Leaving Maputo :(

Since I'm leaving Maputo on the 07:00 LAM flight to Joburg tomorrow morning, I decided it's a good time to post a long-overdue update to my blog. You'll have to wait a bit longer to see selected photos from my trips to Kruger Park, Malawi, and Xai-Xai. For now, suffice it to say that I've had a very enjoyable and enlightening stay here in Maputo and on my various excursions. Tomorrow I'm headed back to Malawi on CDC business and will return to Atlanta from there sometime around the 1st of September. Since my departure from Mozambique was somewhat hastily scheduled, I've haven't had much time to fit in all the things I intended to do, but here are some photos of my last couple of days.

Saturday morning I went for a walk on the beach at low tide with Mindy and Judge. The coast is very flat here, so lots of beach is exposed at low tide. Needless to say, Judge had a great time running on the open beach and splashing through the shallow puddles.

In the evening, I hosted a pizza party at Mindy's house (Casa do Judge) with friends I've met and worked with and their families.

The kids enjoyed making music with Mindy's assortment of traditional instruments.

It was also a chance to once again share stories of our adventures with my IETA co-conspirators, Jackie & Shelia.

Finally, a last group photo with my professional and housing hosts - Beth, Mindy, and Peter. I've definitely made friendships that will endure the span of oceans and time.

Av. Marginal Bike Ride

Saturday I went for a bike ride along the Avenida da Marginal - it's the road that follows the coastline through and away from Maputo. [You can see a track from my GPS if you expand the Google map on the left.] Riding a mountain bike with knobby tires on African roads with African drivers is a bit different than pedaling my road bike from Decatur to Stone Mtn. Still, I managed to put in about 20 Km, with stops along the way for caril do camaraos (shrimp curry) at Restaurante Costa do Sol.


Heading back towards the city, I saw some local fishermen in sailboats.

Judge

I'm currently staying in a house called "Casa do Judge" (see map in previous posting). The namesake, Judge, is a rather large harlequin great dane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_dane). He loves to walk and I've taken him for a short jog - a bit faster than my normal pace is barely a trot for him. Today we headed down to the beach so Judge could run free a bit (I am nervous about letting him get too far away, since it's clear that I'll never catch him if he decides to run off).

TDYer outings

TDY is a government abbreviation for "Temporary DutY." Christine, Sheila, and I are often called TDYers, since we're in Mozambique on temporary duty for a CDC program called IETA (http://www.cdc.gov/cogh/training/IETA/Default.htm). In our first few weeks here, we've shared several outings.

Starting with our orientation to the CDC office in Maputo.



Two weeks ago, we visited the Museu Nacional de Arte and the Museu de Historia Natural, a somewhat bizzare collection of stuffed specimens and elephant fetuses.

After the musuems we stopped at Mundo's for some prawns. [Important lesson: when you put your camera in and out of your pocket several times, the settings can get changed without your knowing it. This shot was taken using "scenery" mode, not appropriate for indoor flash shots, since it forced a slow shutter speed!]

A few days later, more prawns at Miramar Restaurant - this time the people and the food are in focus.



On the 4th of July, we attended a picnic at the the USAID Miramar Housing Compound hosted by the Embassy Marine guard unit. There was traditional American food, croquet, ping-pong, and volleyball. Unfortunately, there was no fireworks display, as the event broke up before dark.

Google map of places I've been (updated 11 July)

View Larger Map

Here's a "click-able" Google Map of Maputo, with pushpins marking some of the places I've been (including the walking tour described below). If you switch to satellite view, there are amazingly high resolution images of Maputo.

Independence Day Pizza Party

Thursday (25th June) was Independence Day in Mozambique, so the CDC office was closed. Having the day off allowed me time to prepare dough and sauce for a pizza party at Peter's house. Although a bit rusty, I was still able to refresh my skills at pizza rolling and tossing. Dina and William watch as I toss one for the cameras.

Dina's young friend, Eliana, was interested in learning the proces of adding the sauce, cheese, toppings, and curling the edge of the dough.

Time to enjoy the result!

(Junior, Christine, Peter, Dina, Eliana, David, Sheila)

Walking Tour, Central Maputo

I got out for a bit in Central Maputo today using the self-guided walking tour in the Lonely Planet guide (p.63). The driver left me off at the fortaleza (old fort), built by the Portuguese in the mid 1800's. The most impressive thing on the central grounds is a statue of Mousinho de Albuquerque, Comandante de cavalaria.

[Click on any photo to view a larger image]

Otherwise, I was more interested in the lizards, than the crumbling cannons and shells.

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Next I passed the Jumma Masjid, a relatively new mosque. Later, when I looped back around, I could hear the call to prayers.

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The dome of the Caminho dos Ferros de Mocambique (CFM) was designed by an associate of Eiffel (of tower fame). It's still an active train station, but apparently the service is very infrequent.

The interior of the train station has two nice verandas, with iron lacework.

I walked past, but did not enter, theMercado Municipal (Municipal Market).

I walked through, but didn't take any pictures the Jardim Tunduru (Botanical Garden), described by the guidebook as "overgrown."

Walking up the hill, I came to the Praca da Independencia (Independence Square), with a sculpture in the central roundabout.

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On the far side of the square is the Conselho Municipal building (City Council).

Just off the square, is the Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao (Our Lady of the Conception). Which was reflected nicely in a glass building across the street (see below).

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A reflection of your intrepid photographer, with the Jardim Tunduru in the background.

On the way back down the hill, I passed the Supreme Court, while walking down Avenida Vladimir Lenine. Actually, there are quite a few streets named for revolutionary leaders (e.g. Lenin, Mao Tse Tung, Ho Chi Min).

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Finally, I passed what's refered to as Trinta e tres andares (33-Story Building). I'm assuming, but haven't confirmed that this is the tallest building in Mozambique.

After that, I trecked back to my abode, with a brief stop for curried shrimp and a beer along the way.