a home made marula jelly which was absolutely delish.
The Chilli's ladies alos published a small recipy book on local dishes and cooking with their favourite dochem beer. I can's wait to get home to try out all these recipes.
Our little car
Crazy "Wacky" Wednesdays at Barra, this has nothing to do with getting two burgers for the price of one (AKA Steers), no it's Cruise Ship day. So we had been a Barra a few days already, had days and nights where we would go walk on the beach and there will literally not be another soul in sight. Unless you count the Great Dane that we picked up at Mad Mozzies Bar, and who followed us for our walk to the Light House and Back.
Yet on wednesday, the MSC ship pulled in and it was like we were in Durban. The whole of the Tofo market moves here for cruise ship day, hence a previously deserted beach now is clad in colour spurts as far as the eye can see.
We'd opt for the normal days at Barra, far more our idea of a nice relaxing trip to a off the map area.
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