Hotel Avenida Maputo

... with 14 days headed toward the end of the line; Bridget, Bret, Alaina and a few others. "Well looks like we'll have a good story to tell I guess" If you didn't know already our guide Isaac, from Kenya, found out the man spoke Swahili. Saving the day and keeping us from paying hefty bribes...the evil satan worshiping man decided to stamp us in. No jail time for us....but it was scary enough for anyone. Lesson learned: Always over estimate your stay for a Visa in a country.

... just a few Portuguese and a few Arabs who can manage to hold two nickels together long enough to invest it. One interesting thing is that the Mozambican locals actually speak Portuguese to each other, something you rarely hear in S.A., where English is mostly a second language, with ensuing lack of quality. Mozambique is different from all the other countries of the region, the same line dividing it from S.A. that divides the US from ...

Beethoven's 5th symphony meanders gently through the slightly mouldy shower curtain to my ears...I am struck by the contrast of hearing this so very 'Western' tune in the heart of Maputo a city that is bursting with colour, life, sound and African flair. As is so often on these trips, you plan to reach a certain destination in seven hours and due to very potholed road conditions, random meetings and dealing for fresh produce ...

... frisby in die sand. Sy geskel v**tel dat sy eiendom uit die tent gesteel is. Sy ma** halflyf vries en hy skuifel met wikkelende boude agt**uit tot sy skellende kop en vies gesigsuitdrukking laaste uit die tent se bek kom. Tot ons vriend se ontsteltenis het 'n skurk sy slaapsak en and** kledingstukkies uit die tent v**wyd**. Ek en Dirk lag, sek** uit v**ligting dat dit nie ons is wat besteel is nie, maar dan was ons besittings getrou in die wit skedonk se bak toegesluit. Ons lag ook ...

... this. Anyways, another big fat question about development I guess, right? With everyone providing such similar services, where is the niche? And what is the point? Bueller? Luckily, I had my share of ocean breezes and amazing seafood to quell any doubts. Maputo is sweet. It is right on the coast, and reminds me much more of Latin American capitals (Lima comes to mind) than any African city I've been in. In most African cities, the city center is one big slum ...

Depois de passarmos pela complicada, e apertada, fila, tivemos nossos passaportes analisados e liberados para entrar no pais. Conversar com as autoridades em minha propria lingua, apos tanto tempo na Inglaterra, me pareceu quase estranho. Apos a recepcao do estado fomos "recebidos" pela enorme placa de boas vindas da gigante empresa que domina o mercado de telefonia celular no pais, marcando, ao mesmo tempo. a entrada do pais e sua area de influencia. A quantidade de propagandas ...

... conference that Antonio, the guy I had met on my second attempt to get to Inhaca, came for. I actually fell asleep on the now smooth trip back and as we pulled into port 2 hours later, there she was: the Infante Sagres, only about the most beautiful vessel flying the Portuguese flag these days! Docked in Maputo...I've seen this ship SO many times from my terrace back home in Portugal it was quite special to see her all the way down here. Another beautiful ...

... and I still own my camera! I got home with nearly black feet and Anna's mum could not believe I walked home....I chilled by the pool with Delsey, little munchkin seems to like me quite a bit!, caught up with Aurelie and Anna, some chow time seen as 8am breakfast feast kept me rolling til 7pm.... and now this catch up! So, plan is Inhaca tomorrow...just a whole day on the beach, me and my books.....chil out time to me, myself and I...then Cape Town on Friday!

... descend and correct the damage - but took on too much water and ended up swimming back to the surface in a rather groggy state. Lou on the other hand had lost me - and was also having trouble with her mask pressure - so she came up as well. Basically I was too groggy to continue - Lou braved it and went back down with an instructor - saw some good stuff but ended up with eyeballs that were filled with blood as the pressure of the quick descent had taken its toll. we did ...

... for not having our passports on us. I actually had mine, but I didn't want to show it to them, thinking they might not even be real cops. Plus, Katie didn't have hers and I sensed one out of two wouldn't have been enough. After a ten minute back and forth where the cops spoke broken English and we pretended not to understand that they wanted money, we payed them 500 meticals (about $20). They were overjoyed and told ...