Mozambique - Maputo to Mozambique Island
Man this is trying with a browser set to ##Z!* Portuguese!!
Greetings from Mozambique Island! Ross and I are both well.
It has been a while since we updated our site. It has proven rather challenging to get to a internet café that is affordable and where our car is not at risk (we had attempted break ins at Inhambane and Maputo).
Bertha (our car) has had a rough ride so far. The roads have been muddy, water-filled (puddles better suited to a boat), she has been attacked by ants (mobile ant colony), almost stolen twice by Mozambican banditos but viva la landrover as she lives on!
Time is moving on and I cannot believe we have been in Moz for almost one month. The journey has been at times rather challenging. The roads have at times (most) proven rather challenging. Potholes, potholes and more potholes. We could write a book describing road surfaces. However, the people up north are full of smiles and greetings and thus has made the journey worth it. No speaka english but with a little sign language we seem to cope. The mosquitos are attacking me with vengeance despite a whole stash of armary. I hope the doxy is doing its thing!
We spent a wonderful couple of days in Quilimane. At first glance the town was a little rough but upon further investigation proved to be a wonderful experience. We stayed in a coconut plantation and walked into town (15km). Yep got to keep fit. We found a coffee and cake shop, did some grocery shopping (they had Ouma rusks but at R20 a box we gave them a skip), and did the old church photographing. On the way home we went the local way – on a bicycle carrier. Much giggling, pulling in of tummy muscles we made our way home. The locals joined us in giggles and often took several glances and greeted us with Bon Dia!
Illia de Mozambique for all its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has to be the dirtiest place that we have ever visited. 7000 People in a couple of square kilometres, limited sanitation, no garbage disposal. It is also a city of spectacular ruins, the buildings that the Portuguese left behind are not extensively used by its present residents, they live around them as they crumble. Fig trees spread their roots between the stone walls and explode cracks as they grow, no one does anything to stop this, it is a case of a living city in ruins.
Our visit to Gorongosa National Park was also the revelation of a living tragedy. During the war Renamo was based in the area, the destruction that is left makes Chitengo very eerie, you can only wonder at the mayhem and suffering that must have been. Wildlife is very depleted (the only display in the park office is an extensive and vicious collection of traps), but the birding is fantastic! We saw many new birds for the first time.
Just as a gentle reminder not to venture into the bush for a pit stop (Sally) we saw a group clearing landmines. Every place we went to in the south there were gentle reminders of this sad war. People moving around in wheel chairs and offices of support for survivors of landmines.
On the whole we have seen a country littered with broken bridges, unused buildings and ruins. It is "a country of ruins" where people buzz around doing their daily chores with a smile. Hopefully one day the land of ruins will come into its own and prosper.
From here we will begin our run into Dar es Salam (sadly we will miss the Francois´). We are likely to stop in at Pemba and Ibo, before we cross the Rovuma river into Tanzania. In Tanzania our first vist will be Kilwa before we head for the Zanzibar!
Greetings from Mozambique Island! Ross and I are both well.
It has been a while since we updated our site. It has proven rather challenging to get to a internet café that is affordable and where our car is not at risk (we had attempted break ins at Inhambane and Maputo).
Bertha (our car) has had a rough ride so far. The roads have been muddy, water-filled (puddles better suited to a boat), she has been attacked by ants (mobile ant colony), almost stolen twice by Mozambican banditos but viva la landrover as she lives on!
Time is moving on and I cannot believe we have been in Moz for almost one month. The journey has been at times rather challenging. The roads have at times (most) proven rather challenging. Potholes, potholes and more potholes. We could write a book describing road surfaces. However, the people up north are full of smiles and greetings and thus has made the journey worth it. No speaka english but with a little sign language we seem to cope. The mosquitos are attacking me with vengeance despite a whole stash of armary. I hope the doxy is doing its thing!
We spent a wonderful couple of days in Quilimane. At first glance the town was a little rough but upon further investigation proved to be a wonderful experience. We stayed in a coconut plantation and walked into town (15km). Yep got to keep fit. We found a coffee and cake shop, did some grocery shopping (they had Ouma rusks but at R20 a box we gave them a skip), and did the old church photographing. On the way home we went the local way – on a bicycle carrier. Much giggling, pulling in of tummy muscles we made our way home. The locals joined us in giggles and often took several glances and greeted us with Bon Dia!
Illia de Mozambique for all its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has to be the dirtiest place that we have ever visited. 7000 People in a couple of square kilometres, limited sanitation, no garbage disposal. It is also a city of spectacular ruins, the buildings that the Portuguese left behind are not extensively used by its present residents, they live around them as they crumble. Fig trees spread their roots between the stone walls and explode cracks as they grow, no one does anything to stop this, it is a case of a living city in ruins.
Our visit to Gorongosa National Park was also the revelation of a living tragedy. During the war Renamo was based in the area, the destruction that is left makes Chitengo very eerie, you can only wonder at the mayhem and suffering that must have been. Wildlife is very depleted (the only display in the park office is an extensive and vicious collection of traps), but the birding is fantastic! We saw many new birds for the first time.
Just as a gentle reminder not to venture into the bush for a pit stop (Sally) we saw a group clearing landmines. Every place we went to in the south there were gentle reminders of this sad war. People moving around in wheel chairs and offices of support for survivors of landmines.
On the whole we have seen a country littered with broken bridges, unused buildings and ruins. It is "a country of ruins" where people buzz around doing their daily chores with a smile. Hopefully one day the land of ruins will come into its own and prosper.
From here we will begin our run into Dar es Salam (sadly we will miss the Francois´). We are likely to stop in at Pemba and Ibo, before we cross the Rovuma river into Tanzania. In Tanzania our first vist will be Kilwa before we head for the Zanzibar!
posted by caross | 1:37 AM
1 Comments:
Hi there travellers !
From the city dwellers- we have settled onto our new routine-all of us. Live for the weekends!
No; work not too bad... getting there and back not bad if not in peak traffic.
Guess we are happier looking at photos rather than doing the travelling ourselves after reading you update.The challenges are not for the feint hearted!
Saw M&D at JHB airport this pm.Had a pleasant afternoon with them and said bye as they set off for the trek to the int departure terminal.
Rhys wanting Jelly- time to go.
R,C,R and G
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