Maputo, Mozambique

March 8, 2023

This morning we arrived in Maputo and we set foot on African soil for the first time in our life’s.Maputo has a rich colonial history going back to the 17th and 18th centuries being occupied by the English and Portuguese. They also had there share of civil wars over the years. Currently they are independent and the main language is Portuguese. This morning we had a City tour of Maputo with several stops all over the City. The interesting thing is, that they drive on the left side of the road in a Portuguese speaking country.Our first stop was the historic railway station build in 1908. Soon as we got off our bus we were bombarded by local street vendors trying to sell their goods. These guys were very persistent and hard to shake off. I finally caved and bought a $5 hat.The trains in the station come in in the morning, they sit there all day and they leave at night. After the train station we boarded the bus to our next stop a vegetable, fruit and fish market. In order to get into the market, we had to shake off a bunch of street vendors again. It did help, that I had bought the hat I was wearing at the last stop. They still were trying to talk me into buying more hats for everyone in my family. In the market we bought some cashews for snacking on later. Our next stop was an old fort build by the Portuguese in the early 1800. I must say a very interesting Place. The next stop was the Mozambique museum, it was filled with all the animals you find in Africa. The Animals were all stuffed up, including a few elephants.( that’s a big job) It was quite the display. Our last stop was another market, where they were selling a lot of linens, paintings and wood handicrafts. Meanwhile the street vendors were still all over us when we left the market. On our way back from the market we made a brief stop at the Cathedral. In front of the Cathedral there was a large gathering of women in support of International Women’s day. They were closely watched by the police carrying automatic weapons. On our way back to the ship we drove by the house where Nelson Mandela used to live and also past the current residency of the President. The President’s place was guarded by a dozen or so military police all holding AK 47 guns or similar. After a chaotic drive through the crazy traffic here we got back to the ship safely. Looking back at this visit, there are a lot of poor people here and with the high unemployment, I can’t see that change in the foreseeable future. There are a lot of apartment and condo buildings in serious need of repair and maintenance. On the flipside, there seem to be a lot of vehicles on the road and they are all newer. I can’t figure that out. (corruption?)We left the harbor around 7 tonight, just when the moon showed up above Maputo.On to our next stop, Durban South Africa.

“I alone cannot change the world. But I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” By – Mother Teresa

Cheers