I’m writing this sitting on a plane to Johannesburg, which will serve as a jumping off point for my first of two trips to Mozambique during my stay in Southern Africa. On this first trip I’ll be accompanying two friends, Sean and Marc, as they sort out some business dealings about a lodge they are building along the Mozambican coast.

The lodge, which they started construction on late last year, is along the stunningly beautiful coastline. Mozambique offers bathtub-warm ocean water, white sand beaches, friendly people and delicious seafood (I’m very much looking forward to the crayfish – the local lobster). Unfortunately, as Sean and Marc and their other investors experience frequently, the country also poses serious logistical challenges.

As Sean explained to me recently, if it weren’t so beautiful a place it wouldn’t be worth building there.

Tourism businesses face a difficult government bureaucracy with complex rules regarding building and land use. In Sean and Marc’s case they also have to deal with the language barrier and hire people who can speak Portuguese.

Developing infrastructure and a recent spate of civil unrest in the country’s north (not where I’m going) also compound problems.

I’ll also be completing my open water diving course while in Mozambique. I did my first two ocean dives this past weekend in Cape Town. We dove through a kelp forest in the Atlantic Ocean, which was an otherworldly experience.

Feeling the slight current and knowing I wasn’t in the safe confines of a pool was intimidating but also exhilarating. The PADI diving course (and diving in general) is heavily focused on safety so I felt comfortable that everything would be fine.

Mozambique supposedly has world class diving with great sea wildlife, warm water and excellent visibility. It’s one of the big draws for tourists and a reason people deal with the difficult conditions to run resorts and dive centers.

I’ll also have a chance this trip to spend a bit of time in Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa.

See you next in Moçambique!

(Photo: Sean and Marc reviewing plans for the layout of the lodge.)