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Published: April 18th 2006
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Money Exchange
Our bus from Swaziland to Mozambique stopped on the side of the road to allow for black market exchange of money. Judith and I boarded the public bus and headed towards Mozambique. We had heard that it was simple to get a visa at the border so we were not worried. At the border, I made sure we were the first at the immigration counter just in case the visas took a long time. My strategy paid off because just as we were getting our passports back (it took about 25 minutes in total), the public bus was taking off for Maputo.
As we approached Maputo, I felt as if I was once again traveling. The city was crowded and smoggy and we were dropped off at some random street corner. We made a call to the guesthouse (Fatimahs) from a phone that was resting on a milk carton. They picked us up and soon we were checked into a long, 6-bunk bed dorm room that was sooooo hot. But we managed.
That night, Judith and I were invited to a birthday dinner at a local Indian restaurant by a South African ex-pat who was staying at Fatimahs. Soon we found ourselves at dinner with a bunch of drunken white guys from South Africa and England. The food was great
Music Bus
I listen to music as the rest of the bus passengers sit and think. and we had a good time. The final bill was 2.5 million Mettakesh! Then I found myself in the ex-pat's big 4x4 whizzing through town with music blasting from his overpowered stereo. The night ended with a few pool games at a pub frequented by ex-pats where I excused myself and took a cab back to the guesthouse. The night in the dorm room was very hot, so hot that every few hours, I woke and took a cold shower.
Next day, in search of a more authentic Mozambique experience, I walked around town. I spoke with many locals about life in Mozambique. Most were happy with their situation but many were hoping for changes that would make their lives a bit better. The major problem they faced was corruption in their government. Hmmm. I realized I still had some South African Rand and some Swazi money in my possession so I stopped into an exchange place. After completing my transaction, I was approached by the manager of the place who asked me if I was in a rush. When I said no, he asked if I would be willing to help two of his employees with their English
homework. Soon I found myself sitting with two young girls and helping them through their schoolwork. A true ambassador of good relations I am!
The day grew very hot and I found myself in the middle of nowhere as I walked along the coastline. Strangely enough I stumbled upon a nice club that had a pool. Lucky for me I was wearing my bathing suit and the entrance fee was only $2. But there was a misunderstanding about what I wanted (to eat at the club or use the pool) which led to small argument. I eventually won the argument and saved myself about 100,000 Mettakesh...which is about $4 USD. Feeling bad though, I gave the 100,000 Mettakesh to the to the security guards who started the whole affair.
That night, Judith and I took in the fish market for some authentic Mozambique cooking. The fish market starts to jump around 6pm when the local fishermen bring in their hauls. The minute we arrive the various seafood stall owners starting yelling at us to get our attention. It is very hard not to stand out here in Africa. We finally chose an older, hefty lady towards the rear
Downtown Maputo
As we pulled into town, I realized I was traveling again...l of the market and inquired about purchasing some giant prawns. We bargained her down until we were able to get a kilo and a half of giant prawns and a half-kilo of smaller prawns. A young boy then came and asked us to use his shop to cook our food. We agreed and soon found ourselves sitting behind the fish market in a lovely large open area of restaurants. The manager (if I can call him that) came out and told us how he was planning to cook our prawns, what we can get with them (rice, chips, salad, etc.) and offered us drinks. About 25 minutes later, Judith and I were digging into tasty garlic cooked prawns with rice and chips. The meal was fantastic!
When we finished, we headed down the street to flag down a shared mini bus for the ride back to Fatimahs. I quickly noticed a white man driving a large 4x4 heading towards us. I quickly put my thumb up and he pulled over and gave us a ride. The man was an Italian who had moved to Mozambique to run a tile business. He too had just eaten at the fish market
Dinner Party
I join an expat and friends for dinner and was returning home.
Not looking forward to another hot night in the dorm room, I had planned to leave the following morning early for Tofo. I had met a Nieke (a young Dutch girl) who was also heading north and we agreed to leave together. The night in the dorm was the same as the previous night but I toughed it out by thinking of the wonderful beaches that lay ahead in Tofo.
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