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.

.

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

.

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.

.

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).

.

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).

.

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.

In Maputo

My flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg, South Africa (Jo'burg) was uneventful, although long (> 15 hrs!). Three meals, three movies, and three good naps made the time pass. Since I arrived after 6 PM, too late to get a connection to Mozambique, I had an overnight layover in a hotel near the airport. Grabbed a quick bite to eat and a Castle beer in the hotel bar while watching cricket (still don't understand the game). Short flight this morning to Maputo. All bags arrived safely (including the ones checked through from Atlanta, which likely spent the night in the airport), no problems with immigration or customs, was met by a friendly CDC Driver and made it to the CDC office for a brief visit with the country director just before they closed at noon for the weekend.

In comparing Maputo to Accra, Ghana, the other major African city I have visited: Maputo is smaller and more compact, but much the same in terms of crazy traffic, road construction projects, people walking everywhere, and ever-present guys hawking assorted stuff.

I'm spending the first week living in US Embassy-supplied housing with my host Peter, his friends Dina and Junior, and their 3-month old son, William. Good food and pleasant conversation around the dinner table.

Plan for tomorrow is to get out around town a bit, get my bearings, see some sights, and buy some provisions.

Boa noite,
Steve

Final preparations

It's my last night in Decatur, and I'm getting ready for my 3-month adventure in Mozambique. I'm not really looking forward to 33+ hours of travel, but I am excited about the prospect of doing something completely different for the next 3 months. Primarily, I'm looking forward to doing more public health instead of talking about public health, or even worse, talking about what's preventing us from doing public health.

Anyway, I'll use this blog to post pictures from my trip and provide updates on some of the more interesting things I encounter along the way. Your comments, questions, and suggestions appreciated.

Steve