Flashback Friday - The Mozambican Coast 2021

After getting home from South Africa my sister had to head back to work, so I had a few more days of lounging around her place and enjoying relaxing lunches by the ocean.  Our mother flew in for the start of her visit with a slight overlap so we could have a little trip together.

We had a couple days in Maputo, where my mom took to a local market she had been to before and then lunch at a phenomenal hotel by the sea.  I bought this awesome carved giraffe.  I just adore him, and normally would be too large to get home.  So he had to live with my sister for half a year till her posting ended and her belongings all got shipped home.

We went away for a weekend to Anvil Bay.  It was one of the most amazing places I have ever been too, in the south of Mozambique in the Maputo National Park.  It was this absolutely isolated spot, where we even needed to pay for a driver because my sisters car wouldn’t make it over the rough roads.  With just a half dozen or so cabins, I probably would never be able to afford a place like this. The pandemic still be on the prices were only mildly crazy. 

It was just stunning, with little cabins tucked back into the brush beside the beach.  Massive stretches of sand with no one else around but us and the half dozen other guests. We spent a few nights there, enjoying the beach and delicious dinners.  As well my mom was celebrating a special birthday so we brought a bottle of Moët to drink on the beach.  It was certainly a vacation that will be hard to beat.

After dinner in the evenings the resort would light a bonfire on the beach. It was a little cool along the water, so sitting by the fire and enjoying our champagne did feel like an amazing luxury. It was a fabulous way to celebrate a birthday, and just spending time with family.

Eventually all good things come to an end, and it was time to go back to reality.  First back to Maputo and then back to Canada for me.  It was a long trip home, five hours to Addis Ababa and then a 20 hour flight back to Toronto.  There was a stop in Dublin to refuel, but no one was allowed off the plane.  It was one of the times in my life where paying for business class was 100% worth it and necessary!

Flashback Friday - Mozambique 2021

The next stop on my trip was Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, to stay with my sister. I was lucky to be able to visit while she was working in Maputo.  She, of course, was very busy with work, but had planned to take some vacation while I was visiting.  To start with she met me at the airport, which was very helpful as the visa requirements are very strict.  Since I didn’t have a hotel reservation I had a letter from her explaining my stay.  It got a little confusing, but I made it through customs.  That evening she took me for dinner and showed me around the area near her home so I could explore by myself when she was working. 

It was my first time there, and the main European languages is Portuguese.  I had hoped to use my terrible Spanish to at least be able to remember the courtesies.  But failed miserably.  The worst that happened though was instead of ordering a glass of wine for my lunch, I ordered a bottle.  Luckily it was a good bottle.  

Another day my sister had arranged a tour around the capital for me.  I went through some of the main buildings, the markets and saw the main train station which is a breathtakingly beautiful old building.  We finished up at an old colonial area fort that is now the local museum.  Mozambique is interesting as it is a communist country.  There were several statues of current leaders and all were done in a familiar style - as they were gifts from North Korea. 

I spent much of the first week there just relaxing, reading by the pool.  It was really hot when I was there at the end of October., which was really only the springtime. Even the breeze off the sea was HOT.  It was easy to just sit and do nothing with a good book, and in the evenings catch up with my sister who I hadn’t seen in a while.  Thanks to both her job and the pandemic it was not a good time to be travelling back and forth across the Atlantic. 

I really enjoyed sitting in the various restaurants by the sea.  It’s a pity I do not like fish, as there was an abundant supply on the menus.  I do enjoy shellfish and managed to have a fair share of mussels, clams and the like.  It was a treat to have leisurely lunches.  The exchange rate was also very generous for Canadians so even the flub of ordering a bottle of wine was not out of my budget.  It was fun to feel fancy, which definitely became a theme of this trip!