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The End of an Era

November 12, 2010 by 6 Comments
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Hello, lovely readers,

Thanks for the comments and support on my last post, oh-so long ago… or so it seems from where I’m sitting. The last two weeks have been an absolute blur and probably some of the most definitive of my (not-so-) young life. Attempting to transition out of one “chapter” in my life’s story and into the next has been exhilarating and exhausting, exciting and anxiety-inspiring, joyful and melancholy. But one reality remains:

Mozambique is over.

I might be back in the Moz sometime in the future–in fact, I expect to be. But that’s a big question mark, and I’ve been trying to live in the present moment as much as possible. And that’s been made easier by the total WHIRLWIND that the last weeks have been! We’ve attended Mozambican birthday parties…

Hosted Mozambican colleagues over for a cultural exchange featuring us cooking them Mexican food (how American of us, right?) and then giving us the “sex talk” that the other women in their family give them as they come of age, to open our eyes to some of the crazy differences (Example advice given to many Mozambican women: “Buy the most expensive black tea in the market. Steep it in boiling water in a bucket. Sit in that bucket until the water gets cool. Your man will like this.” This advice may have ruined black tea for me forever.) Verdict on the Mexican food: They loved it, or at least they loved the taco seasoning that the meat was flavored with! Hooray for sodium. Bringing people together since 2010.

And the week before we left, my awesome-party-planner roommate organized a despedida (farewell) party with our colleagues in our compound, which was a great opportunity to say goodbye to many of the people who have been a big part of my experience here over the last two years.

My counterpart from work even came, right upon getting back from working in the field (far away in a rural village) all week! I’ll miss her.

The next night was Halloween, and we headed to a party in town which ended up being pretty heroically lame, especially depressing after last year’s utter awesomeness and because people from outside of Vil came in for a good time. We tried, at least, and the company was nice regardless. My roommate and Camille and I went as Greek goddesses. I chose Aphrodite pretty much so I could wear about two pounds of a creepy black satin bedsheet purchased for two dollars in my market.

Post-Halloween headaches were nursed the next day as five of us ventured out to the Ilha de Bazaruto, or Bazaruto Island, the largest and most populated of the islands in the archipelago of the same name. Two people had never been to the islands before and it was another amazing chance to snorkel two-mile reef and feel like you’re in Finding Nemo. There’s really no better way to describe it. We saw dolphins jumping around the boat on our way out, got a chance to hike the magnificent sand dune, saw stingrays and starfish and a ton of other creatures, and made the most of the day.

Next time I make my way back to Mozambique I will hopefully have a paycheck, and I am definitely staying a night on the islands. If I can track down the $800 or so per night a few of the lodges charge… never going to happen. Accept it now.

Last week was a blur of cleaning, packing, and goodbyes. Before I knew it, it was Saturday morning, the bags were packed, the house was bare and it was time to say tchau to the home I’d known for the last two years.

Amidst goodbyes, tears, dog kisses, and hugs, my roommate and I caught the bus to Maputo, to close out our Peace Corps experience (Close of Service) and head out of Mozambique. We were lucky that several of our closest friends were in Maputo COSing with us, which made it a very communal and enjoyable process instead of the stress-fest I had expected.

Maputo’s normal culinary delights–grocery shopping for imported products and eating at “nice” (it’s all relative) restaurants held very little excitement for us this time as we were all heading out to civilization, but we still had a great time, with multiple visits to Cafe Sol (the American-owned, real-coffee-serving Cafe that offers a rare luxury on the menu, bagels) and finally tried the pastel de guardanapo (napkin cake).

Normally the Thai restaurants (specifically Xhova Inter-Thai) are my favorite, but those held little pull for me as a week and a half from now I will be in Thailand, but it was fun to discover only today that Spicy Thai has an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet, which a group of us lingered over for a solid two hours. Success.

Another thing I discovered for the first time today: A RUNNING TRACK! SO CLOSE to the hotel I’ve stayed at TONS of times. Are. You. Serious. How did I not know about this?! I got to check my mile time and run some 200s and 400s and marvel at what a slowpoke I am. And to think I could’ve been marveling all year! Tragic.

The majestic Polana Serena Hotel just finally finished its long rehabilitation and it was something I had to see before I left. We headed down for a drink and I was amazed at how pretty it was!

Margaritas are my favorite cocktail and this is the only one I’ve had since the Atlanta airport the first week of January before I boarded my transatlantic flight… not worth the price, but still, a sign of things to come.

The last few days have just been all about making the most of the last few hours with friends, good friends, friends with whom we have shared this incredible and CRAZY experience and for that we will always have a bond.

In line with the “This Is The Last Week And We Should Do Absolutely Everything We Have Ever Wanted To” mentality, I had the most expensive dinner of the last two-plus years (hell, maybe even several years!) at a Brazilian place, but that’s another post.

Emotions range. I think right now I am exhausted from all of the feelings and anxieties and excitements and all sorts of other things flooding my mind. It’s made me tired and stressed and I don’t know if I have really processed that this chapter is ending. I think that there’s going to be a lot in the future to reflect on but right now all I know is this: It has been wonderful, but it’s time to go. Many great experiences and stages of life have a shelf life: they’re good for a time, but then it’s time for something new. I have loved living in Mozambique, and I’m sure it will take me a long time to recognize all of the things that it has given me, and to realize how much I am going to miss about life here. I am sure in the future, perhaps not-so-distant, there will be novels to write about that. But right now, I’m such a mix of every possible feeling that they all sort of cancel each other out and leave me with only one discernible conviction:

It’s been wonderful, but it’s time to let go.

As a blogger and “blend” (blog friend), you’ll have to forgive me over the next month and a half. I hope to post at least once a week if not more often, but my internet access and time and ability to upload photos may be limited. I know I’ll have tons of time and internet once I am back stateside to update y’all, but over the next handful of weeks, you might not be hearing from me as much. Because I am leaving in about five hours to South Africa, where we will rent a car and head to Lesotho for pony-trekking, before flying to Cairo and then onto Thailand. I’ll be in seven countries in the next five weeks–suffice it to say, I might be busy.

I have no idea where I’m REALLY going, or what I’m REALLY going to be doing. But that’s the beauty of it. I’m just GOING. And it is going to be awesome. Maybe I can say tomorrow as I cross that border, a chapter ends, a door closes… but another one opens… and I’m holding my head high and marching through it. Good-bye, Mozambique. Thanks for everything you have done for me. May we soon meet again.

Until then, peace.

Have you “started over” in any areas of your life recently? How’d you do it?

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    I’m Feelin’ Like A Star, You Can’t Stop My Shine

    September 30, 2010 by 15 Comments
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    SO, before I rush out tomorrow on another African adventure, I wanted to post about my trip to South Africa! You may have heard it was my first vacation by myself and also read my 10 health and happiness lessons I learned on safari (all my best animal pics are there). But as for the rest… well, internet time is at a premium and instead of having time to break it up into several posts, I have one. One very long one. Not ideal, but sorry I’m not sorry… I do what I can! I am an African blogger, after all. Suckaz.

    It is basically all pictures (70?) so you can probably just scroll down really quick and get a pretty complete pictorial idea of my trip. I won’t be offended! : )

    Headed out to the junction to wait for my bus at a little barraca and downed some instant coffee until my bus picked me up, where I was promptly handed snacks. I love being handed free food… especially when you paid for it.

    About two minutes after my iPod went into my ears, “Ridin’ Solo” came on shuffle. “I’m feelin’ like a star, can’t stop my shine… ridin’ solo” seemed to be the perfect happy soundtrack to kick off my solitary adventure. (Solo travel tip #1: view every single moment as an integral part of your trip, not just a means to an end. Tip #2: have a really good playlist on your iPod, because many of those moments might be boring.)

    Upon arriving in Maputo, I got in a cab on the way to a friendly American’s house who often lets us crash at her place in the city (and raid her cereal stash), and my cabbie tried to start a fight with me. When we were alone. In a very sketchy area. Where’s mom? Got there safe, met new USG workers and friends, enjoyed some wine and ice cream and sparkling conversation. And a hot shower. Life will be boring when hot showers aren’t something I look forward to for weeks at a time.

    Up early the next morning for another bus into South Africa. And I got the front seat! Yay! Please tell me I am not the only one out there who still gets excited about things like this.

    (Tip #3: unless you have a very, very active mind, bring a very long book with you. Gone With the Wind, at 1443 pages, will do nicely.)

    At the border, the following conversation happened as I was leaving Mozambique:

    Me (to border guard): Bom dia, como está? (Good morning, how are you?)

    BG: tudo bem, obrigado. (Everything is well, thanks.)

    Me: Também estou bem. (I’m good too.)

    BG upon seeing my American passport: Na America todo o mundo fala português fluentemente? (In America, everyone speaks fluent Portuguese?)

    Me: ummmm… (Thinking: yes. Obviously. Seeing as I just said seven words to you. Clearly we all are fluent in Portuguese. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t say that out loud.)

    Soon we were into South Africa and at a rest stop. Which means snacks and massive sweet bread rolls to devour, and pretty scenery along the way.

    I got a ride into Hazyview where I would be staying, which is a gorgeous town full of banana plantations. This bag of… 20-plus cost maybe $1.50.

    The place I was staying, Big 5 Backpackers, had a cute little dorm on a hill that I got to rule with an iron fist… as I was the only one staying in it. (Tip #4: if you want to socialize, stay at crowded places. Though I was thrilled, as I was here to chill the heck out.)

    The common room was cute and I got to unpack the groceries I grabbed in Nelspruit. For how distracted I am in grocery stores now, I did pretty well: apples, mandarins, two cans of healthy soup, peanut butter, FRESH MILK!, and a magazine (splurge!) in addition to the stuff I brought from home. (Tip #5: buy groceries. You will save a lot of money. Especially if the closest store is an hour walk away.)

    The next day I was ready for my SAFARI in kruger national park! Pickup time was 5:30am so we could get into the park right at 6AM when the gates opened.

    Pimp my ride.

    I was with two sweet French Canadian girls who were also staying at the same place. (Tip #6: if you’re traveling solo, try to make friends with everyone. You will have a better time, and if you’re cool, they will stop wondering if you are weird and/or awkward because you’re by yourself. Although, let’s be honest, they’ll still wonder.)

    We stopped at the main camp, Skukuza, to take a break. Ten hours of sitting in an open-air safari vehicle and staring into the bush is surprisingly exhausting.

    Always need to try something exciting… this fit the bill. Chocolate honeycomb!

    We went to a type of lookout point to see over the park. Cue silly photos.

    Hippos!

    (Tip #7: always have snacks in your bag. My key items for African travel are instant oatmeal packets and clif bars. Oh, and durable fruit and crackers and peanut butter. You’d be surprised how many days you can live on just those…)

    Late afternoon, we were out of the park. Check out my last post for better and bigger animal pictures. Overall it was a great day and we were lucky to see the Big 5! (Buffalo, rhino, elephant, lion, and leopard. The Big 5 were chosen as the five most dangerous animals to approach on the ground. Aka be careful or you’re dinner.)

    The next morning got even earlier (4:30am pickup!) for a bush walk. Basically, you watch the sunrise as you walk through the bush with a couple of guides with rifles and you stalk lions and you try to get close to the rhino baby (but not too close).

    You also eat a “bush breakfast” of biltong (jerky), chocolate bars, cookies and a bag of Lay’s chips. Pretty. Awesome.

    The afternoon was for exploring the neighborhood, running, working out, sponge cake and more Gone With The Wind (um, awesome book. I had no idea.)

    (Tip #8: running, or walking, is the best way to explore a new area. Especially when every house has crazy electrical fences holding in dogs who want to eat me for lunch. I never saw more vicious tiny wiener dogs than I did that day!)

     (Tip #9: Self and Shape workout cards are ridiculously helpful and portable for working out in a dorm room by yourself.)

    That night I got to go on a Sunset Game Drive.

    My reoccurring thought was “my camera is crap and how come I can’t take super amazing pictures in the dark, so unfair!” and then I realized “dude, I am on safari, I should just enjoy it and buy some postcards later.” So my pictures are crap but here are a couple. Hyena babies… and mommy…

    Here’s a game called “Spot the leopard!”…

    Crappy pictures, but you get the gist.

    After two full days of checking out the park, I had a third day just to do whatever I wanted. Living in Mozambique aka the bush, I wanted to… shop. Well, explore town is more like it. It was about eight kilometers into Hazyview, and an exceedingly pleasant hike. I then got to spend hours… hours… wandering through grocery stores and a book store (!) and just doing a whole lot of nothing. And it was absolutely wonderful.

    Bakeries make pancakes and waffles ready to eat? This was too much for me.

    I just bought the essentials—you know, gum, the South African version of gummies that you eat on long runs, crackers, and some sorely expensive dog flea shampoo that mysteriously disappeared between customs and my house. Huh…

    I killed as much time in the bookstore as I could without looking TOO suspicious. In the health section, I found a book that was called “Eat Right For Your Type.” Meaning blood type. I am A+, and I learned from the back cover that I should be a vegetarian, engage in gentle exercise such as yoga or golf, and meditate. More accurate would be, “you should do vigorous exercise that makes you totally want to die, hypes you up and then you recover by eating something greasy and choc full of meat.” That book I would have bought.

    After walking around for about 5 hours straight, I took advantage of the mini food court with a Nando’s chicken burger that I bulked up with a bowl of “seasonal vegetables” that I bought at the grocery store. (I was very proud of myself for doing this, just FYI. Healthy AND economical! Okay, yay for me, moving on.) Nando’s is a delicious Portuguese-style chicken chain that is all over South Africa, and is apparently now in the States! I actually went for the first time in London. I am hoping it makes it to Cali, but for all I know it already has. Mystery.

    This gave me some time to do some actual work (boo)… editing statements of purpose for graduate school applications. Woohoo! I feel like I’ve edited them until my eyes crossed, but wanted to give it one more shot. And then I found soft serve, which totally validated my entire trip to South Africa in the first place. How I have survived for two years without ice cream is COMPLETELY and utterly beyond me.

    After my fourth day, it was time to go. I still had a bit of a journey back to Moz and then back home, but I was reluctant yet ready to leave. Taking a trip by myself was an amazing experience and something I just really NEEDED to refresh me and psych me up for my last month and a half or so in Africa. I also learned a lot about traveling alone and how I feel about it.

    My three least favorite things about traveling alone:

    1. Not having a buddy. This should sound like a “duh…” moment but it is just really nice to have someone to talk to all the time, to exclaim with, to discuss with, to have fun with. Obviously traveling on your own is a whole different thing, but I still missed having a buddy.
    2. Logistically, one can be harder—and pricier. You would think it would be easier, but a lot of activities are 2+ people which means you could end up stranded. Or you could be filling a room with all people who know each other. Or, it could just be awkward when it is three couples and you, them all wondering what you did to end up someplace by yourself. Also, money. Cabs and food are a HECK of a lot more expensive when not shared.
    3. Busses are much better when you are sitting next to a friend and not next to a creepy man, a giggling teenage girl screaming on her cell phone, or a disaffected mother with her baby SCREAMING in your ear for eight hours and the entire bus is staring and she doesn’t care nor make an effort to stop it. Enough said.

    My three favorite things about traveling alone:

    1. Making all my own decisions. So much of traveling in a group is discussing what to do that day. And in what order to do things. And where to go next. And then where to go eat. And then where to go out. Blah, blah, blah. Traveling alone, I got to just do whatever I wanted and listen to my whims and it was awesome.
    2. A boost of confidence. It is easy to say, “sure, I’ll do that when…” when I have someone to travel with, when I have more money, when it is a good time, and so on. Taking a week long trip to a different country more or less on a whim was empowering. Especially coming back and everyone saying “You went to South Africa? With who?” and being able to smile and say, “Myself!” with no shame, was an awesome feeling.
    3. Looking at everything in a new light. Being alone for such a long time (well, at least away from colleagues, friends, roommates etc.) meant that I was doing a lot of thinking and not a lot of talking, and I really got to reflect on my surroundings and take it all in. I wasn’t able to talk it out, but in some ways it was a nice change to just observe and exist and BE.

    When all is said and done, I am so glad I went and I can’t wait til I can do it again.

    I’m off on another safari adventure this weekend, this time in Moz and with some AMAZING girls, and I’ll be back next week with some posts with substance that aren’t thirteen miles long. Have a wonderful weekend everybody.

    Peace.

    What’s the next trip you’re taking?

     

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    Cape Town Bound! World Cup journey begins

    June 16, 2010 by 6 Comments
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    Hi there! I know many of you think I am already at the World Cup, but unfortunately I am not. So soon, though! Today I am in Maputo yet again (the Mozambican capital) and in about… an hour and a half I am leaving to take the Intercape bus across the South African border to Johannesburg!

    After arriving in Joburg tomorrow morning, just a couple hours later we will get on a train (the Shoshaloza Meyl, for anyone wondering) and sit there for anywhere between 27 and 35 hours (!!!) and then, God willing, arrive in Cape Town on Friday afternoon! It is going to be CRAZY but I am SOOOO freaking excited I could explode!!! Had a little time so here’s the first part of my adventure… which is sure to absolutely pale in comparison to the adventure to come : )

    Tuesday morning dawned bright and early and anticipating: World Cup Day had finally arrived.

    Well, day one of the ardous journey from Vilanculos, Mozambique to Cape Town, South Africa. Sarah and I planned to hitchhike to Maputo, hopefully getting there by Tuesday night, but definitely by Wednesday. We’d figure it out along the way. In my former life (Los Angeles), spontaneity was gathering friends at 10:30PM to run out the door for an 11PM movie, or eating at an unexpected place, or taking a sunset drive down the Pacific Coast Highway just because I could. In my current life (Mozambique), spontaneity is waking up 700 kilometers from where you hope to go to sleep, without any real plan of how you are going to get there, before deciding, “it’ll work out.” T.I.A.! For aspiring hitchhikers, check out my foolproof guide. And by “foolproof” I mean “on the seat of your pants you will somehow end up where you want to.” Here, it’s the same thing.

    After frantically packing the rest of my stuff (why do I NEVER pack until midnight the night before a trip and how come I still manage to overpack by 50% no matter where I go and still forget important things), and shoving two banana-peanut butter “burritos” (aka they were in a tortilla) down my throat, Sarah and I and my absolutely massive backpack got picked up by a friendly CARE colleague to take us out to the junction town, Pambarra (Car #1). We got there quickly and started flagging down cars of friendly people willing to pick us up…

    …Except there were none. We met another PCV friend in Pambarra who was heading to Maxixe, and while we were full of optimism at 7AM, two hours later I wasn’t feeling so optimistic, instead feeling the hot shower waiting for me in Maputo slowly slip away. (Hot showers: #1 on the List Of Things I Will Never Take For Granted In My Life Again,Don’t You Know How Lucky You Are? It even ranks before easy access and constant availability of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, and that’s saying a lot.)

    Finally at 9AM (two hours down the drain), a grudgingly willing pair of Portuguese pulled over to pick us up (Car #2). We piled in, squished amongst other bags, a cooler on Sara’s lap, a huge camera on Sarah’s, and a backpack falling on my head. It was okay though, we were finally moving! Two hours or so later we got dropped off at a cruzamento to another road where they were going; the man driving was a marketing photographer and off to shoot at Pomene. As we were pulling our huge bags out of the pile of stuff in the back, Sarah leaped out towards the road in a desperate wave to grab Car #3, which was headed to Maxixe. Our next travel companions were a Scottish man and his Mozambican colleague/friend who had been a refugee, studied in New Zealand, and who had traveled all over the world including miami, Fort Lauderdale (six times), Korea, and elsewhere for his work. And he’s back in Moz! I find these people’s stories so fascinating. There were only two spots in the backseat, so I kept it real in the trunk, cozying up with all of our backpacks.

    Riding in style.

    Upon arriving in Maxixe, we ran to Stop so Sarah could get a sandwich and I could use the ladies’ room. I had to pee since Pambarra and bouncing around in backseats over unpaved roads for several hours hardly helped. After that we set out again, walking a bit south of the main drag to try to convince another sap to give us poor foreigners a ride.

    Not too long later, a few guys working for one of the many Moz government bureaucracies agreed to give us a ride to the cruzamento for Inhambane city (car #4). We piled into the back and enjoyed 30 or 40 minutes of the requisite “I’m bouncing along in the back of a pickup in Mozambique and this is so normal that it’s hilarious” pondering.

    After getting dropped off at the cruzamento, we were stuck yet again. The funny thing is that normally there are TONS of South African expats leaving their towns (where we live… lots of expats) to head back down and it is easy to get rides. Well, because of the World Cup (where we are trying to GO), all the South Africans are staying put, and those who live in RSA are fleeing! No joke, we saw no less than one hundred cars and huge trailers full of South Africans and enough food and goods to last them God knows how long, heading north into Moz… and pretty much none going south.

    But fate intervened and after several unsuccessful attempts we scored a ride with a Portuguese Mozambican (car #5) all the way to Maputo! SO LUCKY. The next five or six hours were spent in pleasant quiet and we arrived in the city at 7PM, only ten hours after stepping into our first ride. Yes, ONLY ten hours. This was amazing.

    We needed to get the fastest food possible so we went to the only fast food option, KFC. I am not a huge fan as documented in my first visit to the place, but my roommate had a hankering, it was fast, and I wanted ice cream, so I went along. I got a junior burger which was cheap and basically a really tiny fake chicken patty on a bun. But at least they had soft serve ice cream.

    So travel days in Mozambique are pretty much the epitome of health: you burn about zero calories sitting in the backseat of trucks, and what did I eat today? Three pieces of fruit, two tortillas, crackers and cookies, peanut butter, a chicken burger and soft serve. All hail my pursuit of health and commitment to veggies! Hey sorry. This Is Africa. I am trying…

    We stayed at the home of a USAID employee who was graciously willing to take us in. Not only was I overwhelmed by the beauty of her home, but it also reminds me, seeing afmilies and the community, that I could indeed do the Foreign Service and am still commited to looking into it.

    Such a beautiful place with artwork from all over Africa… I hope that in some time I can have a life that colorful, with so many different international experiences! I appreciate the generosity so much and feel like it is paying it forward… backward?… I hope that I can be so generous to poor dirty volunteers in the future.

    Monday morning started with breakfast with the girls (how cute are they??) We had honey nut cheerios and I am pretty sure I was more excited than all the girls combined. I LOVE HONEY NUT CHEERIOS. I successfully killed almost a Costco pack when I was home in December, and yes, I am bragging about that.

    We spent the day getting some stuff done at the Peace Corps office (checking email, checking my scarily empty bank account and researching the overly complicated process for my Vietnam visa) and then headed to Cafe Sol for lunch… again. I have been in Maputo so often that this is like the, sixth time this place has been featured on my blog in two months!

    No filter coffee or cookies or big meals though… I am penny pinching. Ham and egg was good though.

    Then we picked up some snacks for the bus (pistachios, dried cranberries, babybel cheese) that you can only get in Maputo… I seem to forget I am going to SOUTH AFRICA where they have everything!

    I cannot believe I am about to spend 48 hours in transit. 

    The western world, mixed with the craziness of the Cup, is SURE to be some CRAZY culture shock for me! But I am going to have THE BEST WEEK EVER. And that is a promise! See you all in Cape Town!

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    End of Bushfire and Back to Reality slash Mozambique

    June 16, 2010 by 7 Comments
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    Woohoo! Last Swazi post! (I’m sure you’ve seen parts one, two and three already…) I am at my office in Maputo and wanted to get this out before I cross the border tonight for World Cup. FINALLY! If I have time today still, I will be sure to post my story of part 1 of the adventure :)

    —

    After Saturday’s activities, Bushfire definitely wound down on Sunday. Most people seemed to come for Friday night and Saturday, and Sunday morning returned to wherever they came from (Mbane, Joburg, Maputo…), leaving just a few of us diehards alone in the freezing, pouring rain.

    Don’t let Sarah and my expressions fool you. It was cold and wet, but we sure had fun anyways.

    Large quantities of hot liquid were very much necessary, however.

    As were Camille’s supreme photographic skills. Our walk to the venue took us by some animals and much more significantly, by the King’s pineapple fields.

    Literally. Those are the King’s. The king of Swaziland is quite the celebrity–think he is the longest-reigning monarch in the world? Every year there is a hgue festival and celebration where he chooses yet another wife. Anyways…

    The day felt decidedly low-key. We sat inside for a while and watched a clown troupe. They are called Clowns Without Borders and go out into really poor areas and townships in South Africa to, as they say, put a smile on every child’s face.

    Sunday was not only more laid-back, it was definitely much more African! Friday was more pop and mainstream, Saturday was Afro fusion, and Sunday was decidedly Afro-jazz. Despite the rain and the cold, we ALL got our dance on and had a great time.

    Goodbye, Bushfire. Thanks for an AMAZING time.

    Monday morning, I went for a last nature walk with Camilla and then we grabbed a shuttle and then a minibus to Manzini, the main city. I stopped in Village Bakery (I am a sucker for baked goods!) and after much debate selected a piece of french bread with a little cream in the middle.

    Camille went big at King Pie, which is a South African chain sellnig fries and a variety of “King Pies” which are essentially different kinds of pot pies, including spicy chicken, cheesesteak, and a dozen other equally yummy and atery clogging flavors. Note to self: try sometime. Maybe then I will look this happy!

    We also got a last stop at SHOPRITE!!! Remember my moaning about not having sliced bread? There was more sliced bread than I could EVER WANT IN MY LIFE!!! I bought one loaf. And its called an energy loaf, which means it’s good.

    There are also other Afrikaaner products that I will never understand. Who can tell me what Full Fat Maas is? Sure sounds yummy though…

    Also, I have mentioned that my survival in Mozambique would not be possible without peanut butter. This is not an exaggeration. And for the first time perhaps ever… TONS of brands of peanut butter!!!

    I just realized that this stuff is “blog-worthy” for me because grocery stores are an amazing treat, but for everyone else this is ridiculous. Forgive me being so easily amused!!! At least I will never take them for granted again.

    One more big bus got us back to Lomasha and then we crossed the Mozambique border back into Namaacha. No pictures–we were trying to get pictures with the Bem Vindo a Mocambique sign and after Sarah and Camille got theirs, a very intimidating border official came up and yelled before I could get one.

    Love the stands at the chapa stops celling cakes. I always buy this bolo, which just tastes like a really dry corn muffin, but for some reason I really enjoy them. Mysterious.

    Our chapa was also stuffed to the gills with eggs. There were perhaps several thousand eggs stuffed in every single nook and cranny! If there is anything Mozambicans do extremely well, it is maximizing space in public transport vehicles. Don’t think I ever would have thought it possible to fit 35 people in a 15-passenger van before Moz. Now that’s normal.

    Watched the villages pass us by…

    …and then finally we were back in Maputo. We went out for dinner at Spicy Thai, where deliriousness led Camille to make friends with the fish in the tank next to us.

    Hot and sour soup and apple cinnamon tea were consumed.

    Followed by a movie (something with John Travolta and Robin Williams… Old Dogs? It was just okay, but it was a MOVIE, and there was popcorn.)

    Camille and Sarah headed out the next day, but I had to hang around for a medical follow up. I had a lovely lunch at Cafe Sol, the Paece Corps favorite haunt. Quiche!

    Since this is kind of a healthy living blog, I should show you my bad ass hotel room workout. Okay not very bad ass, but for future reference I do not recommend following 2 minutes of jumping jacks with two minutes of jumping lunges. WAYYYY too much jumping up in here.

    I also had time to organize my loot! Check out what I came home with: four beautiful placemats, four coasters and two hotpads made by women in Swaziland (the company is Gone Rural and it is wonderful), a canvas tote with guinea hens on it, and a little batik wallet/camera pouch. I felt like I splurged SO much, but this was all well under $30 total. Love Africa.

    And the food takeaway after my Shoprite spree: Cadbury light hot chocolate, two boxes of multi cheerios, one energy loaf, fake nutella, big corningware dish for microwave or baking, two little tupperwares with spoons built into the lids meant for kiddos but perfect for my yogurt and oatmeal (how cute are those??), gum, Zing juice that is produced in Swazi but I could not find ANYWHERE until I got to the border on my way out of the country, and two hot sauces (Nando’s and Black Mamba). 

    Check out the awesome “ingredients” in this “chili venom.” Hi, my name is Courtney and I have a hot sauce problem.

     That last night of my journey, I celebrated at the Waterfront Restaurant which is allegedly one of the top 75 restaurants in the world? I think Conde Nast (or maybe just this menu) is lying, but hey! let’s see!

    If you ever go to the Waterfront Restaurant in Maputo, Mozambique, go on a Tuesday. The soup of the day is pumpkin and it is DELICIOUS.

    Garlic prawns also recommended. I am going to miss cheap and plentifully available seafood. Mozambique has been good to me.

    The next day, I had a relatively painless journey back to Mozambique. My week in Maputo/Swaziland was all I could have hoped for and I am SO glad that it worked out the way it did. What an adventure!

    Sorry for the blandness of this post, I just wanted to get the rest of the pictures up and finish out the journey… and tell you abuot my penchant for hot sauce.

    Hope everyone’s having a great week and I will see you from the Cup!

    Tell me what the best hot sauce is. Seriously. Tell me. I will make my parents send it to me to add to the collection. Thanks, Mom.

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    Road Trip: Swaziland

    June 9, 2010 by 7 Comments
    bf2_7metruck

    Hi everyone!!! I hope you all got a chance to check out my Swazi Scenery post with more of the beautiful pictures of animals and mountains and all of that. Today I am going to start rehashing the journey from Vilanculos, to Maputo, to Manzini, to Milwane Nature Reserve!

    Also random note: today is my birthday! I am excited. That is all. :)

    The trip got started on a Wednesday morning with oats to go and a variety of travel snacks. If you want to know what kind of food I bring when I travel, this is it. Oatmeal, PB and Clif bars. Although my stash of oats and Clif is getting dangerously low. Sad times :(

    Sarah and I were lucky to get a ride out to Pambarra (the junction with the national highway, known only as “National Road Number One.” Literally, it is the only road running from the south to the north of the country. One road to get anywhere you want!) We would be waiting for the next hour or so until our bus passed, so Sarah had the brilliant idea to rent an esteira, one of the straw mats that are sold there for like a dollar. We rented one for 50 cents. Success! Comfortable place to rest while we waited for our bus. One of the things I love the most about Mozambique. You can break any rule. In fact, there are no rules. You can always ask people for anything. And chances are, they will say yes!

    The ride down was speedy and uneventful, two words that are rarely used to describe traveling in Mozambique. My favorite part of the rides are the palm forests in the southern part of my province, Inhambane. Ignore all the splotches if you can… I was sitting in the front on the top (double decker bus) and the windows were REALLY dirty.

    Another beautiful spot in southern Inhambane is Quissico, where a beautiful freshwater bay meets the ocean. This picture, taken from the bus, of course, does NOT do it justice! I will be back in late August for the Timbila music festival, so expect better pictures then! : )

    And the other highlight… passing the Tropic of Capricorn sign. Another thing for the “must do before leaving Mozambique” list is to get out of the car and get a picture with this sign. Next time I hitchhike, I am totally sweet talking the driver into doing this for us.

    When we finally arrived in Maputo, it was late and two of our friends were waiting to meet up with us at perhaps the most chic spot in the capital city: Dolce Vita martini bar. Talk about your out of body experience. This bar, in Africa??

    Spending a quarter of my week´s money on a Waldorf salad because they HAD A WALDORF SALAD ON THE MENU is a completely justifiable expense. I am convinced.

    We stayed with some Americans, who live in a very… American location. It felt like walking into the Others’ complex on the island for the first time! (For Lost fans only, sorry. Speaking of, how was season six?? I wouldn’t know. Sad face.)

    Breakfast at Cafe Sol was just the ticket. I have talked about this amazing cafe a couple of times on the blog, and it never fails to disappoint. I ordered iced coffee per tradition automatically, but after thirty seconds realized I was actually freezing cold, and switched to a real coffee. Still exciting and rare.

    Breakfast: a breakfast burrito. Asked for little oil, and this thing was really just veggies and eggs in a tortilla (also rare). With salsa. And salad. DELICIOUS.

    And a chocolate chip cookie. My favorite, but this was being saved for a special person who I wanted to get to try one :)

    I was holding out for ice cream. Ice cream before noon is normal, right? We headed to Il Gelato, a newly reopened gelato place on Julius Nyerere, and I got a scoop of “cookies.”

    My friend got this. HOW AMAZING IS THIS?!?!?!? Where can I find this bowl?!?!

    I just want to point out the dangers of poorly translated menus. How would you like to try some “grain of worn out peak” for lunch, or perhaps we could interest you in “meat cow”? Note: if you planning on eating safely in Mozambique, speak Portuguese.

    The next day came bright and early, and we hopped on a chapa to Namaacha. Namaacha is a small town in Maputo province that is right on the Swaziland border. I actually lived here for ten weeks from October–December 2008 for my Peace Corps Pre-Service Training, and visited once again in November 2009 to help out with training for the group behind me. But I had never had the opportunity to cross the border. I had been waiting for SO LONG!!! Camille was happy to finally arrive.

    And look: WE’RE IN SWAZILAND! Hooray!

    The trip did not end there, though. After walking across the border (which was refreshingly simple… I always seem to expect the worst with any bureaucratic government type of thing on this continent) we had to get on another bus headed to Manzini. Lomaasha (the town across the border) was cute and we found a big, clean, speedy bus nearly ready to go. Clearly, we aren’t in Kansas anymore. It really is crazy how different Mozambique is from all the surrounding countries. So much less developed. Really sad.

    These pictures I take out the windows of buses never really come out so great, but I still enjoy taking them. This is one of my favorite thing about Africa: buying fruit on the side of the road.

    One thing you can always count on for sure in Africa: absolutely INSANE and hectic and terrifying but also somehow weirdly organized transport centers. Please just take in the scenery at the Manzini main transport center. And imagine us walking around being pummeled by five to fifty people yelling “WHERE YOU GO?! WHERE YOU GO?!” Believe me, you’ll never again feel so ALIVE.

    Luckily, chicken strips and spicy rice at Nando’s fueled me up for the last leg of the journey. Okay, I have been to Nando’s in the United Kingdom, Swaziland, and South Africa… but where is it in the US? I mean I know it exists, but how come I never hear of anyone going there? It ROCKS, people.

    We took a kumbi (minibus) from Manzini to the entrance of the Milwane Nature Reserve. From there we geared up for what looked to be a very, very, VERY long walk. Cue nice dude in pickup truck stopping about 30 seconds into said long walk to offer us a ride. SCORE!

    Speaking of feeling very alive, I also think that speeding through African nature reserves in the back of pickup trucks with friends is right up there.

    We finally got to the gate where we paid our entrance fees and our friend took us right to Sondzela Backpackers Lodge, the backpackers that is right inside the reserve.

    Time to catch up with friends and relax! I just love hostels. I feel very alive when I am there. Okay, I’m done with that whole metaphor thing whatever. But seriously, I love seeing info about other places and meeting travelers and reading brochures. I am, and always will be, a complete travel dork. But seriously, I love backpackers. There are definitely bad things about them, but they bring back so many fun memories… the amazing place on Las Ramblas in Barcelona that served free, hearty dinners every night; the Mountain Hostel in Gimmelwald, Switzerland (pop.100) that you had to take a train, a bus and then a gondola up a mountain to get to; the funky place in Sultanamet, Istanbul (Turkey) with the rooftop restaurant overlooking the Bosphorous. So many memories!!

    Please note the Mozambique warning below. I think this is pretty true. If you are in Mozambique, you should indeed watch out for these things. I don’t have to though, because I live here. Boom.

    The backpackers has huts, a big main house with a bunch of dorms, and a separate big house with a different name that I unfortunately cannot recall, which our group pretty much dominated. Not to mention it has some pretty amazing views.

    We made it!!! And thus ends the first chapter of my journey to Swaziland. Stay tuned for updates on the festival itself. It’s coming. :)

    Have you ever stayed in backpackers/hostels? Where? What did you like or not like? What are your favorite parts about traveling?

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    Maputo Restaurant Tour 2010

    May 19, 2010 by 13 Comments
    MAPUTO9caview

    First of all, thanks for all the comments on my last post. It was so great reading what you all had to say and really made my day :)

    Last week, I published A Maputo Travelogue, a random post documenting a rather interesting trip to Maputo, the Mozambican capital, during which I spent a week wandering the city alone while dealing with some medical issues. How I filled the majority of my free time: eating! For any foodie in Mozambique, Maputo is perhaps the ONE place (okay, definitely the only place) where you have a ton of interesting options. I documented my eating my way through Maputo here, for anyone who you know, MIGHT randomly find themselves in the Mozambican capital and need a restaurant recommendation. : )

    Vintage India (Avenida Julius Nyerere right north of Avenida 24 de Julho): a real Indian restaurant with a several page menu that leaves a lot to the imagination. (Descriptions like “spicy goodness”) only tell you so much. But it has naan and appetizers and soup and is pretty legit Indian food. Only problem is it seems to randomly close for weeks at a time. No problem. This Is Africa. That and the slightly creepy dark interior that scares me a little bit… but still, this is always a must-visit. The coconut lamb dish is pretty amazing. I wish I could tell you the name but it is probably three different Indian words that I cannot remember.

     Xhova Inter-Thai Restaurant: nestled into the neighborhood between Polana Shopping Center and Hotel Cardoso, this is my favorite restaurant. REAL THAI FOOD! I come here every time I am in Maputo, always telling myself that I will take half of the huge portion to go and instead always leaving a clean plate on the table. The setting is strangely intimate, you can watch the chef cook if you want, and there are fish. Who can argue with that? Am I the only one who gets kind of strangely excited when there is a koi pond or a fish or lobster tank in a restaurant? I swear, I am five years old inside.

    The menu is filled with pictures of dishes that don’t exactly spike my appetite. It makes me realize that if I don’t start taking pictures of my food no one will read this blog anymore! Work in progress, right… I always get the pad thai. Number 604. Let´s see how close it looks to the picture…

    Maybe that is the benefit of ugly food pictures. No letdown when it actually arrives! Unlike any American fast food establishment. Those pictures are false advertising. Hmmph.

    Reading material on this lovely day: Cosmo in Portuguese. I don’t like Cosmo anymore because I kind of feel my brain cells dying one by one as I read it, but I figured that in Portuguese it would be sufficiently mind numbing. (The other magazine I considered at the newsstand was a health magazine—think the Portuguese version of Self—but the huge cover had a woman in her underwear with a tape measure wrapped around her waist on it and THAT was just too embarrassing for me.)

    guilty pleasure trash in any language.

    Everything is better with piri piri.

    Café Acacia (Next to Hotel Cardoso on Avenida Patrice Lumumba): this is my place of Zen in Maputo. I love cafes, and just being able to sit in a peaceful place and just BE, with a book or a cup of coffee or only my own thoughts for company. I spent a ton of time here just reading and journaling and pondering the meaning of life. (Being alone for a week in a big city is a strangely lonely yet intimate experience.) Multiple coffees and teas were consumed. The menu even has a kid´s menu with chicken nuggets and fish fingers on it. I have to order that sometime. I mean, who knew that chicken nuggets transcended geographical, cultural, and lingustic borders?!?! And I am pretty sure the fish fingers scared me a little bit, too…

    beautiful.

    And nothing beats the view. It almost makes Maputo seem beautiful. The park that it is in even has a diccionário for the turistas to learn some Portuguese and Changana/Ronga words.

    Here you go... practice!

    Um, this hardly counts as a restaurant but Maputo has a MOVIE THEATER. I mentioned this briefly in my other post. It’s incredibly… unsophisticated, and every time I walk in I am the only one there, and I was so desperate to fill time on this trip that I went to see the same movie (Couples Therapy) a second time just so I could buy popcorn and sit there for about an hour while I ate it. This is how exciting my life is. Buying a ticket to a movie I saw two nights ago, just so I could go inside to eat some stale popcorn. Again. And then walk out after I got TOO bored. Man, my social life… may or may not leave something to be desired.

    I think this was dinner two separate nights. Sweet popcorn! Amazing.

    Café Sol: Okay, this might be tied for my zen spot. Well, maybe the setting is not quite as zern as Acacia, but food wise, this is my favorite place. A Café started by ex-Peace Corps Volunteers, it caters to expatriates with REAL BAGELS and CREAM CHEESE! (This is the only place in Mozambique—yes, the whole country—with bagels. Hence why I struggled to make them myself not so long ago.) It also has burritos, paninis, and some salads on the menu. This is the biggest culture shock ever, walking in here. Oh, and ICED COFFEE.

    You all seriously have no idea how exciting this is. I would make the ten hour trip just to come to this café and get an iced coffee, a veggie Panini and a chocolate chip cookie.

    I actually cannot go to Maputo without buying a chocolate chip cookie at Café Sol. If it was at an American bakery, I don’t think you would see many food bloggers posting “OMG HOLY YUM LIKE BEST COOKIE EVERRRRRRRRRRRR”, but it’s the best I have found in Mozambique and that has to mean something. I saved some of the milk that came with the iced coffee so I could end my lunch with milk and cookies. So common, yet so special and rare for me!

    milk and cookies. normalcy, God bless you.

    Mundo´s Mozambique (Corner of Julius Nyerere and Eduardo Mondlane): the king of expat restaurants, this thatch-roof street side establishment has tons of TVs playing sporting events, beer on tap, and HUGE portions of everything from pizza to bacon cheeseburgers. (Also probably the only place in the country with bacon cheeseburgers.) They also have a brownie sundae (!) and white hot chocolate (!!!) which are to die for. I went here for dinner alone the night before a medical appointment that meant I was going to not be able to eat from the time I woke up until dinner. Which is normal life for many people but absolute sheer torture for me. I SHOULD have gotten the bacon cheeseburger (protein and fat and carbs and French fries = not hungry for a while…) but I went with the thai vegetarian wrap instead (craving some nutrients), sub a salad for the fries please. Well, check out my plate.

    I am not sure how much nutrients my veggie wrap had but I am sure there was some in there alongside the bottle of Thai marinade. This was actually pretty good but I am SO getting the burger next time.

    BACON CHEESEBURGER!!! What was I thinking...

    Um, they have a shooter called "Pancake." If only I was allowed to drink...

    To break my fast post traumatizing medical procedure (think, being given the highest dosage of anesthetic and having it not put you out, so the doctor deciding to just do the procedure anyway, involving sticking a two foot tube down your throat—not something I am eager to repeat again anytime soon. Except I have to go back in two weeks…) I had a once-in-a-lifetime eating experience: KFC. In Mozambique. I documented this interesting experience already and suffice it to say I won’t be going back. Except maybe for the soft-serve ice cream. Because again, soft serve ice cream is always worth it.

    Aska (JAT building on Avenida 25 de Setembro): I JUST discovered a Maputo SUSHI restaurant this trip, and all I have to say is, THANK GOD. Well, it would have been really nice to be eating sushi all this time BUT my wallet could not afford it. I already documented my sushi saudades and this restaurant (check out how ugly my homemade sushi was…) so I won’t go on about it here. This was my most expensive meal of ALL of these featured here and definitely the LEAST filling… but probably the most exciting. SUSHI IN AFRICA!

    Nautilus Pastelaria e Padaria: Nautilus is a Maputo institution, a remembrance of the Portuguese colonial café culture, which serves a variety of decent dishes, but the best thing here is the pão de leite (bread made with milk). This looks like a croissant but the texture is nothing like that—not flaky, more like super soft, slightly sweet, melt-in-your-mouth delicious bread. I think I ate three of these on one day. And they cost what, 30 cents? If you are EVER in Maputo, YOU MUST BUY PÃO DE LEITE. It is an institution in itself. And see this sign? This HUGE SIGN that says PÂO (bread) with an arrow pointing to the door, that lights up at night? Can’t exactly miss THAT…

    Oh pão de leite, you complete me.

    Gianni Sorveteria: ICE CREAM! This is one of those things that you just have to get when you are in Maputo, because it is so rare anywhere else. There are a few different ice cream shops throughout Maputo, but even still they are pretty rare. This one is my favorite not necessarily for quality (though at this point, ANYTHING resembling ice cream is good ice cream) but for the ambiance. Can´t help being happy in a pink, blue and green ice cream shop with children´s paintings of ice cream cones everywhere. Not only does this place have adorable decorations, but they have pancakes and waffles on the menu. My kind of place! I love an ice cream shop where I can get a scoop of canela (cinnamon) on top of a beautiful, powdered-sugared waffle.

    Oh, ice cream and waffles... you complete me, too.

    PHEW. What a week. And I didn´t even succeed in hitting all the places I wanted to (there is a steakhouse at the casino… yes, there is a casino; a new Italian place that is supposed to be lovely and they serve GNOCCHI…) but I think I did pretty well. I am going to be stopping through Maputo on my way back from Swaziland (!) next weekend, so I will try to make the steakhouse happen.

    Maputo will never be a leading culinary destination (that is a diplomatic statement at best) but at least I can go and have foodie adventures! When I return to America, will I spend entire days wandering down streets asking to see the menu at every restaurant I pass? Here´s hoping.

    How do you pick restaurants? Do you tend just to wander in randomly or go from other people´s recommendations?  Would YOU have gotten the bacon cheeseburger? :) Ah, next time…

     

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