http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mozambique/Northern/Island-of-Mozambique/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Africa , Mozambique , Northern , Island of Mozambique en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:37:40 UTC Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:37:40 UTC Ihla de Mozambique played a huge role in the history of eastern Africa the slave trade and the Portuguese dominance over Mozambique. Before the Portuguese took over the island was used by Arab traders. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for the Portuguese their weapons werenrsquot that great and the Portuguese took over in the early 1500. They were quick to build the Chapel of Nossa Senhora http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mozambique/Northern/Island-of-Mozambique/blog-301428.html HeyArrived in Mozambique on Monday off the ferry from Malawi. After three days of travelling on the back of trucks and in crammed minibuses with chickens and goats etc. we have arrived in Nampula a bustling third world town. We are finding it very hard to communicate with the locals as we dont speak Portuguese From here we are heading to Ilha de Mozambique which is an island off the coast an http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mozambique/Northern/Island-of-Mozambique/blog-212490.html Tonight Nampula Tomorrow Train to Cuampa then Lichinga Wednesday Metangula and Lake Malawi But in the last week or so I've been around Ihla de Mocambique and Nacala. The short story is the Ihla was the original Portoguese capital of the region. As it stands now it is a very run down town with lots of historical ruins. Walking around the streets you can easily see the Portoguese influence and a http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mozambique/Northern/Island-of-Mozambique/blog-163079.html I just returned from Ilha de Moambique which is an island off the coast of Mozambique that was discovered by Vasco da Gama in 1498 and before he and his Portuguese counterparts arrived it was an Arab trading post. The island is the former capital of Mozambique and in the past it severed as the center of the Portuguese slave trade in East Africa. In 1991 it was designated a UNESCO world heritage http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mozambique/Northern/Island-of-Mozambique/blog-149312.html Thankfully our hut at Casa de Luis had a thatched roof so when the fright that awoke us from our brief siesta sent us through it we didn't sustain any serious injuries. Being woken up by a fanatical muslim chanting verses of the Quran through no less than a dozen speaker phones at close range is about as pleasant as being woken with a bucket of ice cold water at 6am on a monday morning. If this http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/Mozambique/Northern/Island-of-Mozambique/blog-83840.html