Maputo

I was in Maputo for 6 days and managed to stay in 3 different hostels and get harassed by the corrupt police 3 times and was asked to come to the police station twice. Twice I agreed that we should go right know and that I am ready and twice I was released without charges. The corrupt police stop everybody who looks foreign and try to frighten them with all kind of shit if they can’t produce any papers. It’s so common that everybody has a story to tell after visiting Mozambique. Especially if you have a car you are bound to get in trouble.

After crossing the border we tried to get to Punto d’Ouro. On the sandy road everybody told us that we will not be able to pass the last stretch. We believed into are drivers ability and luck. We got stuck. Some guys helped us to take the car out of the sand, after greeting us with “Where do you guys think you are - fucking Miami?” . We drove back to Maputo, now knowing about the ferry service across the bay of Maputo. We arrived late on Saturday in Fatima’s, after 10 hours of useless driving in South Mozambique.

There we got drunk instantly and joined up with Sharman and an Australian girl. We went to the train station, which was built by the Portuguese some 100 plus years ago. The bar is where the ticket counter used to be. The dance floor is next to the tracks. It is really cool and expensive.

Maputo itself is quite nice for an African city - as modern as Nairobi. Some colonial buildings still exist, but there are still many houses in a decaying condition in the middle of the city. The markets are all over the sidewalks. People speak mostly Portuguese and understand Spanish pretty good. Poverty is visible throughout the country.

At weekends people drive their cars to the Costa del Sol just north of the center and park at the beach and use their hut as a bar. A spectacle in it self.

It was time to say bye to Michael and George with whom I had a great time. I hope you guys come to Switzerland one day.