Post 23: World view from Quelimane: Another Fox down; Colonel Gazza hangs tough and Becks prepares to walk on water

News Summary
From the Alpha Charlie World News Desk

Quelimane, Mozambique

Another Fox down

Charly and Alistair in FP-SCB in better days

CHARLY has texted to say that FP-SCB aka The Bumble Bee hit a pothole at the end of the runway at Stellenbosch, South Africa (FASH) yesterday evening, suffered a propeller strike and a nosewheel collapse. Charly and Alistair are OK but the damage could be very expensive to repair. Another Fox down. He awaits an expert assessment. I wish him and Alistair well. This may be trip over for him and Alistair. I hope not. Charly generously asks if I'm still in Quelimane and am I OK? I'm very fond of Charly. This is not a bad omen. Just bad luck.

Fuel scam in Maputo 

CHRIS calls to say that the authorities at Maputo have refused to fill the drums he has provided for the fuel they are selling him. They insist he buys new ones. So he is buying fuel ( and drums) from the local fuel company appropriately named GULP. Another day, another buck in Africa. I suppose the City would call this " Adding Value". Darius will uplift what I need, refuel and, weather permitting, get to me on Friday. Captain Courageous Laurie Kay ( see earlier post) texts from Kruger wildlife reserve to say he's watching buffalo and crocodiles and thinking of me. I ask which reminds him of me: the crocs of the buffalo?

Colonel Gazza

LIBYA: Colonel Gaddafi ( henceforth Gazza the Loon) has ordered his air force to bomb protestors in the east of the country as his forces continue to slaughter people in Benghazi. He says " I'm not resigning. My people love me". He will probably be carried out feet first. We go out of Libya just in time.

Becks prepares to walk on water

DAVID BECKHAM says that his new tattoo depicting him as Jesus Christ and his kids as cherubs has " real meaning".

Today's Feature: How the carry trade works at Quelimane's fishing port

My man Kim

Kim my very cool taxi driver takes to me the Gane Fish restaurant on the creek.We eat a delicious Groupa washed down by Premium beer. We are served by the delightful Carlotta who says she wants to come to work for me in Hertfordshire. I demur. The fabulous Angolan crooner Paolo Flores belts out a Passata on the speakers. It is high tide. A dozen blue and white heavy diesel-powered trawlers from Maputo sail in convoy into the creek to unload their catch. They drop anchor and settle down for the night. I can see little pirogues with 20 litre plastic cans circling the boats. A fellow diner explains: " The guys on the pirogues buy 20 or 40 litres of diesel for 300 Meticales (about US$10). They then sell the stuff to local motoists or farmers for 500 Meticales. That's a nice profit. The trawlers carry thousands of litres of diesel so it's hardly missed". Win-win I say. He laughs and high-fives me.

Trawling for fish. Adding value by selling its owner's diesel