Photo: Mozambique Beer

Sometime the best part of a vacation is relaxing with a good local beer. 

~Jade

Stuck at an Abandoned Brothel

Anticipating your adventures is one of the best parts of traveling. Pre-trip planning – picking the perfect hotel, finding activities, making your packing list – not only makes for a more enjoyable trip, but it's a way to start the excitement before you even board your flight or hop in your car. Plans often fall apart...but that's not always a bad thing. Thanks to good old Facebook, yesterday we were reminded of one of our earliest trips together and how it went wrong.

The year was 2010 and we were on summer break after our first year of teaching. Since we were both home in Washington and had to make our way back to Louisiana we decided to take the long way round. Sputnik, Jade, and G Dog (Jade's puppy) jumped into the Little Yellow Submarine (Jade's car) for a rambling drive through Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

Sputnik chill in' in Pacman.

As we drive we're usually pretty cautious of how much gas is left. At a quarter tank it's time to think about feeding Pacman (another name for Jade's car). When we pulled out of Yosemite we still had three quarters, which should have been more than enough to get us to the next gas station as we headed to the Grand Canyon. Should have been.

If you've ever been to Yosemite you know that the roads in and out are pretty winding and unpopulated. Since our route took us through the park, we left a different way than we came. As 21st century girls we naturally had no road map or written directions. Instead we used the Google Maps on an iPhone. This means when Jade missed the turn for Highway 120, Google just rerouted us. No problem, right? Wrong!

At that point in time there was still about half a tank of gas in the Little Yellow Sub. That means we had 200 miles to fill up.

This part of the country has a whole lot of nothing.

After 100 miles of nothingness we started to get nervous. At some point, we crossed the border into Nevada and Sputnik started to look ahead at the towns Google said were supposed to be there. Each named dot on the map turned out to be nothing more than a cluster of run-down homes or expansive farms. But alas, not a single place to feed Alfalfa (yet another name for the car). Naturally, as we were coming down to the wire, phone service cut out too. Without cell coverage, there would be no help from AAA. As the needle on the gas gauge twitched toward empty, we grew more and more concerned that the Sub would just roll to a stop in the middle of the road. We pondered our options. Should we stop at the next dwelling and ask for help? Wave down one of the seldom passing-by trucks? As we plowed ahead, we murmured encouraging words to little Alfalfa. Just a few more miles... 

And just as we were giving up hope we pulled out of the mini mountains onto a long, straight, flat stretch of highway. We traveled on for about 10 minutes hoping, hoping, hoping for gas, or at least cell service. And FINALLY we found bars just as we hit a junction with a large, empty, safe looking parking lot.

Once we found cell phone service, we decided we better stay put. We parked Pacman, made a call to AAA, and began to explore. Turns out, we'd pulled into the parking lot of the legendary Cottontail Ranch, a decades-old brothel reportedly frequented by such patrons as Howard Hughes. Behind the shuttered building, we could still make out the overgrown landing strip that once accommodated the private planes of the rich and famous. The Ranch no doubt also hosted some of the many truck drivers who pass by regularly. The brothel closed in 2004 after more than three decades in business and by the time of our visit, was a mere shadow of its former glory. 

The now-shuttered Cottontail Ranch in Nevada

We camped out in the parking lot to wait for our AAA guy to arrive with gas to get us to the nearest station. The temperature, fortunately, was milder than one might expect of a midsummer afternoon in the Nevada desert. We sang songs and explored the property while G Dog refused to sit in the shade and insisted on trying to eat rocks. While few people passed by we actually had to assure one friendly truck driver that help was already on its way. (Truck drivers, by the way, are some of the friendliest and most helpful people you'll meet on the road!) When our AAA service person arrived, he brought with him a generous seven gallons of gas, which filled Alfalfa more than halfway. Good thing we stopped, he told us. The next gas station was still 100 miles down the road!

Back on the road, skirting the edges of Death Valley, we naturally stopped to refill on gas (and tasty snacks) as soon as possible. Because we'd spent an unplanned three hours in the Nevada desert, we had to adjust our initial goal of reaching the Grand Canyon that day. So we made a wholly unexpected, but nonetheless welcome, stop in Las Vegas. It was the first visit for both of us to this glittery metropolis that seems more like a theme park than a city. Much like the Cottontail Ranch, it feels out of place, as if someone misread a map and plopped buildings where they didn't belong. But as with the Cottontail Ranch, folks have shown they're willing to pay big bucks to fly to the middle of the Nevada desert for the diversions of Las Vegas. 

G-Dog, enjoying some summer sun.

We pulled up to a trusty, well-situated La Quinta, only a few short blocks from the Strip. Without the budget for a proper Vegas vacation we simply drove back and forth along the strip (which is very congested, by the way) observing all the pretty lights and looking for dinner. On retiring to our hotel we agreed we would some day have to come back and do it right.

It's funny, this part of the trip was what should have been a disaster but ended up being one of our fondest memories of all time. It showed that even when things go wrong we can make it through and have a great time. And really, what's so bad about relaxing in the sun for 3 hours with your best friend and a beautiful dog? ~Sputnik & Jade

Ilha de Moçambique

A few weeks ago my friend Panda and I returned from an absolutely amazing trip to Ilha de Moçambique (Mozambique Island). Over the next few weeks I'll chronicle the various pieces of the trip but let's start with a basic overview of where we visited.

Mozambique

A typical idyllic Mozambique beach

This approximately 800,000 sq km coastal country is a treasure trove of beautiful sights and complex history. Inland, there are mountains to climb and national parks to explore. Along the shores of the India Ocean there are several large cities, picturesque beaches, and fish fresh from the sea.

"Vascodagama" by
Ernesto Casanova

History

In 1498, the explorer Vasco da Gama first made shore in the area populated by both Bantu peoples and Arab and Persian traders. By 1505 de Gama's Portuguese brethren had established important posts here for their gold, ivory, and (ultimately) slave trade routes. In the 17th century, they divided much of the terrain through land grants called prazos but it wasn't until the late 19th century that true Portuguese control was established through a treaty with Britain. Between the 1920s and 1950s more and more colonists arrived as a result of ministry official and eventual Prime Minister António Salazar's policies barring non-Portuguese investments in Portuguese colonies. Mozambique obtained independence from Portugal in 1975 after close to 15 years of fighting. The new country struggled with infrastructure, education, and civil war. 1994 marked their first democratic elections and a new period of peace. Since that time Mozambique has been heralded as an example of the possibility of democracy and post war unity in Africa. 

Today

Today, the land is primarily populated by traditional ethnic groups with only 10% speaking Portuguese (the official language). Of course, that one-tenth of the population is the fraction primarily seen in cities and vacations spots frequented by tourists (as we did). The majority of Mozambicans are employed in subsistence farming with just under 70% living in rural settings. As in most of Sub-Saharian Africa, Mozambique has been hit hard by the HIV epidemic with a world prevalence ranking of 8th and 1.567 million people living with HIV. The primary religions are Catholicism and Islam (we stayed down the street from a Mosque during Ramadan and were woken nightly at about 3 am with prayers).  

A beach on the island

The Ilha

Our trip was spent almost entirely on the Ilha de Moçambique. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a 3 km long islet crowded with homes made through traditional methods and speckled with cobble stoned streets.

The name

The country was actually named after the island and not the other way around. When Vasco de Gama arrived he asked for the name of the place and locals said, "Ali Musa Mbiki". This was not actually the name of the island (it had none at the time) but rather an Arab trader who had become sultan. de Gama combined that into Mozambique which became the title for the island and later the territory. 

History

The fort

Prior to de Gama's arrival the island was already an important trading post between Madagascar, Persia, and Arabia and the introduction of the Portuguese expanded it to include routes between Western Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and China. The Fort of São Sebastião protected the island for centuries and still stands today as the oldest fort in Southern Africa. During a months long siege by the Dutch, Portuguese soldiers were able to hold claim to the island by retreating into the fort and closing the doors. 

Items from shipwrecks (like the porcelain
in the lower right) still wash ashore

The importance of this stop on trade routes lead the island to be the capital of Portuguese East Africa until it was moved at the end of the 19th century. So many vessels coming through also meant many were wrecked in inclement weather. Artefacts continue to wash ashore from these sunken ships today.

A home made by traditional techniques

Since the establishment of a port to this day the same building techniques have been used. Stone was mined from the centre of the island and transported to the edges for longer lasting buildings. The quarry was then turned into a settlement which holds a combination of brick and thatched homes.

One of the Catholic churches

Today 

The people of the island are a mixture of descendants of Portuguese, Bantu, Swahili, and Arab with a small expat community as well. There are two primary religions: Islam and Catholicism.

Fishermen repairing a net

Fishing  is the primary occupation with seafood dominating the diet on the island. Throughout the day men can be seen carrying their catch, repairing nets, and doing upkeep on wooden boats. 

The Governor's Palace

Tourism

There are several museums concerning the history of the island. The Fort, the former Governor's Palace, and the Maritime Museum are run by the same organisation and can be visited for one admission fee. 

Locals can be hired for the day to take tourists across the bay to various beaches and islands but unless you are fluent in Portuguese it is very difficult. Only one or two English speaking guides are available. If you're interested they will find you in the square in front of the museum or on the dock. There is one tourism company called Ilha Blue (they will be getting their own post to come because they're awesome) which offers packages such as snorkelling, sunset cruises, whale watching, and a walk through a Swahili village.

A delicious seafood salad

There are multiple restaurants scattered along the island. Most are run by expats with one or two run by locals. All have traditional food (primarily seafood) and employ locals. The establishments take turns for days off so business gets spread around.

There are a few hotels (Patio dos Quintalinhos, Casa Branca, and Hotel Omuhi'piti) but the cheapest lodging (and in my opinion best) options are home stays which operate like hotels in a local's house. Panda and I stayed at Amakuthini (also known as Casa de Luis) which was essentially a hostel in Luis's courtyard. She offered both dormitories and private rooms and for an additional nominal fee, dinner (which were some of the best meals we had on the trip). Other home stays are Casa de Dona Kero, Residencial Amy, and Casa de Dona Shamu.

Further Info

Panda and Jade at the Fort

Like I stated earlier, I intend to go into much greater detail on specific parts of the trip so keep an eye out for that. But for now here are some sources I used to double check history and sites useful for planning the trip:

Lonley Planet-I used their Southern Africa guide and their website 

Ilha Blue Island Safaris

CIA World Factbook 

UNESCO

~Jade