Amazing photo's of a beautiful place.
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Amazing photo's of a beautiful place.
Transport in Mozambique is similar to many developing countries....how many Mozambicans can you fit into a bus or into the back of a truck..? Always one more.
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The bloke at the front right was concerned about my taking photos of his Chapa...no doubt...like most...unlicensed. The Govt attempts to license these operators but, the demand is so great, it is worth the effort to dodge.
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Overloaded vehicles are a fact of life....and...it is never really full until there is at least one goat on top.
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You can note that this bus is not yet fully packed.....no goat.
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The numerous water containers you see strapped to the back of the bus are for the woman to take off, as she gets off the bus, so she can bring a full container of water back to the house with her.
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You read/hear about the road deaths in Africa, a bus crashes, and many die. I was headed north on the EN1 on the 27th September 00, and I came across a two vehicle accident where a truck had taken out the side of a bus going in the opposite direction. I, and a Mozambican compatriot, were the first vehicle on site, I had UHF comms, and I spent the next 4 hrs doing our best to triage and evacuate the wounded people...7 dead.
Everywhere the buses stop within towns along the EN1 as it stops there is a rush from women selling local foods, drinks, anything.....
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OK....who can guess what the following Mozambican fast food is??????...it used to be a lot faster!!!
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Yes....you are right...rat on a stick...and NO...I have never had one. Had mouse on a stick though...cooked well.
Ever thought of writing a book BBC? What a great story :o- thanks again for sharing it . :)
Rat-on-a-stick -Mmmmm, maybe KFC could run with that - or would that be KFR :p
It would be an improvement.
Where there is chickens or any animals or feed there are rats, so chances are you've eaten them your just unaware of the fact.
Has anyone ever seen the size of the rats at Central Railway station in Sydney?
Ever wonder why there are so many Kebab shops and curry houses around the station?
Aussie and they're food are just too picky, Yet you eat that americanised Macca's crud. We are omnivores, people eat rabbits, prawns, pigs, pigeons in reality the rats are probably cleaner
Keep it up BBC, this makes for some fantastic reading:)
I've been working with an engineer, who similar to yourself has travelled a fair bit, but more so asia, he married a Chinese woman, he's currently in Saudi Arabia...........earning a thousand bucks a day:eek:
Sleepy,
You are not the first person who has asked me of that. I do wish I could write.
I will ask if anyone has read a book called ' Far Horizon' byTony Park?
Tony is an Australian and his novel is set in Southern Africa. The main character is a Royal Australian Engineer Major who spent time in Mozambique clearing landmines....and funnily enough.....for the same organisation I worked for!
He has written 5 books, all set around Southern Africa, with his latest 'Silent Predator' also set partly in Mozambique. Tony is also the proud owner of a SWB SIII.....I don't have any vested interest in selling his books!
Now....onto a subject dear to my heart...Mozambican Tucker. Who here has eaten any?........if you haven eaten 'Nando's'....you have eaten something which was was derived from Mozambique....and Nandos only faintly recognizes the fact!!! They call it Portuguese chicken...I have been to Portugal....and you can't buy it there....yet, it is for sale on many street corners in Mozambique...slow grilled over real charcoal.
During the glory days of Portuguese colonialism, before they left in 1975, Mozambique was a favoured tourist resort of South Africans and Rhodesians. They went there for...the same Vitamin B's....Beaches, Beer, and ...you know the rest.
What it was/is famous for though, is food, especially seafood! Maputo, under Portuguese rule used to be called Laurenco Marques, and the Saffers still call the prawns they get there....LM Prawns. Another favourite is Peri Peri Galinha, or Chili Chicken.
Peri Peri sauce comes from Mozambique and it is made from a mixture of African Birds Eye Chili, garlic, lemon and olive oil...my wife makes it for me...bottles it up...and then puts it out in the hot sun for at least a month. The oil turns red.....and hot....like nothing else.
Bon apetit!
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As you can see from the above, seafood in Mozambique is second to none. There is a seafood market which has a series of open air restaurants attached to it. The product comes dripping, fresh from the boats in the late afternoons. You have to walk through the market stall on the way into the restaurants, a boy will follow you with plastic bags:
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You make your choices about what combination of seafood you will eat, it is packed into the plastic bag, you pay the stall holders, you walk through and choose where you want to sit, they boy takes the seafood to the nearest restaurant, and he is paid by them. You buy your drinks, beer and wine, and then pay the restaurant...I have never paid more than $20 a person.
When I first got to Mozambique in 2000, a plate of 3 x mud crabs, in a restaurant sitting on a verandah overlooking the ocean was $5 a plate....I thought I was in heaven!
My mouths watering :D
I'm sure that my partner, Erika, has read ALL the Tony Park books, but, off-hand, I don't remember that one.
As a child, Erika spent some years in Khartoum. She is in two minds about whether to make a return visit, as it will be sooo different from her childhood memories. However, I think that it will happen. We'll include it as a much longer trip to Africa in general. To be honest, I can't wait. Your photos have been very evocative - you bastard! :o
Regarding writing: I find your "pared down" descriptions that accompany your photos to be wonderful adjuncts. If you did sit down to write, I would love to read it (as I'm sure that many others would, also).
Thank You,