Update : 14 May 2006
Place : Istanbul / Turkey
Day : 186 (Return to Turkey)
Distance Traveled : 29,580km

We are slowly approaching to the end of the trip. We are now so slow that those who follow these updates must have lost all hope in me telling the rest of the story. This I figure, as no more messages find their way into my inbox… I have run out of reasonable excuses and the delay in updates went beyond the limits of "shame" so I decided to complete the rest of trip updates during this week so as to lift the pressure and stress off me. Let's see if I can.

I leave Vilanculos and commence the drive to Inhambane on a road that turns into an off-road course at places. As far as tourism is concerned, the 750 km coastline from Inhassoro in the North to the capital city Maputo in the South is the most developed region of Mozambique. Highway EN1 stretches along this coastline which is a popular tourist destination especially among the South Africans travelers. The beaches around Inhambane, especially Coconut Bay, Tofo, Barra, Jangamo, Paindama beaches are holiday spots frequented by the surfers and those who are into open sea fishing. I am planning to stay in Inhambane; of course that is if I can find myself a suitable place to stay at.

Along EN1 there is a village called Maxixe; 20 km further down south from Maxixe you take a turn at the fork towards the coast and get on an asphalt paved road gently winding as it brings you all the way to Inhambane. A little later the road splits again at the "Coconut Bay" sign which points to a dirt road so I make the turn. My destination is Jangamo Beach Resort in Jangamo. According to the guide book I have, they offer relatively reasonable rates. The road surface transformed from dirt into sand after a while and from time to time I dip in and out of these sand pools that are deep enough to make my car dance. The sand, which envelopes the wheels while driving uphill, forces me to lock the middle differential and use L2

In the meantime you find yourself surrounded by coconut forests stretching in every direction as far as the eye can see. Coconut trees everywhere. I don't even want to imagine walking through these forests. I don't think anyone can survive a nut dropping on their head from a tree that high. I worry that my car might get hit by some. I don't mind if they fall on the roof (there is the roof rack). However, a nut landing on the engine hood might cause a serious dent.

When I arrived at the Jangamo Beach Resort I saw that all the rooms were taken. The resort was already filled with mostly South African guests who have unloaded their boats, surfboards and jet-skis from their trailers and are already fighting the waves of the Indian Ocean. The girl at the reception told this uninvited guest, who doesn't have a reservation either; that all the rooms are taken and as a huge favor she even gave me the room rates. By the way the rates aren't that "reasonable" anyway.


Jangamo beach, as far as the eye can see...

After a similar defeat in Tofo I headed Inhambane dipping in and out on the sand road. What I really mean is bouncing up and down; especially if one of the shock absorbers at the back is broken… And the rattling sound that comes from the roof as the car is bouncing up and down; what does that mean? Those who have read will know this one. Yes! Another roof rack bracket is broken. I lost track. Have you counted how many broke so far?

Inhambane is a charming little Portuguese town. Don't be surprised when I say "Portuguese"; I said it wrong on purpose, maybe so it can be the excuse for any other mistakes I make from now. It is a cute little town with its little old but equally cute buildings, and orderly streets that intersect each other at right angles. Its architecture features influences of typical Portuguese architecture from the colonial-era. The city's seafront strip with trees on both sides of the road is a popular esplanade for many black and colored youth. One of the only two hotels listed in my book is not a hotel anymore. It isn't even something else; just an abandoned building no longer in use. The exorbitant room rates they charge at the other one contradict with the "air" of the hotel and its rooms. And, it is a backpacker's hotel, called Pachica Backpackers… I will have to take a room here, since I seem to have run out of options. But there is a problem; the room is almost part of the bar next door. Even early in the evening at around 18:00 the music is too loud to stay in the room; who knows what it will be like at the time when I decide to sleep. There are really no other hotel, motel, bed & breakfast or other accommodation facilities in the city. So I will have to go back to Maxixe. I hope I can make it there before sunset.



Inhambane Bay and in the background coconut forests.

It was already past sunset as I carried my stuff to my hotel room. Pousada de Maxixe has a roadside restaurant and my room is upstairs. I left the hotel and crossed EN1 to go and have dinner at Stop Snack Restaurant. Skipping lunch (and also the fear that the servings were going to be too small based on my experience in Turkey) made my eyes bigger than my stomach and I ordered one portion of calamari, prawns and chips each, and then proceeded to enjoy my ice-cold beer. But as the waiter brought the food on a tray to my table first my eyes, then once all the food was laid on my table the eyes of other diners opened wide. Three plates heaped with food began to get even bigger as I started to shrink under the "is that all yours" kind of stares of surrounding tables… There are three huge mountains that are difficult to climb and need a speedy reduction in size. I started with the easier two; chips and calamari. I lined them up on my fork in fives and tens. My goal is to prevent further future embarrassment. As I got into the "prawn mountain" with my fingers, the restaurant owner came to my table, to see this hearty eater whom he must have expected to be a bulky guy. He asked me if I am enjoying the food as he tried to hide his disappointment which was caused by the disproportion between the order and my size. I gave him a sideways glance as if to say "What is he on about?", then gave a little smile and muttered a little with my mouth full with prawns. That was enough to get rid of the restaurant owner who had a thick, long moustache which made it obvious that he was a fisherman in the past.

Some sources state that the Portuguese presence in Mozambique first began when Vasco da Gama landed on Ilha do Moçambique (Mozambique Island) in 1498, which I think is correct. Ilha do Moçambique is the first place in Eastern Africa that the Europeans have landed. It is actually a coral island located further north of Mozambique and it was added to the World Cultural Heritage list by the United Nations in 1992 for its historical fabric "naturally" preserved and made it to the recent times without being spoilt. Now you will say: "So you have so much to say about it but did you visit this island?" No, I couldn't make it there. It was way up north, far off my route. The reason why the island is mentioned in this update is because it gave Mozambique its name. It also has a story of its own as far as its name is concerned. When Vasco da Gama first landed there the name of the Arabic Sheikh on the island was Moussa Ben Mbiki. Whether this name slowly changed into the word Mozambique in time, as it was said from mouth to mouth and generation to generation or when they first met and the sheikh told his name, and Da Gama with his entourage mistook it as "Mozambique", I am not sure. In any case, Da Gama named the island Ilha do Moçambique, which means "Mozambique's Island" or "Mozambique Island". And the country was named after this island.

The reason why the Portuguese came to this island, or rather to Eastern African shores is quite clear; to create an alternative trade route. In addition, discovery of gold (and ivory) in Africa and the slave trade which would later transform into a major market in the world were other significant reasons for the Portuguese to maintain their presence in Eastern Africa. They carried out eastern trade at the ports and garrisons along the shores while utilizing local entrepreneurs for gold and slave trade. For this reason, for a long time Portuguese presence and consequent influence were not seen in the inland parts of Mozambique. As the independence movements, which began following the World War II, resulted in Africa's old colonies to slowly emerging as independent countries, Portugal declared its colonies as its provinces and recognized the citizens of these countries as Portuguese citizens. This led to a large scale migration from Portuguese to Mozambique. To the extent that in 1975 when Mozambique became independent there were about 250,000 Portuguese living in the country.

I want to mention about an interesting situation I came across in Mozambique, something I haven't seen in other African countries. In countries that were once British (or Belgian or German) colonies, citizens of the colonialist country living in that particular colony, with a few exceptions, make sure to distinguish themselves from the locals. When you ask them where they are from their answer is "I am British! (or Belgian / German)". In Mozambique, however, the Portuguese residents - of course from their complexion you can tell they are of Portuguese origin - tell you that they are from Mozambique while looking at you oddly as if to say "From where else can someone living in Mozambique be?" Basically an integrated Mozambican cultural mosaic has been established. You also see serious inter-racial unions; i.e. Marriage between a Khoisan of Portuguese origin and an indigenous person with Bantu roots...
And here is a surprise for you: Did you know that Mozambique is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations? To tell you the truth until I went to the Mozambican Embassy in Malawi for my entry visa to Mozambique I wasn't aware of this or didn't even imagine it could be. Even when Stuart mentioned during one of our evening chats that Mozambique was a member of the Commonwealth I didn't give it much thought, as I assumed that I misunderstood what he was saying. So, what is a country which had no real diplomatic or any other relations with the Great Britain aside from the trade relations which began at the end of 19th century and in the beginning of 20th century, doing in the Commonwealth of Nations? I have written about it before; funded and supported by today's Zimbabwe, known as Rhodesia at the time, and South Africa, RENAMO has thrown Mozambique into chaos for "harboring" organizations that were against the racist and repressive governments of those two countries. The domestic conflict that began in early 1980's lasted until a peace treaty was signed in Rome in October 1992 and resulted in deaths of approximately one million Mozambicans, immigration of 1.7 million Mozambicans to neighboring countries and displacement of millions more within the country. This civil war wore out the country incredibly.

When the governments of Rhodesia and South Africa were overthrown, Mozambique's neighbors which were all members of the Commonwealth of Nations petitioned to have Mozambique as a member of the Commonwealth, in a way to make up for all the problems it encountered at the hands of third parties, none of which were Mozambique's own doing; and Mozambique became a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1995, simultaneously with South Africa which was taken back into the Commonwealth after getting rid of its racist regime. In 1997, with a decision made by the Commonwealth Heads of Government, it was established that Mozambique's membership was a special case and it would not set a precedent to any future membership applications.

The next day, that is, on Monday April 3rd I left Maxixe early in the morning. It is about a 500km drive to Maputo. This time the road is smooth, asphalt paved and well-maintained. The lines and road signs are all intact. The only problem is that at the bridges the road narrows down to one lane and you need to be careful.

I planned to stay in Maputo for two nights. The program includes "orientation" tours in the city for the first day and night, and then the city tour and car maintenance and hunt for a new shock absorber to replace the new one for the second day. The plan for the second evening is to enjoy a Maputo evening at the Salsa bars… I will make a night of it, that is.

It was around half past three in the afternoon when I entered Maputo. Right away, I noticed that Maputo is much different to any other African capitals I have seen so far. Its wide tree-lined roads are connected to each other by streets that intersect at right angles. This makes it very easy to find places and directions in the city. While I was driving around as per my traditional "orientation" tour, I was also visiting the hostel and B&B's which were on the list I prepared earlier. There are two hostels that I was mainly interested in; Fatima's and Base Backpackers. But in both all the rooms were booked out. Base Backpackers hostel could only offer me a bed in a dorm setting for the next night but I can't be bothered shifting from hostel to hostel when I am only staying in the city for 2 nights. The rates aren't really "backpacker" friendly either; they range between USD25-30.00. After checking out a few more hotels I decided to stay at Hotel Escola Andalucia across from the Base Backpackers. Since its first owner, a Spanish nobleman, handed it over to its new South African owner, this hotel has been neglected a little. I was told by the receptionists that the new owner hasn't really taken over the reigns yet but soon the hotel will go through a speedy renovation and make a comeback as a luxury hotel. In any case, right now as far as the benefit/ cost ratio is concerned it is the best choice: USD35, including breakfast. It is very clean; the room has A/C, television and even hot water for 24/7. It is located at an up-scale part of town.

Maputo's name doesn't date far back in time. It was named after Lourenço Marques, the Portuguese trader who discovered the region a while ago. Until 1894 when a railroad was built between Lourenço Marques and Pretoria, the city didn't attract much attention except for the infrequent visits from the Portuguese ivory trade boats. With the construction of the railroad city began to develop. In 1898 it took over the capital city title from Ilha do Moçambique (Mozambique Island) and was called Lourenço Marques until the country gained its independence on 25 June 1975. Actually it was called LM in short. After independence the name was changed to Maputo.

The heart of the city of Maputo beats in two areas; Polana and Baixa. Polana is where the modern shopping centers, luxury hotels and restaurants are, and Baixa is the old city centre on the southern shores of the Maputo Bay where the colonial buildings are. "Baixa" means "lower town" in Portuguese (and I think also in Spanish). Those who have been to Lisbon will remember the Baixa district there. Turkish equivalent of the term carries a degrading meaning; it means slums or ghetto. But Baixa is indeed the lower part of Maputo. Being situated just by the sea, it is actually lower than the city center in altitude. The city center is about 75 meters above the sea level. With its historical train station, fish market, open market, symbolic fortress, bars and other places of entertainment Baixa is a lively little seaside place.





Open Market in Baixa

I said Maputo is very different to other African capital cities. Especially in Baixa and Polana the restaurants and cafés are open and busy till late hours of the night with their tables spilling over to the sidewalks. The colonial buildings have made it intact into the present. The tile wainscot on their front facades reminded me of Portugal..


Portuguese architecture in Maputo.

The next day I have to give priority to get the car serviced and the broken shock absorber replaced. In the meantime I also need to find a solution to the balance problem that re-appeared in the front wheels. So I need to find a tire service place which is equipped to balance the wheels while on the car.

I thought of going to the Good Year service I noticed the previous day, just a little further from the Central Hospital. It's a large workshop but they don't have the equipment I want either. I couldn't find any staff who spoke English so, red in the face the secretary knocked on her boss' door. The owner is I think of Indian origin. He invited me in his office and after listening to me he gave instructions to one of his employees to take me to a few places. We checked out all of them to no avail. The last place we went to, gave us the address of a garage, in the industrial area of Maputo. The owner is a South African and of course speaks very good English. He will be able to help me. Besides the balance I can get the service done and shock absorber problem solved here. Welding machine? They have that one too. Great! We are taking care of all the mechanical issues here. I dropped the guy from the tire service back at his workplace. I have my GPS and though a bit complicated, it won't be a problem to find the garage again.
I returned to the garage. When the owner heard I traveled all the way from Turkey in my car he must have found it quite interesting. He looked after me himself. He reminded me of a dear friend who left the automotive industry and moved to Göcek, Mugla. His garage was just as messy as this one. He also kept in his garage various kinds of tools and equipment used for what I even didn't know as a keen mechanical engineer. He had all kinds of scrap and junk he collected and kept in his garage so that he could use one day if he needed. He was also very meticulous, just like the South African guy here. He did the balancing of the front wheel himself. In the meantime he told me how he calibrates his balance equipment once a year. He sent one of his workers to go and buy a shock absorber. He didn't like the first one that arrived and sent it back. He handed the broken roof rack bracket to one of his technicians; but disapproving his "style" from the beginning, he took the welding pincers off the guy and did it himself. For a moment I thought Okay Abi was in front of me, with his fastidiousness. At least he left the oil and filter change to his guys. When the car was put on the lift I got to check out the bottom of the car for the last time - before Turkey.

For the rest of the day I walked around in the streets of Maputo, cooled down at its cafés. I really liked this city; I am sure you will like it too if you visit. This evening, I have to find Gypsy's Bar and Pub-Mundo listed in the book. I have to close the Maputo book with Salsa music and dance. Unfortunately, Pub - Mundo is no more (I mean the building is gone). The other one is closed. So I will spend my last evening in Maputo at Cat's Garden next to Ciné Afrique. It is a popular bar among the affluent. They play live blues and play rather well.

I am leaving Maputo and Mozambique on Wednesday, April 5th. I checked out of the hotel early in the morning and went internet café hunting to send my update to Istanbul. There are very few internet cafés in Maputo. The only internet access point I could find so far is the technical school on 24 June Road. The connection there, is very slow and probably it would take a few hours to send the update along with its photos. Thankfully, one of the teachers at the school gave me the directions to an internet café where they had fast internet connection. It is not that far. I was checking my e-mails when I saw a message from Swedish friend Henrik. I wrote to him the previous day and he sent me a reply. Henrik was on the same ferry that we took from Asswan (Egypt) - Wadi Halfa (Sudan). Henrik is working as a project manager for a Swedish aid organization in Maputo. I sent him an e-mail the day before, telling him I was in Maputo and would like to catch up. When I was done at the café I called Henrik on the number he gave me. He gave me the directions to his house and we met at an intersection nearby. After our chat over coffee and with the photo he took when we landed at Wadi Halfa I said goodbye and got back on the road to leave Maputo.



Photo by Henrik Strüve
Blast from the past... Wadi Halfa/Sudan


The destination for this evening is Komatipoort / Republic of South Africa. I have 92km road ahead of me to the Ressano border gate.

I am at the border, leaving Mozambique with no hassles whatsoever.
As I said before, I liked Mozambique lots!

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