May 17. Ordinary day.

Early morning we move to yet another town called Jinchang. We hope to get back to the main trail heading south towards the Laos-border. The road is beautiful again, and induces appetite for more.

We try to hitchhike here, but my stuck-out thumb is either not understood or all the drivers on the supposed main royal highway to China were locals who wouldn't get a mile away from their domiciles. A big Lao truck's roaring engine sparks some home, but the driver gestures that he is traveling in the opposite direction. Car after car passes, but the ones that stop are clandestine taxi drivers asking ridiculous rates to get to the bordertown. The sun sets slowly and I lower my thumb. We are stuck and in need of a guesthouse.

February 5. Hitch. Crash.

We hitch from Maputo to Inhambane. In the boiling morning heat we head out by means of a big construction truck. Oswaldo then takes us to the police control point where we need about half an hour to get picked up by a group of funny men. A pack of partying boys that invite us for a ride to Xai-Xai. The atmosphere is merry, the coastal scenery drifts by in the hot afternoon, and the driver cools himself down with - beer.

The crash is cool. It makes my heart pound and a frown of worry is drawn on my face as the rickety car zigzags the narrow road, gets out of control, loses its bumper, cracks its windshield, beer splashes all trough the interior of the car in my face, and lands in a dish.
"Well, you guys keep sober. I think we need another vehicle."
They are already getting the car back on the road and we wish them best of luck. Another car has already stopped and brings us to an affordable guesthouse where we have a nice dinner and a good night's sleep.