Arrivals

After a long journey over night from Europe across Africa by plan, with a short hop to Johannesburg, I got out of our plane in Beira. The air is dry and warm, but surprisingly (or perhaps I was misinformed) not hot.
Going through immigration and costumes was fairly quick and straight forward, and the van that would take the group to Gorongosa was already awaiting for the 3h30m plus through potholes. In such conditions, though the law requires to drive on the left this becomes optional.

Leaving Beira and driving through its suburbs, if can call it that, is not a beauty of landscape. You see the lack of conditions, the toughness of the life of people that you and I cannot imagine. Crumbling buildings, house badly finished, huts that are not more than sheds. And lots of people walking the streets carrying goods on their heads, on their backs.

Chitengo, the small community where the Gorongosa National Park's headquarters and the restoration team lives, welcomed us early in the evening, and the local team showed us around the basics, i.e. rooms and restaurant.

After a week in here, adaptation to this new place, with its distinctive rhythms and people, it's under way. Haven't been eaten by anything nor bitten by nasty bugs. So far none of those troubles that often affect travellers fell upon. Which I reckon is good!