first stop: Maputo

We kicked off our post-service travel in Mozambique, just across the border of Swaziland, in Maputo. Our gracious hosts were Kim and Peter, who both teach at the international school and live in a great downtown neighborhood. We found Maputo's grid layout easy to navigate and spent a couple of days walking around and finishing a few errands.

Maputo is a vibrant city. We noticed renovation projects and new construction sites every few blocks. The mix of architectural styles juxtaposed on Maputo's streets is an interesting window into Mozambique's history. Portugese tiled roofs and iron-fenced balconies, round corners and embellishments of art deco, the cement block buildings of the soviet era--all together on the same street. We had a good time admiring them all.

Maputo has a cafe and siesta culture. Nearly all businesses close from 12-2pm and some even until 3pm for siesta hours and many people take this time to sit at the sidewalk cafes and have a shot of expresso and watch the world go by.

Maputo also has a variety of markets, each with a maze of stalls and vendors selling fresh or frozen seafood, tropical fruits and vegetables, handicrafts, curios, and spices. I (Jamie girl) need to brush up my bargaining skills again. Current edibles in abundance right now include tomatoes, oranges, tangerines (naranjites), roasted corn cobs, and a rainbow of other fruits and veggies.

We've planned our stay (unintentionally) during a very pleasant weather period in Mozambique--dry, breezy, and mild, with the temperatures during the day hovering around 70-80 F. It feels so good to step outside and feel the warmth of the sun on our skin and a light wind on our faces. We woke up this morning to a cloudy sky, but it had burned off by 8am.

We plan to visit the promenade and the beach today before leaving Maputo tomorrow very early (4:30am) to head northward to Inhambane and Tofo, where Jamie boy hopes to do some surfing if the conditions allow it.

Mozambique's modern history is really interesting, especially from about 1962 onwards. The symbols on its flag say it all-- does any other national flag feature an AK-47? Maputo displays those turbulent chapters in its architecture and street names (many of them Communist icons like Mao, Lenin, Marx, etc). For further info on the main players of this country's independence from Portugal, Soviet/Marxist experiments (which proved thoroughly disastrous), and current one-party Democratic/free-market system, check out the following topics: Frelimo, Samora Machel, Renamo, and Joaquim Chissano for starters.