Chocas Mar

Here are some photos from our night at the beach Sunday. We usually don't go to this beach, since there isn't much snorkeling and we don't have friends there. And the cost is really too high to stay more than one night. So, we usually go to Nacala where we have friends and there is a super cheap house to stay in where we can cook and be right next to the beach. But THIS beach, Chocas, is SO beautiful and peaceful. To get there, we drive on cement/tar roads for about 75 miles and then turn south for about 20 miles, then east for about 20 miles on a very bumpy and sandy dirt road. That takes about 45 minutes. We go through some villages along the way, with a few cement buildings and there is even a cafe that we pass. Once we reach the coast, there are quite a few holiday homes there, though the town itself has pretty much nothing but some huts. We drive another 3 miles south down the coast on a very bumpy and sandy dirt track (4x4 required) and turn into the complex, where there are 6 rustic houses. They really are very nice by our standards, but any of you would call them rustic. They have straw roofs, very nicely done, and the one we stayed in, with another family, has two bedrooms and then a loft with 3 mattresses. I should have taken a photo. Anyway, the beach is across the "street" (dirt path) and over the bluffs. It is enormous, as you can see. And deserted. There was one other little group of Germans that we saw a couple of times, and fishermen in their dugout canoes going by or trying to sell us shells. So peaceful and quiet. We love it there. We had a great time with the Beutlers and their 5 and 2 year old boys. It was a little chilly, which is why the boys have long sleeves. Probably not less than 75F, though. :-) -C