The art of travelling in mozambique

Travelling around in Mozambique can be a very tricky process. Its one of those things that has a lot of rules that you just have to figure out in order to do it most successfully. First of all, most travel is done by chapa. I think that I have mentioned chapas before but I will explain them again. Chapas are little 15 passenger vans that Mozambicans somehow manage so squeeze upwards of 25 people into(my highest count was 31). In the chapa you have the motorista(the driver) and the cobrador(the money collector). The cobrador basically hangs the top half of his body out the window and wells where the chapa is headed to anyone who looks like they need a ride. There are no schedules and only sometimes are there designated stops. You basically have to tell the cobrador where you want to get off like 15 seconds before you get there and if will bang on the door of the vehicle to tell the motorista that he needs to stop. At first when i went to the city close to me i would wait wherever for a chapa and just hope that someone would drive by yelling "chongoene!" which is the name of my town. I have since discovered a certain spot on a random block where i usually find other people who are going to my town and where chapas to my town always seem to appear. I also think that people are starting to know where i live because some chapas will just stop in front of me and beckon me in without any communication at all. In the city close to where i live there are also a series of hand motions that the cobrador and prospective passengers use to signal where they are going or where they would like to go. Chapas to the beach use a hand motion that looks like you are splashing water on your shoulders. Chapas going to a town called dois mil (literally meaning two thousand) will hold out two fingers like a peace sign. Chapas travelling within the city will point a finger down at the ground and chapas travelling to somewhere far away will point a single finger up at the sky...etc etc. The second option for travelling is hitchhiking, also known as getting a "boleia". This is sometimes necessary especially if chapas are full, scarce, or if you are way out in the boonies where chapas may not exist. To hitchhike here you stand on the side of the road, stretch out your arm with your palm facing down, and move your hand up and down. My friend peggy lives a few hours from me on the main national highway. I visited her last weekend and left at about 8 o'clock on sunday morning to go home. I parked myself on the side of the road and did my best to get someone to stop and take me home. Hitchhiking can be a very demoralizing experience. It only took me about 35 minutes to get myself a ride but in that time i cant tell you how many cozy SUVs with plenty of space inside blew right past me. Finally a huge 18 wheeler came to my rescue and i climbed on board and got to sit in the passengers seat. It was actually a very comfortable ride and the driver made no stops along the way so i was soon back at home. All in all, travelling here is always am adventure and you never know if it will take you an hour to get somewhere or 5 hours, but thats just the way it is.