It was a different New Years Eve, mainly because we stayed up until midnight, of course there was the “free” champagne and we all wanted to get our moneys worth. There were balloons, hats, noise makers, music. At midnight the captain blew the horn, so there was lots of noise to welcome in the New Year. The next morning was a lovely brunch with all the trimmings including mimosas.
Right above the pool deck where we were welcoming in the New Year was a very bright light – we all thought it was a planet, but it is the space station!
We have just completed 2 days at sea, so now it is back to work! Touring can be so tiring, it is a good thing we can get high tea when we return to the ship. That rejuvenates us so we can be ready for our nightly trivia group and then the gourmet meal that someone else cooks, serves and cleans up after.
Our nightly trivia game is important. So far Gary and I have collected about 36 Big O points. On the last day we can use them to buy really valuable things, like key chains or T-shirts! I have included a picture of our team with our latest Big O point cards.

Today we explored Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. In the morning we pulled into a huge bay. The first time we have seen brown water on this trip, that is because of the river systems that empty into the Indian Ocean here. There is a cyclone up near Madagascar which caused some swells over night, also we were sailing in the Mozambique channel against the Mozambique current.
I was expecting a modern city as we understand the city has been rebuilt since the civil war ended 20 years ago and as we sail towards the city we see lots of modern looking buildings marking the horizon. However, the reality is a dirty, trashy looking city much like what we have seen most of our trip. The buildings are not maintained, haven’t been painted or cleaned, garbage is everywhere, broken glass litters the streets and beaches.
Mozambique was settled by the Portugese and they were here until Independence was declared in 1974 after a 10 year war. Then in 1977 civil war broke out. It lasted about 20 years, so the country has only known peace since 1997. Our guide said it was because the people did not get the freedoms they expected with independence. Somera Mikal was the first President after the war, he had been instrumental in the victorious party. They now have an elected President and parliament. Elections are held very 5 years and the President can serve only 2 terms. There are 11 provinces. The real power is with the President and he appoints a Prime Minister and other various ministers. It is clear that there is a lot of corruption in politics and the police.
Mozambique has a population of about 30 million, there are 3 large cities , Maputo is the largest with a population of about 3 million. Most of the population still live in rural areas and are still involved in agriculture.
The schools are free up to grade 7 and the first language is Portuguese, English is only taught in the private international schools. There is free medical care, however, it is not very good, so anyone who can afford to goes to the private clinics and hospitals. It is a holiday today and the streets are not busy.
Only 20% of the population have employment and for those lucky enough to have a job the average wage is $100 per month.
Our first stop is the Railway station which was built in 1910. It was originally though to have been built by Eiffel; however, recent information shows that is not the case. It is normally busy but today very quiet. We see examples of old steam engines (a 10 wheeler and a 4 wheeler). A drive through the downtown area takes us past the statue of Somera Mikal, the first President and freedom fighter. When he died his widow married Nelson Mandela. We also pass the Iron House, a house built of iron, designed by a student of Eiffel. The house was never lived in as it was too hot in summer and too cold in winter. Their summer temperatures average over 30C while winter can get as cold as 16C, which our guide advised is very cold for them.
We visit the city market. It is much like other markets we have visited except I noticed several small store fronts selling hair. When I asked about this our guide called over one of the female guides and they explained that their hair is very short and women will add hair to make it look longer and fuller. The guide explained she had this hair on. Basically it is hair extensions, made from real human hair and very common.
We visit the museum which has displays of the local animals, a display of elephant fetuses and some household goods and carvings. A very good museum by the standards we have seen on this trip.
We next drive by the “lemon squeezer church” a look at the picture will explain the name. We drive through embassy row and along side the Presidential offices and are warned not to take pictures. We later learn that someone on another bus did take a picture – their bus was followed by the police and when it next stopped everyone was questioned, had to provide a copy of their passport, had their cameras taken away and were detained for about a half hour. Eventually their cameras were returned and they continued on.
We stopped at a local beach – beautiful sandy long beach that went on for miles. As it is a holiday there were lots of families out, vendors cooking chickens on BBQs, people exploring the beach etc. unfortunately the whole scene is ruined by the garbage especially broken glass around. Not only unsightly but dangerous. We see several pickup trucks with people standing in the back driving down the road.
After lunch at a lovely hotel we drive through one of the suburbs, we would call it a slum! Even more garbage, run down and make shift shacks, dirt roads, people selling anything and everything by the side of the road. We pass by shacks selling clothes – these are clothes donated from other countries, selling tires – these are stolen from cars left in unguarded parking areas.
Our guide tells us he has a 2 year old daughter and is planning to get married once he can afford the bride price. He is surprised to learn that men don’t have to pay a bride price in our countries. He says he needs $300 US for the bride price, which he will pay to her parents, he then must by clothes for her and all her family for the wedding and he is responsible for the costs of the wedding.