Blogs from Mozambique, Africa - page 38

we made it to Ilha de Mozambique with very few scratches, my ear is fine and so is pauls. All we have t show for the 3 day bus journey are bruises on our knees. and bums, and mozzie bites. However, alll this will heal and now we are in the most beautiful place I´ve seen in a long time. We are surrounded in a mixture of cultures....african and muslim. There are more mosques than churches, the island is 2.5 kms long and 600 meters wide, the portugese used this island as a fort in the 1500´s so many of the buildings are very very old. I´m more than suprised that there is an internet cafe here. I´ll attempt to add some pictures tomorrow when I post my prewritten blog entry about the last few weeks. ... read more

I supose is a relative term. Just a quick warning incase I foget to those who like to know we are indeed alive, we are alive. However, due to the increasing distances we are traveling and the lack of internet I won't be able to tell you this for a while, I'll do it as often as I can, but for example after I leave Tofo I might not be able to email again until Nampula (LOOK IT UP) if I'm lucky, if I'm really unlucky I'll update in Lilongwe, Malawi Ok, on to the good stuff, the gory stuff, all that you've been fantasizing about. After a very trying expereince in Maputo....getting a visa for Tanzania, finding new malaria tablets, pauls bank account not working and being frozen and a VERY VERY EXpensive phone call ... read more

We left Blantyre, Malawi after a big shop (provisions being very short in Zimbabwe) & made our way to the Mozambique border. Getting out of Malawi was fine, getting into Mozambique was a different story. The plan was to dash across Mozambique & make it into Zimbabwe before nightfall so that we didn't have to bushcamp on possibly landmined ground. The border staff decided it would take about 3 hours to process our visas & charge us US$28 for the privilege, whereas a tour group of South Africans were let through in 20mins. When finally into Mozambique we raced across trying to make up lost time not knowing what time the Zim border closed. Saw a great sunset over the Zambezie river but we couldn't take any photos as it is a military target. Got to ... read more

The trip begins with chaotic shoving, shouting, and jockeying for position at the ticket window. We arrive two hours after the designated time for ticket sales and wait another hour for sales to begin. Sarah is so bad-ass, telling off the pestering policeman (in Portuguese!) and holding her position against some dudes three times her size. She ends-up being handed money to buy tickets for some locals who can’t hold their own. The train leaves Nampula the next day at 5am sharp, allowing us to gaze into the backyards of thousands of rural Mozambicans as they start their day. Isolated homes and villages are scattered thinly and evenly across the west - stunning thatch roofed clay, wattle, and rock huts - all perfectly proportioned, clean, and solid. In the early morning, fathers are sitting with their ... read more

We felt so lucky to roam the streets of this ancient stone island at this moment in history. This 1-by-3 kilometer sliver, once the capital of Mozambique, has the perfect balance of decaying buildings, a few restored gems, and a vibrant local fishing community using this stunning 400-year-old colonial streetscape for their everyday lives. We wandered for days, listening to the songs emanating from madrasses, peering at the hoards of children climbing over the building remnants, watching the coming and going from mosques and churches, and perusing the oceanfront markets. The northern half of the island is called Stonetown, with thick-walled stone buildings dating back to the 1500’s arranged along narrow winding roads. The southern part of the island, known as Makuti town, served as the quarry for Stonetown. There are huge rectangular pits with an ... read more