December 25, 2025: An Exorcism and Then Some
I woke up at 4:30 on Christmas Day in Vilankulo in order to catch my transport – an infamous chapa. As I walked through the center of town, the streets were packed with drunk people still partying from the night before. The nightclubs were bumping African dance music. Wow these people know how to party.
A drunk man holding a beer very nicely walked me to chapa boarding area- an empty plot of dirt next to the gas station. And there it was: the barely-running 15-passenger that would soon be transporting 30+ people. My ride from Vilankulo to Maxixe (a 4 hour drive south) costs just 350 meticals ($5 USD). What a steal! Why do chapas in Mozambique all leave so early? Because chapas are banned from driving in darkness due to the horrifying rate of past accidents.
I boarded at 5:30 and was the second person on. Since I was there early, I got my pick of the seats. I chose the front. The front seat would fit three people. At 6:00, the van left, somehow only 2/3 full. And much to my surprise, the van was…clean and functional!
As we pulled out of town along the terrible dirt roads made even more terrible by the rain, we continued to stop and pick up passengers. By the time we reached Highway N1, the chapa was beyond full. Each row had four across with many more people standing in the doorframe and aisles leaning over the seated.
At each stop, more people would magically get on the bus and the airspace continued to shrink.
Highway N1 is the main highway in Mozambique and traverses the country north to south. It is two-lanes. Here in southern Mozambique, the road was paved and in fantastic shape, but I heard the road quality deteriorates rapidly when heading north.
As we headed south, we stopped every few minutes to drop off and pick up new passengers – seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Where do all these people come from?!?
It rained the whole four-hour drive. The Mozambique roads are notorious for corrupt police, but luckily for us, we had no issues. There were a couple very obvious tolls to pay (with listed prices) and a couple police checkpoints where we were waived through. I think the people who have issues are driving their own cars.
Along the way we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn!
We reached Maxixe (pronounced Mah-shesh) at 10:00, but it was a short stay because I now needed to board a wooden ferry to cross the Baia de Imhambane. The ferry ticket cost 20 meticals (30 cents). The boat, which looked like a refugee boat, took 30 minutes to fill. Once full, we departed on the 15-minute journey.
Halfway through the journey, a 20-year-old lady two seats to my left stood up and started wailing and flapping her arms like she was possessed by a demon. At the same time, heavy rain started to fall. The people in the adjacent seats tackled her, muzzled her and forced her under the wooden benches. She continued to fight.
Most people thought it was a stunt to get attention, but a few honestly believes she was possessed and began muttering counter-curses and prayers to exorcise the demon.
The boat was in an uproar! The captain, unsure of how to proceed, stopped the boat and talked with some of the passengers. After a short delay, he decided to keep going. Eventually we made it to Inhambane and the rain stopped.
As we disembarked, the other passengers suddenly realized that I, a white foreigner, witnessed this showcase. They laughed at each other and then me before saying “Africa”.
Once in Inhambane, my journey was not done yet. I followed some people into the market area to catch the chapa to Tofo. The bus driver insisted I pay 4x the normal rate (100 meticals vs 30) because I had a bag…which is baloney. Yes, we are talking about less than $1 but its about the principle. I fought back and got him to lower the price to 50. Still a rip off.
Unlike the first chapa, this one felt like it could break down at any second. The tire and engine lights were on, the ceiling protection carpet was gone so it was just a metal frame. And since I got the last seat, I was standing in the doorway leaning over into the lap of some other passengers. The wildly uncomfortable ride took 45 minutes. Maybe I should have paid the 100…
Somehow, the car survived and we limped into Tofo Beach just in time for lunch.
Final Thoughts:
This was not a comfortable journey, but it was real and it was cheap. The biggest downside to traveling in Mozambique is the transportation. Thankfully, I was flying for all my other routes.
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