MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE
This was a first time stop for Holland America Line, and we had been told to expect very little because Mozambique is a poor country that has been
plagued with problems -- a 17-year civil war, floods and famines, and they just began to recover in 1994. Even our buses had to be brought in from South Africa! We were cautioned to be extremely careful and vigilant if we chose to travel independently. However, we were very pleasantly surprised. Our tour of this city gave us a great cross section of everyday life and the vast contrasts in living conditions. Our guide sp
oke excellent English and was very proud of his city. Our first “eye opener” was the railroad station. It had been designed by Eiffel and built in 1908. The dome was built in South Africa and then installed in place, and was quite beautiful. It happened to be Wednesday, and the station was packed with people. Apparently there is only one train a week that goes to Cape Town, South Africa. The rail cars looked quite rusted and not too safe to us… 
The next
surprise was their natural history museum. The building had once been a church and now houses a wonderful collection of their native animals in their natural habitats (the “Big Five” plus others), insects and butterflies beautifully displayed and labeled, fish and sea creatures, some skeletons and cultural exhibits including pottery, spears and musical instruments. It even boasts the world’s only display of the development of an elephant fetus!
Much of the architecture is Portuguese inspired and many of these older buildings are in need of repair. There are also a few modern high-rises mixed in. One of the most unusual buildings is the
Iron House, built of stainless steel, which also was designed by Eiffel as the residence for the govern
or, but proved to be much too hot to live in! We drove through a lovely “Beverly Hills” type area where many large homes and condominiums were being constructed overlooking the beach, that rival the more affluent beach communities in California and Florida. Almost all of them, however, had walls with electric fences, and security guards. Only those who have lived in Maputo for 10 years can own land. The tide was out and we saw several groups out digging fo
r clams and shrimp, and others enjoying swimming in the Indian Ocean.
As we passed through the poorer neighborhoods, we saw all kinds of merchandise displayed at the sides of the road for sale -- fruits and vegetables, clothing, shoes, handicrafts, baskets, furniture, tires, mufflers and even goats! Most of it looked like it was what thrift stores and garage sales couldn’t sell!
This was a first time stop for Holland America Line, and we had been told to expect very little because Mozambique is a poor country that has been
plagued with problems -- a 17-year civil war, floods and famines, and they just began to recover in 1994. Even our buses had to be brought in from South Africa! We were cautioned to be extremely careful and vigilant if we chose to travel independently. However, we were very pleasantly surprised. Our tour of this city gave us a great cross section of everyday life and the vast contrasts in living conditions. Our guide sp
oke excellent English and was very proud of his city. Our first “eye opener” was the railroad station. It had been designed by Eiffel and built in 1908. The dome was built in South Africa and then installed in place, and was quite beautiful. It happened to be Wednesday, and the station was packed with people. Apparently there is only one train a week that goes to Cape Town, South Africa. The rail cars looked quite rusted and not too safe to us… 
The next
surprise was their natural history museum. The building had once been a church and now houses a wonderful collection of their native animals in their natural habitats (the “Big Five” plus others), insects and butterflies beautifully displayed and labeled, fish and sea creatures, some skeletons and cultural exhibits including pottery, spears and musical instruments. It even boasts the world’s only display of the development of an elephant fetus!Much of the architecture is Portuguese inspired and many of these older buildings are in need of repair. There are also a few modern high-rises mixed in. One of the most unusual buildings is the
Iron House, built of stainless steel, which also was designed by Eiffel as the residence for the govern
or, but proved to be much too hot to live in! We drove through a lovely “Beverly Hills” type area where many large homes and condominiums were being constructed overlooking the beach, that rival the more affluent beach communities in California and Florida. Almost all of them, however, had walls with electric fences, and security guards. Only those who have lived in Maputo for 10 years can own land. The tide was out and we saw several groups out digging fo
r clams and shrimp, and others enjoying swimming in the Indian Ocean.
As we passed through the poorer neighborhoods, we saw all kinds of merchandise displayed at the sides of the road for sale -- fruits and vegetables, clothing, shoes, handicrafts, baskets, furniture, tires, mufflers and even goats! Most of it looked like it was what thrift stores and garage sales couldn’t sell!
We couldn't figure out how this driver managed to park his car beside the tree stump -- but I guess all the dents tell the story ... ! It looked like their body shops didn't do too much business judging by all the dented cars on the road.
We visited a lovely 5-star hotel and enjoyed the view of the city from their garden. We found the people that we came in contact with to be very friendly and seemed happy to have us touring their city. In spite of the high crime rate and high unemployment, our overall impression of Maputo was favorable.
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