Letters from Bart

Pemba Survival Guide December 3, 2009

Posted by bartacus1 in Uncategorized.
Tags: crafts, dining, Diving, Food, groceries, guide, handicrafts, housewares, language, links, living, living in, Mozambique, nightlife, Pemba, Shopping, Shops, stores, survival guide, Tour, Tourism, tourist
trackback

This blog entry is intended to give new residents and tourists to Pemba a better conception of what kind of food, tourism, and grocery services there are in and around Pemba, Mozambique, primarily because I went on the hunt for similar information and could not seem to find it myself prior to my move here, and had to find all this out via trial and error.  Most of this information is catered to people who are here for the long haul, but there are some relevant points for tourists as well.

For those of you who normally read my blog to find out about me and my life (and if that is the case, thanks!), this might not be the most interesting entry.

At the bottom of this entry is a list of internet links I collected prior to my trip here which could serve as useful tips for anybody going to Mozambique.

Rae of exchange when writing: 30 MZM = 1 USD

Pemba Survival Guide:

So, sometimes people read blogs to get an idea of what life is like in a different locale.  I thought I’d devote an entry to Pemba and what I’ve learned about living here, in order to better inform people of what life is like here, and what to expect.  This is utilitarian – people interested in what I’m doing might not be so interested in this

Pemba’s grown substantially over the past ten years – it has more than doubled in population since the end of the civil war, and construction has not been able to keep up.  The town is in quite the state of disrepair, and despite being touted as a tourism destination, there are few tourist attractions to take advantage of – most people use Pemba as a stepping stone on their way up through the country (such as to Ibo island or somewhwere in the Quirimbas archipelago), stay confined in the relative comfort of Pemba Beach Hotel (which, FYI, doesn’t really have a beach) and the Wimbe stretch.

Pemba looks very run down – there are no very high buildings (some 5 story buildings left from the colonial area) and the town appears as though it were stuck in a 1970s time warp.  It is very dusty, and there are piles of litter everywhere, as garbage here is rarely collected, and when it is, it is burned.  The town has its charms, however, considering it is located at the end of the road in Mozambique, one can imagine it could be a lot worse.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: There’s not much. Some handicrafts are available, including the remarkable Makonde carvings that the region is famous for, but beyond that, most touristy type activities are best organized through Kaskazini tours, which have their office at Pemba Beach Hotel and a website online www.kaskazini.com.  Ibo Island is close by, and Kaskazini tours can organize flights there and back, as accessing the island by land/water is substantially more difficult, though can be done by the more adventurous.  Wimbe beach is wonderful.  Mozambicans have a reputation of pooping on the beach, but I have yet to see this.  Apparently, if one visits Ilha de Mocambique, they’ll get that distinct pleasure.

The ocean, specifically the beaches and diving, are the primary source of what I call renewable enjoyment.  For beaches, your best bet in town is Wimbe beach, though not too much fun for the target of wonder that is the expat – prepare to be inermittently harassed all day by vendors and children.  This gets worse on weekends, especially Sunday, when the beach becomes excessively crowded and somewhat inebriated.  The better bet, if you have transport (or the 40 USD for the cab ride), is to head out of town to Mecufi (some 15 km, signposted), turn left off the paved road, drive a bit, and turn left at the sign to Il Pirata.  The road is shockingly atrocious – make sure you have a four wheel drive.  The end of the line, however, is a wonderful oasis, a long stretch of brilliant white sand, clear waters, and all-sand shallows which seemingly stretch for kilometres into the ocean.  The entire beach is called Murrebue (pron. mu-ray-buay), with Il Pirata located at the end closer to Pemba, and Il Popino? located farther down by the Mangrove outcrop.  Both points have decent restaurants with cold drinks and good food.  It’s a great place to spend a day watching the tides come in and out, and the beaches are truly magnificent, clear, and all-sand.  Kaskazini tours offers a rather competitive day trip packages there, for those without transport.

There is some good diving around the bay, including some impressive cliff dives.  Pieter, who runs Pieter’s place (see below in food), is my recommendation.  His dive shop is adjacent to Nautilus.  There’s also Pemba Dive.  Dive prices, I believe, are identical – 50 USD a dive.  The water is generally always warm from my experience, ranging from refreshingly cooler than the hot sun around you, to the temperature of bath water.

LANGUAGE: Those who do not speak Portuguese will have a remarkably difficult time in Pemba.  Hardly anybody speaks English, including in formal work environments and hotels.  Concierges and receptionists frequently speak English, as do a number of the sellers along Wimbe beach, and people are always glad to try out the few words they know on you.  For your sake, however, you should either speak some Portuguese before coming, bring a phrasebook, or prepare to learn quickly.

HANDICRAFTS: A new store is opening at the airport for the Union of Cabo Delgado Artisans (UACADE), to market their brand ‘UJAMAA’.  It should hopefully hold a number of products from across the region, priced by the local artisans themselves, and therefore likely a better deal than resellers, and with a better selection.  There are a couple shops at Pemba Beach Hotel.  There are a few Makonde wood carving shacks around – one on the road that connects Marginal to Av 25 (first roundabout after coming from Pemba Beach Hotel), one basically in front of Pemba Beach Hotel (impossible to miss), one on the Wimbe stretch (on-beach side, has a small hanging sign in what appears to be a house), and one across the road from the airport.  There is a basket weaving collective located across from Nautilus on the Wimbe beach stretch, but their prices are exorbitantly higher than they ought to be, due to their prime location.  Lots of local utilitarian crafts (mostly weaving) can be found in Banguia market ( see shopping below).

FOOD/HOUSEWARES SHOPS: There is actually a remarkable diversity of stuff that can be found in Pemba if one looks for the appropriate distributors, and is willing to hop from store to store to find them.  There aren’t really any conventional grocery stores in Pemba, so one needs to be a bit more adventurous than usual to procure all they need. There is remarkably poor signage for all of these places – keep a keen eye to find them.  Grow accustomed to opening hours – most places are closed for a ridiculously long lunch (12-2:30), and are open only until 5.  Many stay open as late as 7, however, and several of the local barracas can be found open as late as 9 pm.  On weekends these stores don’t break for lunch, but rather stop selling at around 2 PM.  Sundays are difficult for shopping, and most places are closed.

Here is my listing, all of which occur AFTER the PetroMoc gas station on the right side of the road:

Osman Supermarket à Av 25 de Setembro, right side of road when coming from airport.  By far the most ‘storelike’ store in Pemba, with high prices to match those high expectations.  Deals, generally, exclusively in imported stuff – I personally buy very little there, as they have tendencies of selling expired products at outlandishly inflated prices.  That said, they do carry a number of imported fruits that you might crave, their selection is diverse, and they have one of the best spice collections in town.  English speaking owners.

Kappa Kappa à Av Eduardo Mondlane next to Pasteleria Flor d’Avenida, is about the size of a closet, but has quite an array of products.  Good selection of ethnic (specifically Indian) food, and sundry goods, and a good place to buy cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  A tad pricey.  Kappa Kappa bakery (directly adjacent) IMO sells the best quality bread (pao) in town, including the occasional whole wheat bread.   English speaking owners.

Padaria Besa à is a white building across the street from the ASIA DONG compound and at the end of the Mercado do Batatas (Potato market), up the street on the right from Osman’s.  Their bread is so-so, though if they have their twist bread, buy it – it’s epic.  Probably the best place to buy yoghurt in town, esp pricewise, when they have it.  There is a small shop attached to the back with a variety of canned/imported/sundry goods, but it’s pricey.

Starfish à Also a cafe/restaurant.  Only open for lunch – 10 am to 4 pm or so.  Relatively new-ish, with fabulous views over the Port, good local (Moz – real) coffee, and good (pricey – approx 10 USD a meal) food.  Those with the finances and the will to procure something rare or foreign (green curry paste, wasabi, imported mayo, imported mustards, etc) can do so here.  Special imported cheeses (including blue and Parm Reggiano), and good quality luncheon meats (usu ham, salami).  You can also buy Savannah cider here, and pricey but top quality SA wines.  They also are distributors of the local coffee in the province, so stock up here.  They also prepare and clean meats, which are frozen (chicken, boerwors [sausage], fish, lamb, etc), and deal in produce not found in local markets (broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, occasional herbs, spinach, bok choi, etc).  You can also request certain items to be imported if you desperately need them and are willing to pay the price, speak with Sam or Shane, the proprietors.

ASIA DONG Compound à Av 25 de Setembro, if coming from the airport, on the left side after Handling (green and white bottle distributor building), before what appears to be an old gas station no longer in service.  The big ‘ASIA DONG’ sign over the store is a giveaway you are at the right place.  Asia Dong itself is a Chinese-run distributor of Chinese imported products, considerably more expensive than what you might find back home (wherever home is), but also frequently considerably cheaper than in the Mercado do Batatas (the informal market across the street), though not always the case.  In the same compound, there are a few car part stores, but also two Indian distributors with products packed high to the rafters in inauspicious unmarked high-walled stores.  These places exist in droves, but two in the same compound makes life easy (there are several right by the port, and several more on Av 25 de Setembro – all run by Indians).  They are the cheapest places to buy foodstuffs – pasta, rice, canned tomatoes, canned tuna, sugar, salt, washing powder, insect killer, glue, toothpaste, crackers, cookies, etc, and they are where almost all the local store owners buy the entirety of their stock.  In the same compound, closest to Peixe do Mama (frozen fish), there is a meat store with limited sundry goods, a good selection of frozen meat, and probably the best selection and prices on meat in town (also with English proprietors).

Mercado Indico à hidden, literally, behind the Handling building just before the Asia Dong compound – its brightly coloured storefront gives it away.  Probably the best selection of liquor in town (Exito/Galp gas stations and the ‘Bottle Store’ across from the yellow MCel building at town centre intersection being the other 2 places to go for booze).  It is an SA distributor, and has a large a number of imported sundry goods, luncheon meats, cheeses, and frozen meats, frozen samosas, French fries, etc.

Mercado do Batatas à across the street from Asia Dong – you can’t miss it on the right side of the street on your way from the airport into town.  Prepare to bargain – prices are all inflated, especially if you look like a tourist and only speak English, but there’s a nice capulana store buried in here, as well as a huge variety of various sundry goods and housewares, and you can frequently bargain prices down to half of asking and get the occasional deal.

Mercado central à the central horticultural produce market is off Av. Eduardo Mondlane in an open air, covered structure.  It’s on the right side of the road – turn right at MCel, and it’s on the right side of the road, tucked behind a host of shoe seller stands, though visible from the road.  Probably the best place in town to buy produce (though those with a bit more initiative, or larger orders, can head out of town to Mieze, past Mecufi, where produce can be procured for much better prices).

Banguia Market à if you can find it, it’s the biggest informal market in town.  If you turn right on Eduardo Mondlane (at MCel) when coming from the airport, it starts on the right about 1 km down, past the central produce market.  You can find anything here, though no fancy imported dairy, meats, or luxury items, mind you – the same collection and variety of goods as everywhere else, just on a stretched out and grander scale.

BEFORE the PetroMoc gas station, there are the two gas stations Galp and eXito – both of which have rather surprising collections of imported products at a price, especially Exito which has a small freezer with meat, and probably the best selection of cheese in town.  Galp has probably the biggest collection of imported liquor.  It’s strange, but true.  Gas stations are also open late, and on weekends.

There are more places, to be certain, but this listing essentially outlines all the places I ever go to.

RESTAURANTS:

Prepared food can be obtained cheap, if one is prepared to wait for it.  I have only listed the places I frequent here – there are quite a few more, but I like to think these are the best.  My favourite meal is lulas grelhadas – grilled squid, which is dependably good.  When I say good prices, I usually mean around 150 MT for decent portions.  Prices at Starfish tend to be around 200 MT, though portions are smaller.  Prices at Naval can be in excess of 300 MT, though most restaurants vary between 100 MT a meal (approx 3.50 USD) to 400 MT a meal (approx 13.50 USD), depending on what you are eating.  Drinks locally are 10 MT a bottle of Coke – at local restaurants expect to pay 15-20 MT, at the tourist trap places, expect 30 MT.  A 500 ML beer can be found as low as 25 MT a can (2M) at a local barraca.  Expect to pay 40-50 MT at a restaurant.  If you ask for ‘cerveja nacional – grande’, you can often get a large 550 mL bottle of beer for LESS than the price of a 340 mL bottle of beer (purportedly export quality – HAH).  Mixed drinks often fluctuate between 70 MT-150 MT, or are pricey, in other words.

Restaurants along the Wimbe beach stretch: Are alright.  Notable is the Dolphin – unremarkable food, not the greatest service, but has a generator, so when power’s out, a lot of people head here.

I loathe the food from Nautilus, and their high prices – service and bathrooms don’t help them either.  Clube Naval at Pemba Beach Hotel is expensive, but I have good experiences with their food.

The little yellow fast food shack on the left right by Dolphin apparently serves good food, though not so fast as one might assume.  Try the ‘Super Burger’, if they have it.

Brazuca is a new place that serves Brazilian style food.  Good caipirinhas and music.  Food is alright – it is still getting up on its feet.  Orange building a bit further down Marginal, on the right side.

There are a few other local establishments, all of which serve the same types of foods, and are unremarkable.

Marginal once the road goes dirt:

Russell’s has good food at decent prices – probably one of the most extensive menus in town, with most items available.  On the way to Russell’s you can find Pieter’s Place on the right, fairly close past Wimbe disco, which has a wonderful setting with a Baobab tree, and great food at good prices.  Past Pieter’s one can find JPs on the right, which is worth the wait for the patient – menu is long but usually limited to one or two things, but portions are plentiful and really tasty.  All have good signage and are easy to spot.

Town:

Starfish (see stores) is my favourite.  It’s pricey, though not compared to North American or European standards by any stretch (usu around 8-10$ a meal).  Food is fresh, portions are small, menu changes daily, and the view is spectacular.  Food arrives very quickly.  It is an oasis.

Samar is hard to find in a car.  Just past the Mcel intersection, drive straight through, and very soon on your right there’s an entrance between barracas into a church parking lot.  Adjacent to this parking lot is Samar, hidden in foliage, which is a Portuguese style restaurant with good prices and large portions.  Wait times vary – from 30 mins to 1 hr 30 mins – so brace yourself.

Pasteleria Flor d’Avenida has been around for awhile.  It’s on Eduardo Mondlane – turn left at the MCel intersection/roundabout, and it is on your left, beside Kappa Kappa.  It serves good coffee, a small selection of pastries, and food as well.  Wait times are average here, prices are pretty decent.

NIGHTLIFE: There are 3 ‘clubs’ that I know of, though I’ve somewhat given up on the nightlife in Pemba.  One is Wimbe Disco, which has always been somewhat comically empty every time I’ve been there, but is on Avenida Marginal at the end of the Wimbe stretch before the pavement ends, on the left.

Nelson’s Game, in town – turn left at the Alfa Seguranca building and drive till the end – cabbies would have a better, it’s only one turn off Av 25, bu tricky to get the right turnoff, is the only place in town you can play pool.

There’s a new club in the Baixa port area, though I have never been there.  Apparently it’s stark and imposing, though air conditioned.  Just ask for the ‘nove disco’ in the baixa, and you’ll be bound to find it.

Russell’s is a favourite congregation spot amongst expatriates.  Most staff have a basic understanding of English, and Russell is a local legend (Kiwi) who is very friendly and has set up quite a pleasant, airy thatched construction with free WiFi.  It’s wayyyy down the dirt road past Wimbe Disco, and on the right side of the road.  There’s finally a sign that says ‘Russell’s Place’, though a bigger one says ‘Pemba Magic Lodge’.  Keep left on the way there – there’s a fork at one point.  Locals know it as ‘o campismo’, as an FYI for cab drivers.

SAFETY: I’ve had no issues, and I’ve walked in some pretty shady areas at what one might assume are the wrong times of day/night.  Generally, it is advisable to keep only as much money on yourself as needed at a given time, not flaunt large sums of cash, and to avoid certain areas.  I have heard stories from all times of day of people being robbed in a variety of locations, usually at knife point.  Areas that appear best avoided are Avenida Marginal (Wimbe beach), past Brazuca restaurant and near Wimbe disco, and down to Russell’s Place, simply because it isn’t lit up and shady ilk tend to populate the area.

HEALTH: There’s a clinic and a hospital, and a pharmacy on Eduardo Mondlane (turn left at Mcel, on the right side of the road- Farmacia Nova), but generally, it’s advisable to not get sick or injured in Pemba (obviously you can’t plan such things, but it’s very true, and I have heard enumerable stories of people taking the expensive flight down to Maputo so they can get to Nelspruit for proper healthcare).  Mosquitos and malaria are rife in the region – you should definitely sleep under a net.  These can be procured fairly readily here for around 10 USD for a double/queen net.

SEASONS: Dry season is essentially identified as March-late October, though it is nearly December 2009 and rains have not really started in earnest yet.  Winter temperatures can (exceptionally) get to below 20, but I have never been cold or uncomfortable provided I have a light pair of pants and a thin, cotton long sleeved shirt.  Summers are brutally hot, with temperatures frequently in excess of 40 degrees, very humid, and not very windy despite the proximity of the sea.  Of course there are exceptions, though IMO, air conditioning or fans are a must if staying somewhere, especially in the summer months (October-April).

ROADS: Are in a terrible state of disrepair.  The road out of town west to Montepuez and up north to Macomia has been recently repaved, and with some brief exceptions, is easily traversable and well paved.  The roads in town, however, with perhaps the four main arteries (Av 25 de Setembro, Eduardo Mondlane, Avenida Marginal, and Rua do Aeropuerto) and area around the Governor’s house as exceptions, are terrible, and one quickly develops an intimate knowledge of where not to drive.  The field (Quissanga, Meluco, Metuge, etc – road to Ibo) has no good roads, though can be traversed in the dry season with some difficulty.

LIFE IN GENERAL:

Power outages are frequent in Pemba, especially if you live along the Wimbe stretch.  Power usually goes out at least once a week, if not a dozen times, with stretches of several hours without power occurring fortnightly.  Power surges are frequent, and surge protectors are advised (MAKE sure your surge protector is 220 volt as well!).  Plugs are European-style 2 hole round plugs, voltage is 220.  Water is treated and lots of people drink it, though it’s highly advised to filter it first as it is sandy, sandy, sandy, and has a tendency of giving people kidney stones.  I personally boil and filter it.  Anywhere outside of Pemba, treatment or boiling is a must.  Clothes are almost exclusively handwashed – you don’t find washing machines here readily.  Housekeeper/guard prices vary.  The minimum monthly wage is 1800 MZM (60 USD), though in reality this is almost never paid, and workers are paid for the days in which they work.  A neighbour pays 1200 MZM a month for his housekeeper, who comes every day for several hours to sweep, clean, do laundry, and cook.  Security guards are in the same bracket.  Taxi rates vary – usually you can get a cab from the Wimbe stretch into town for 100 MZM, though there is no formalized service and it is best to take down every driver’s number and create a mini database, in the event you need a taxi and your regular driver is out of commission.  Phone service providers are MCel and Vodacom.  Vodacom is better in the city, but completely useless outside town.  MCel is infuriating with its poor signals and frequent service interruptions, but is the advisable choice in the region if one is travelling about.  Credit can be purchased from the highly visible yellow-jacketed vendors all over the place.  Do not pay more for the credit value listed in town (frequently you will do this if you need credit in the field).  Power credit is purchased in town at the Credilec office on Eduardo Mondlane (turn left at MCel intersection, on the right side of the road after some intersections) and is relatively inexpensive compared to Western norms, though expect to pay considerably more for power if operating an air conditioner.

Hopefully this short guide helps somebody get a better idea of what life in Pemba is like so they can prepare themselves and have a better conception of what services are available on the ground!  Please feel free to send me a note on this blog if you have any more specific questions and I would be happen to answer them for you.  Cheers, from Pemba,

Bart Dickinson

LINKS:

BEST website I’ve found on Moz, simply because there is an integrated forum governed by a guy named Mike who lived in Moz for a long time (some 13 years), traveled everywhere, and returns every couple years to do it over.  He answers any questions pretty promptly.  I wanted to know if cirrus ATM cards would work in Pemba, and he confirmed as much – so by all means, be specific if you desire.

www.mozguide.com

Kaskazini Tourism

I’ve emailed the folks at Kaskazini a couple times – they run a pretty sweet website, useful because it’s all about Pemba and the surrounding region and they’re the biggest local tour agency, the purveyors of which you may well interact with in the next 8 months.  Check their contact info and email them with any Pemba-specific questions – I asked about the cost of food right now (2.50 US a kilo of tomatoes was the only answer I got, but that’s enough to guesstimate a basket of goods).   Good as a contemporary reference on the ground.

www.kaskazini.com – if that’s not right, just google the word

A Online Guide to Moz (I think).  Recommended in one of the blogs below:

http://www.ofroadandsea.com/

Listing for Program Director for the Enterprise Development Initiative – likely whoever was hired for these Terms of Reference will somebody’s coordinator:

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/res.nsf/db900SID/OCHA-76ABDG

This is a packing list from a safari website.  We’re not going on a safari, but it might give you some good ideas.

http://www.uyaphi.com/mozambique/safari-items.htm

The official Peace Corps Packing list suggestions for people travelling to Mozambique:

http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/Packing_list_for_Mozambique

A useful website outlining various medical preparatory steps you can take, as well as a detailed outline of tropical diseases:

http://sprojects.mmi.mcgill.ca/tropmed/prevention2/before.htm

Online blog by an American gal who lived in Nampula, which is pretty much as remote as Pemba in Northen Moz, and comparable in size:

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/living/articles/living_in_nampula_mozambique.shtml

Another online account of living in Moz, yet another American lady:

http://www.expatinterviews.com/Alexandra-Burr.html
Appears to be a website for Moz based news in Ingles – haven’t really explored it at all, but possibly useful for keeping abreast of affairs in the country:

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/solutions1/news.php

Living and Travelling in Mozambique – the Gov’t of Canada Official Website:

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/mozambique/consular_services_consulaires/index.aspx?lang=eng