Unique Places in Mozambique

On the way back to the airport I took this photo. It was raining and it was taken out of the window. It is quite a way out of town and there are many squatter camps in the area.

I saw a few of these shops next to the road.
Here you can buy anything from a colourful bucket to bananas. In SA there are many of these Spaza shops. Mainly in the township areas for those who find it difficult to get into the city.

Mozambique Vacations
Unspoiled sandy beaches, warm, clean Indian Ocean waters teeming with fish and other marine life, and tropical, sunny days make Mozambique a superb destination for travelers to Southern Africa. Visit one of Mozambique's luxurious coastal or island resorts for a great add-on to a safari in Southern Africa.

The Land of Smiles
Despite its recent political troubles and instability and the ravages of floods, the country has persevered and Mozambique's picturesque beaches and pristine reefs are some of the most lovely in all of Africa. The Bazaruto Archipelago, Maputo, Pemba and Inhaca, are places that make Mozambique a holiday destination worthy of discovery.

Mozambique's islands are tropical jewels, it's 2500-km, palm-fringed coastline is nothing short of spectacular, and the seafood, especially the Portuguese prawns, are world-renowned. Come experience the slendour of today's Mozambique!

A lot of buidlings in Maputo is run down and is in desperate need of repairing. But there are also beautiful places. Buildings from previous eras in between the rest.

We walked the streets of Maputo as we believe this is the only way to see.

if you meet people in the know, they will take you to places you can't phathom existing. I'm still mystified how a place that requires 4WD and a boat ride to get to from a place as secluded as Beira exists. Maybe the prestine, empty beach has something to do with it.

I know- everything seems to be off the beaten path- even Nhamatanda itself. Well, it is. Mozambique is off the beaten path as well, although there were a good number of tourists going through Maputo and up to Vilankulos, but no further.

If you have a chance, and can't get to Lord Jim's pad in Nhamatanda, Lord Jim may be gracious enough to take you out in Beira for the weekend. That's where he goes every weekend. For the average tourist, Beira is off the beaten path, but there are many ex-pats living there. Not like in Laos, but many for a normal ex-pat community. Here in Beira you can get away from rice and veggies and have a plate of crab legs for $2. Repeat- $2.

when ?
i've forgotten, but who flew,
it was Jose, a friend who later moved to France, then suddenly passed away - RIP - mon ami !
It was Jose who piloted a single engined Cessna or ???
we flew over Lourenco Marques, across the bay over Inhaca Island,
then the thrill to see the hundreds of elephants moving slowly between the huge trees of typically African environment.

where are the elephants now, the victims of hunters in both peace and wartimes have reduced their numbers to about 180 in 1998 according to The Deibi project, a co-operation between Groningen University in Holland and Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique, started in 1991.

A COELOCANTH about 1.5 m (5 feet) lon and weighing 57 kg (126 lbs). was caught by fishermen on the vessel Nerine trawling off the mouth of the Chalumna River in 1938 off the COMORES in the Mocambique Channel.

Latimeria chalumnae the living fossil a.k.a. the COELOCANTH first appeared in the fossil record about 360 million years ago, was thought to have become extinct about eighty million years ago.

Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, a curator at the East London Museum, could not identify the fish. She sent a sketch to J. L. B. Smith at Rhodes University in South Africa who identified the fish as a coelacanth.
"The discovery of a population of coelacanths off Sodwana Bay is a stunning reminder of how exciting science is and of how little we know about our own backyard when it comes to the marine environment along our coast. The episode is another fine example of the interdependence of science and the interested public - and that the public will only be interested if they are properly informed in the first place," says Dr Paul Skelton, Director of the JLBSI. According to Skelton, the discovery has a special significance for the JLBSI in the light of their expertise, the linkages and their obligation to enhancing marine conservation through a well-planned research effort on the coelacanths at Sodwana. "We are excited and looking forward to further discoveries about the African coelacanths," he says.

In the road between Maputo and Inhambane (near to Xai-Xai) we found a funny hut on the road. There were an inscription on it wall, painted in red : 'BON JOVI'.
In the middle of nothing we found that!!!
Very curious.