Ilha de Moçambique

After Kruger Park, we made our way to Mozambique. We took a bus across the border to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. We decided that since Mozambique is such a large country that we would try to fly across much of it to save a lot of time on buses. We had spent quite a lot of time the days beforehand trying to call the airline, but could not get through to anyone. So, we just showed up at the airport about 6:30am and they booked us on a flight to Nampula that left at 7:30am. Sweet! That worked out surprisngly well. The plane stopped at one other town on the way and we made it safely to Nampula, where we took a taxi to the mini-bus stand.

Unfortunetly, it seems that the only way to get to non-major cities in Mozambique is to take the death cabs. This one was actually a mini-bus, which seemed a little better than a big van, but no. They still packed in about 30 people to a bus that would comfortably seat about 15 or so. People were on each others laps, men were standing hanging out the side door or leaning over the seated people. And it was HOT. Its a very unpleasant way to get around, yet so many people use it as it is pretty much the only way to get around. When you stop somewhere, people swarm the car and try to sell you things. Anything from flashlights to eggs to live chickens. Who would buy a live chicken then put it in a packed van of people where there is barely room to breathe??? Apparently someone buys it, otherwise they wouldn´t sell it. Luckily no one in our van bought one...
On our chapa (death cab). Men standing in the aisles and leaning over people in the seats. You can't see the ones hanging out the door...


Our goal was to get to Ilha de Moçambique (Mozambique Island). To get there, you have to cross a small 3.5 km bridge. Due to weight restrictions, our van couldn´t go over. So they made us get in the back of a pick-up to go to the island itself from the town on the coast. Us and about 15 other people and luggage and cargo.
Not our pick-up, but this is like what we rode to get across the bridge.

Once there, we managed to find a hotel. The next day was a national holiday and most things were closed, so we layed low for a while.

Mozambique was colonized by the Portuguese. If I have my facts right, Mozambique Island was where Vasco de Gama first landed and the Portuguese set it up as a trading center back in the 1500s. The place has a lot of history- lots of old Portuguese style stone buildings that you would find in an important port and trading town. Lots of churches and mosques and forts. All surrounded by beautiful blue water. All this and judging by the way the guide books talk it up, it seems like a perfect tourist destination.

It is a neat place, but not quite what we were expecting. The main fort was closed, the beach was covered in trash, most of the buildings have not been kept up. On the holiday when everything was closed, it really looked like a ghost town. It really is too bad, because if they made it easier to get to, put some signposts up so you knew what things were, and kept up the buildings nicely, it would be a huge hit with tourists.
An old church on the edge of the island.
A pretty, but dirty beach.
Some interesting architecture.
A charming side street.

We did get some good exploring in. Checked out a museum of the governer´s mansion and some church artifacts. We walked around the island looking at the old buildings and checking out the market and the beaches. Kids followed us around the entire time. Sometimes they were helpful and even cute, but after a few hours, it would be nice to not have someone one step behind you for every move you make. But I have the feeling that this will be the rule rather than the exception for a lot of our time here. When we were having dinner at a restaurant, we were sitting at a streetside table. A group of young girls surrounded us. We smiled and acknowledged them, but that wasn´t enough. They also pounded on our table and poked at me. After telling them goodbye and waving multiple times, they still wouldn´t relent. When they stood inches away pointing and laughing at me while I ate, that was the last straw and we ended up going inside. I don´t think it is a good tourist thing to do to get irate with the kids, and I think its inevitable that they will be curious, but I have been having a hard time contemplating where I should draw the line to keep my own sanity and privacy.
The 3 boys who followed us around and were our unofficial tour guides for the day.

Other interesting things about Mozambique- they speak Portuguese. Which, of course, makes things much more difficult than they were in South Africa where most everyone spoke English. The simple things are difficult to communicate. Figuring out how to get from point A to B, asking for the bill at a restaurant, chatting with strangers, etc. I asked our hotel manager where I could find a Portuguese- English phrasebook or dictionary. He said his friend had one he could sell me. Turns out it was a used paperback (which would have been great). However he asked me for $18 for it, when the NEW list price was $5.99. I felt that wasn´t a fair price, so instead we just bumble around throwing out Spanish and English and the few words of Portuguese they have in the Lonely Planet.

Another thing, it is REALLY hot here. South Africa was quite temperate and we never had air conditioning and were usually fine. Here, the heat is suffocating. We even tried swimming in the ocean to cool off, but the water was just as warm as the air. It almost felt like a hot tub. Today we have the luxury of an air conditioned hotel room for the first time. Unforuntely you definitely pay for it, so I think we will just have to get used to the heat.

Lastly, the transportation is crazy. Not only do they pack so many people in that it hurts, but they seem to all depart at ungodly hours of the morning. Today, they picked us up from our hotel at 3:50am. As far as we could tell, unless we wanted to ride in the back of a pickup the whole way, that was when we had to go. The girl across from me fell asleep on my leg. Today, to get to Nacala, we had to switch death cabs halfway through. Or so we thought. We got off at the halfway point, looked rather confused, and luckily a man helped us figure out where to get the next death cab. However, instead of a death cab, a flat bed truck pulled up, someone hopped out of the cab and climbed on the back, and Andrej and me and our bags piled into the cab with the driver. So we inadvertantly hitch hiked. I have to say that the cab was extremely comfortable, no whatsoever crowded, and the driver drove slow in safe. It was fabulous. Then we got into town and he dropped us at a taxi queue. We wanted to go about 10 km out of town to a beach hotel we read about in the guidebook. The driver tried to take a back road made of sand and we got hopelessly stuck. It took3 men from passing trucks, the driver, Andrej, me, and a borrowed hoe from a farm lady half an hour to get ourselves out. We took the long way around, only to find out the place is no longer open and go straight back into town. Wow.

So anyways, we decided to go on to another beach town by what seems to be an actual bus tomorrow. What time does the bus leave? 4am of course! What time do you need to get there to get a ticket? 3am! JOY! We are really hoping this is a quirk of Mozambique transportation and that it won´t be like this elsewhere in Africa, but we shall see...

Once again, I am unable to post pictures, but I will get some nice Mozambique photos up as soon as I can. Take care everyone!