Mocambique Partying...

..... no wait, Mocambique cultural sightseeing!

I went to Mocambambique Friday night, I went with my co-worker and a bunch of her friends who work for Swazi Travel. So they had the logistics of the trip covered. We hired a Khombi and drove to the capital of Maputo after work. It took 2 hours of travel in total, I held up everyone at the border with my need for a VISA, Swazis can basically walk through. Actually the whole set up at the border crossing Goba is hilarious, the Swazi and Mozzie border posts are about 100 metres from eachother, they look like random concrete outhouses one sees dotted throughout the country side. No lighting, the concrete is all broken and there are random booths around the perimeters of the Mozzie border post with men who are willing to change money for you- from Emalangeni to Rands to Metcash. I found myself doing mental maths for this low key money exchange and for the whole time I was in Maputo. Buying a bottle of water requires a whole thought process: 'if it is this much in metcash, then it will be approx. such an amount in Emalangeni, which is turn is about this much Pounds and finally approx., approx. so much Canadian dollars.' Going on holiday when one lives in a foreign country is tough!

After walking from one border post to the other, informing the Mocambiqaun authorities that I was an Aussie, from Aussieland (yes this is on my official VISA for Mocambique, but not to mind my work permit for Swaziland states that I am from Austria, which is fair enough because I am convinced that a whole heap of people still think I live in Switzerland), we drove straight to Maputo, and then to the club.

I'll not fill you in on the details, but the night ended at 7 in the morning sitting on the beach. The day was then filled with shopping at a flea market, finding the shopping centre (going to any sort of 'big' public building is important when a Swazi is on holiday, it may be due to the lack of large public areas in Swaziland, we don't even have a movie theatre here), eating lots, and dealing with street hawkers.

My overall impression of Maputo was of a faded, busy, hot (even in winter it was noticeably hotter then Manzini), and tropical city. Its miles bigger then Swaziland and one can clearly see the Portuguese influence, and a stronger foreigner presence generally. I have pictures, but of course I need to get new batteries in order to download them (it is always one thing or other with my pictures). But they will follow.

This week will be spent at the hotel in Piggs Peak again (I was there for the Convention on the Rights of the Child meeting). Blogs will follow with details of a weeklong Government workshop on the country programme of action (related to the MDGs). Cheers