To
be honest, things were none too sweet with my bank manager at the time.
Furthermore, he lacked the generosity of spirit that could have seen me
winging my way to one of the more traditional tropical island escapes.
So I guess I have him, and a tight budget to thank for discovering one
of the most pristine coastlines anywhere, Guinjata Bay. And the rest, as
they say, is geography.
Tucked
away on a broad sweep of golden beach, and protected from the prevailing
wind by a towering sand sentinel, lies a mop topped ‘Robinson
Crusoe’ village, badly in need of a haircut. Oozing charm from every
door, it was built from reeds, grass, palm fronds, coconut husks and
rough-hewn timber beams. Designed in synch with local building
traditions, there’s not a brick or concrete lintel in sight, and the
quaint cottage exteriors deceptively conceal a full range of mod-cons,
from fridges, freezers and stoves, to steaming showers and flush loos.
But
slaving over a hot stove seems crazy when there are two wonderful pubs
and a restaurant, crackling with atmosphere and bonhomie, situated just
off the beach. Also hidden from the rustic view is an impressive
infrastructure of boats, diving gear, fishing tackle and a compressor
for filling aqua lungs, all supervised by a competent skipper and
associate instructors. This is after all, an angling and diving
paradise. Completing the sketch is a wonderful tropical climate, mild in
winter, wonderfully warm in spring and autumn, and tending towards hot
and humid in summer.
All
of this causes one to ponder over Guinjata Bay’s obscurity, but the
reasons are not hard to fathom. Mozambique is a country desperately in
need of a drastic PR makeover. Most South Africans regard it in the
light of its war torn history, and there is no denying that this a
country that has experienced major decline - despite a recent turnaround
in Maputo, there are still symptoms of advanced decay in all the major
cities. But it also harbors one of the most beautiful coastlines
anywhere, crammed full of all the mandatory tropical requirements that
draw us to further flung, and consequently more expensive
alternatives.
The
terrorist threat has long since disappeared, and land mines are only
found in really remote areas, far from emerging tourist destinations.
Perhaps the major obstacle is accessibility. In the past you’ve needed
a 4x4 and the spirit of a Voortrekker to negotiate the narrow, pitted,
70km per hour Mozambican highways, and a healthy off-road capacity to
cover the final sandy tracks leading to the resorts.
So
one of the Sub-Saharan’s best kept secrets has been in the hands of a
beefy band of South African fishermen, who’ve been cashing in on this
angling Eldorado for years. Among these folk, Guinjata already has an
awesome reputation in a country acknowledged to be a front-runner in the
piscatorial world, and articles published in a host of fishing magazines
attest to this.
There
is a breaking wave however, that could see its eminence broadened as
land locked Gautengers seeking a sun and surf escape, tumble to the
bargain fly-in packages now threatening to render the more traditional
destinations obsolete. Taking off from Johannesburg International,
pressure cooked businessmen can take a two hop air package to
Inhambane from where they will be ferried some 25 odd kilometers in
4x4 transport to the tranquility of Guinjata Bay.
Having
spent a four day long-weekend in a tropical paradise, they can be back
in the office on a Tuesday morning, with glowing mid-winter tans and
wallets lighter by a paltry R4,660. There is also a 5-day midweek option
available at R5,200 with both packages including dinner bed and
breakfast. So with soaring spirits, and without the patronage of my
purse lipped bank manager, I took off on a warm September morning to
celebrate the rites of spring…
The
Guinjata Resort is the result of Paul Greyling’s lifelong passion for
fishing and the sea. Armed with the determination born of
obsession, and backed by his family, he battled beaurocracy and the
forces of nature to create this uniquely rustic angling haven. During
peak season, meaning any time during school holidays, the place is
packed to the gunnels with fishermen of every shape and size, along with
their families.
Paul
also organizes and promotes competitions that are highly acclaimed and
supported by the South African angling fraternity, and often contributes
to the cache of prizes to be won. Trouble is, being the highly skilled
and fiercely competitive man that he is; he remains the one to beat
during these contests. Recently he won two weeks accommodation in his
own resort. Frenetic activity on the sea during the day is followed by
serious industrial strength revelry in the atmospheric pubs and
restaurant at night. Extended arms lengthen by the round, along with
decibel levels and festivities. This is a group that plays hard during
the day, and even harder during celebrations at night.
Away
from the peaks, Guinjata becomes a very different proposition, and a
contrasting atmosphere prevails. It is during these serener times that
the fly-in packages provide popular appeal to those seeking a sunny
escape with warm waters and a romantic atmosphere. Scuba divers too, are
fastening on to these excursions, lured by the well-developed
infrastructure of equipment and professional instructors available at
the resort.
There
is also a unique topographical feature created by a huge reef that joins
the shoreline forming a giant pool. This creates a safe haven for
teaching the basics of scuba diving, and is also an ideal venue for
snorkeling. But the real excitement for seasoned divers lies further out
to sea on aptly named Manta Reef, where on good days you can get up
close and personal with these large delta winged stealth bombers of the
ocean. So with high hopes, I found myself on the maritime version of a
mechanical bull as we bucked our way to a precise GPS position on choppy
seas. This was not an ideal day for diving.
Back
flipping into old briny, the turbulence above was replaced by
tranquility below as we hung suspended in a surreal cobalt void just
beneath the boat. Slowly we descended to 25 meters where we ran into an
undersea Mardi Gras.
Creatures
of every shape size and colour drifted by, against a psychedelic
backdrop of coral and sponge formations.
Neon
yellows and blues, stripes, and a kaleidoscope of every shade of the
spectrum. A ghostly white albino moray eel stuck his head out of a
crevice, decided we weren’t worth the price of admission, and
retreated back into his hole. Frilly lionfish dressed like flappers from
the roaring twenties, hovered around, confident that their deadly spines
would ward off enemies, whilst a quartet of slim elongated flutefish
finned past on their way to rehearsals.
In
a small cavern I encountered a huge loggerhead and attempted a bit of
turtle bonding. Giving me a bored look and what I swear was an undersea
yawn, he slowly emerged and paddled off. Now I have seen more
spectacular coral formations in other tropical diving sites, but I have
never seen a better piscatorial display. Alas, however, the main event,
a guest appearance by a giant manta ray, never materialized.
One
of the bonuses of Guinjata, are the fresh crayfish that you buy from
locals on the beach for less than R20 each. They are however, an even
more unstable form of currency than the Rand, and prices rocket during
peak periods. Yet another reason to seek the quieter off-season escapes.
With a return to reality looming, I celebrated my last night tucking
into the famed Guinjata seafood platter with friends.
It
was a gastro-adventure of note, built around a crayfish centerpiece,
with a supporting cast of calamari, crab, rock cod and a most delicious
garlic and herb sauce. At the finale, instead of dainty finger bowls,
the waitress provided us with galvanized buckets, and looking at the
dripping hands and faces of my compatriots, we must have looked as if we
needed them! This brought the curtain down on my great Mozambican caper.
Sipping
an iced drink on the return flight, I pondered over the seasonal
implications of this versatile resort. There’s no denying that this
will always be a fishing destination during prime time, and if you are a
holistic vegetarian Feng Shui practitioner looking to tap into your
inner self, you might be more comfortable away from school holidays.
Divers
live very easily next to their boat-based angling cousins, and would
find Guinjata a great destination at any time. For the rest, I’m
predicting that the fly-in packages will see a big increase in
popularity as Gautengers get to realise that a tropical escape is just
around the corner at bargain basement rates. I’m convinced it will
become a romantic destination for honeymooners and others seeking an
idyllic contrast to the rough and tumble of life in the big city.
