G’day mate! Even a carpet in green and gold was rolled out.

Just in time for the Olympics. Good as gold.

The last time I was on the beach was in the land of Oz. Clear pristine waters along the shores of the Pacific Ocean. That’s one thing Australia is known for.

Endless beaches and towering dunes are the only things Mozambique is known and tourism catered for. But there is so much more to it.

These endless sandy shores are particularly pristine along this Machangulo Peninsula, due to its location and less all-wheel access. You can lose yourself in spirit and soul.

Loving it.

Alexa and Toffee love the beach. But instead of chasing waves, crustaceans were the target.

Digging up crabs sure is entertaining for all of us. Almost everyone.

‘They spew them up in the car on the way home’ Wessel casually mentioned.

Wherever he goes the dogs follow. It’s always been like that, even 6 years ago.

He has a better connection to animals than humans. I can relate to that.

This peninsula is so isolated, that visitors don’t come around often.

Apart from this time at band camp. A German band camp.

Tania and Uwe are old-time friends from the old days in good ol Germany. Christa has known Uwe since her teenage days and Tanja since the wedding, almost 25 years ago. It was actually nice to chitchat in German for an extended period.

A familiar and family feel came up rather quickly. Breakfast and dinners were randomly prepared and cooked together with a glass of wine. And sugar! Thank you for your wine education, Uwe!

Tanja and Uwe came for an African adventure, which started at Krüger National Park in South Africa and ended on the shores of Mozambique. From one extreme to the other. First from Europe into Africa, then from an animal kingdom to a sandy massiveness.

Both couldn’t believe the vastness and emptiness of these beaches, in comparison to Europe. Ja, das ist gut.

The sunsets were best viewed from the northern tip of the Machangulo Peninsula.

The extended jetty would be my preferred location.

However, pelicans and shags beat me to the top spot.

Traditional Dhows are stranded on flats twice a day by the force of the tide.

These bays are quite shallow, which allows the tidal flow extensively in either direction.

And the best music and sunset drink combination is at Benji’s Patio bar. Who let the dogs out?

Wessel didn’t. He stayed at home with the dogs.

With the trade winds pushing warm air south, and north again the day after, I couldn’t explore the shores with Rick as often as I wanted.

The beach was just a dune away from the airstrip.

But when I did, the results were just amazing.

Particularly in the golden hours of the sunrise.

Jeboh, liking it.

Low tidal rock pools invited for a refreshing dip but my creative mind was more interested in the shapes and silhouettes of these lava formations.

I didn’t have to be resourceful, it was all there in front of me already.

Calm waters invited for reflections added to nature’s vivid invention.

The higher the sun stands during the day, the higher the angle of reflection reappears.

The benefits of having a drone. And that’s why I have a drone.

I took Rick with me one particular day to camp out on Sand Trax. The weather forecast was for being particularly calm and there is a chance of fog early mornings, over the hills and far away. A chance I am willing to take.

It was calm and chilly early mornings, but no foggy forecast eventuated.

Zimba and I cruised onto the mangrove tidal flats. We parked on solid ground and let the wings do the talking.

Cloudy reflection waterways lead the way out to sea.

And the way back home.