Birthday 24th August

The best way to spend a birthday is with family in faraway places. What a great birthday I had being spoiled by my loved ones who even baked an island style cake for me with rudimentary facilities, icing and all!! Thanks guys, what a huge surprise.

We had eaten the 5, leaving the 8

Delicious pancakes and birthday cake to start the day

Mark making pancakes for breakfast

Champagne too!!

Birthday gifts, balloons, cake, pancakes and family - what can one wish for more?

Cute paintings on the house wall opposite our cottage

Time for a birthday swim

Mark managed to surf too

Soaking up some birthday winter sun!! Is it ever winter in Mozam?

Interesting sand patterns on the beach

We spent our days up and down the beach

The view back to Tofo beach. Our cottage was next to the blue roof house

The crew in shadows

My son's and my matching tattoos for his 21st birthday with our initials MC

In the sunset sky we could see Venus and Jupiter which we coming closer together each night

Loja's restaurant for birthday dinner

The best beer was the darker one - Preta

Enjoying some local brew over birthday supper

The girls hamming it

Chicken rice and veg for supper

Exploring Barra

We set off today in Sylvia, Mark's Polo, to explore the northern part of the peninsula at Barra, about 10kms away but on some very sandy parts of road when we got there, so had to park and walk for fear of getting stuck in the sand reserved for 4x4 vehicles. Here we found Neptunes, a delightful beach bar.

Algodoal, the cottage we were staying at in Tofo

The lie of the land at Barra, the northern part of the peninsula. Neptunes is no 10 on the map. We returned a few days later and headed right to Mad Mozzies beach bar no 23 and then walked to the lighthouse 

Heading up the 4x4 sand road to Neptunes

My daughter and I on the beach outside Neptunes

We tried a new local beer Manica

Crab curry

Catching some sun at Neptunes

The Indian Ocean.. we swam later

Beach shadows

Roadside village and millions of coconut palm trees everywhere

The locals going about their daily chores

We're alive 

Back at the cottage for a beer shandy and showing the part of Africa we're from and visiting

Neighbouring hound thinks he's a mountain goat on the rooftop barking at passersby

The locals come out to play beach football as the sun goes down

We're catching the last rays of sunshine

Horsing around on the beach 

Kate posing with the sunset

Enjoying the magic of Mozambique

The sun sets on another glorious day in Mozambique

Panorama pic of the setting sun

My kids and I

R&R in Mozam

What to do with a week on the beach? The first few days were a bit windy so we lazed around mostly and looked for things to eat. Our best was the fresh fish, calamari and fish we got from the local fishermen who also cleaned them for us. We then baked the fabulous looking catch in the outdoor pizza oven and had ourselves a feast.

Out and about with the family in Tofo

Relaxing and getting my tuna protein in

The fishermen cleaning our catch for supper tonight

My son Mark

An afternoon nap would not be complete without a local hound gatecrashing

My daughter Kate with the fish for tonight

Mark lazing in the hammock while our dinner is in the pizza oven

A feast of prawns and calamari in the pizza oven

Some hungry mouths to feed

Wow this was really a delicious feast

My daughter-in-law Lisa with Kate and some prawns

We ate it.. not the head though