08.39 The final South African morning for a while is here. Roberth’s bed is intact. We will be travelling to a new country today. I had some problems to turn off the lights last evening. It worked eventually.

09.40 Our room lacks electricity. Have we broken something? Did I turn it all off last evening? We’ve also found a yearbook from a school here in Nelspruit. The book is from the early 1980´s. Everyone in the book has white skin. This place which Christer has booked for us is by far the best one this year. The fact we haven’t been freezing might have something to do with our judgement.

10.20 We checked out and are outside of Pappas Kitchen/Restaurant. There have been some protests from the sanitation workers. They´ve knocked over some small dumpsters. The street is partly filled with trash. Christer have tried to withdraw some money but the ATM was lifeless.

This is what it can look like after a South African strike.

10.35 We’ve ordered an early lunch here at Pappa’s. Christer had to place a new order. They don’t have enough electricity to boil the spaghetti. We are happy the pizza oven is heated with burning wood. We will be having pizza.

11.10 Roberth has spoken with a local who was furious to say the least about the striking sanitation workers who had spread the garbage around the city. He thought it was great that we took pictures and showed the world how things work in South Africa. Roberth found a telephone further down the street and got in contact with his loved ones back home. It is an ordinary working day today and the sleepy city we met yesterday is now filled with cars and people.

Nelspruit

11.45 After strolling around in Nelspruit we´ve reached the Intercape office. I was told that it was impossible to check us in due to the power shortage. Our bus is on top of all at least two hours late from Johannesburg.

12.22 It is the strike which has delayed the bus in Johannesburg. The young lady at Intercape’s office is checking if we can go with another company instead. All we can do is to wait.

12.52 There is no news regarding the bus. We are about to leave our big backpacks here at the office. The time has come to take a closer look at Nelspruit. We just got new news! There might be seats available on the incoming Greyhound bus. We are standing by.

Christer and Roberth are awaiting news about our bus departure.

13.47 Three men are sitting on a Greyhound bus. We are about to leave Nelspruit. We send our regards to the young lady at the Intercape office. Our passports have been gathered for some form of registration.

14.18 We are remaining on the bus. Unfortunately the bus remains in Nelspruit too. Two ladies are counting the passengers again and again. They are talking about a lonely twelve years old girl and now the bus driver ran across the street. What is going on?

The road east of Nelspruit.

Sugarcane fields, common in this part of South Africa.

14.41 We are finally on our way out of Nelspruit. The landscape is hilly and filled with orange plantations. Some of the trees are filled with oranges. It is really beautiful.

15.25 We’ve made a stop by Lowveld Tombstones in Malelane. I wonder when we will be heading on. I sure hope that our stop has nothing to do with the tombstone store.

15.54 The hostess is fighting with handing back the passports to their rightful owners. I was lucky to be the first to get mine. Well, she actually gave it to Roberth.

16.09 There are several banana plantations along the road. The banana stems are growing in blue plastic bags of the kind which we saw on Saint Lucia in 2007.

Peter and Roberth taking a short walk during the stop in Malelane.

The last petrol station before the Mozambique border.

16.45 We reached Komatipoort and the bus drove up on some kind of scale in a station aimed for this purpose. Now we are going on towards the border.

17.13 We’ve reached the border stations. There were plenty of people, a minor camp, by the border. We don’t know if they were waiting or just selling stuff. We had no problems getting out of South Africa. They greeted us welcome back next year for the World Cup. One of the border police officers looked in Christer´s passport and said "you are just a boy!" We didn’t have any problems paying the entrance tax of 17 rand to enter Mozambique. They didn’t have any change for Christer so they owe him 1 rand. We got into the country but we can’t get into the bus. I think the customs officers would like to check the entire luggage. It is also about to be rain. Sweet!

MOZAMBIQUE

17.48 All the luggage is in place and soon it will go for the passengers as well. I said "Yes!!" and clenched my fist as our backpacks finally went inside the luggage compartment. Not a very smart thing to do. It might have lead to further investigations by the moody suspicious customs officers. It went well. Darkness is falling and we are in the bus. I thought for a while that we would be passed by the ordinary bus, the one that we were supposed to go with in the first place.

18.47 By the side of the road there is a police car with its roof lights on. We’ve left the main road and are standing still. Is it some connection between these two events or? We’ve turned into a smaller road and have stopped by some red lights. There are plenty of eggs packed into the bus. Here and there are some huge egg boxes. Are eggs eggstra cheap in South Africa or are they just fond of eggs in Mozambique?

18.51 I guess it was just a routine stop. We are back on the main road.

19.42 We’ve reached Maputo. Christer and Roberth have swiftly and with style arranged with a taxi. I am sitting inside it and gather my backpack which was one of the first to get out of the compartment. It is just to go with the flow. Here comes Roberth and he brings his backpack with him. It is a total chaos by the luggage trolley. A man is standing in the middle of the darkness handing out luggage to a waiting crowd that tries to see which luggage just got out. The bus is also blocking parts of a street.

20.16 The taxi driver Alfred ran and pushed (yes to read it correct!) his mini bus to start it and drove us to Fatima’s Place at Mao Tse Tung Avenue 1317 (http://www.mozambiquebackpackers.com). He gave us his phone number and some tips about how to behave in Maputo. It is safer than in South Africa but we shouldn’t bring any valuables with us. We are in our room, hungry and thirsty. I hope that they serve food here.

It´s nice to travel but even better to arrive and to have a nice room.

Heroes from Mozambique´s modern history.

20.49 We asked for food in the reception and were told about a place a bit further away. We went out in the street and walked along the Mao Tse Tung Avenue. We are now sitting at Zambézina and are thinking about what to order.

21.53 It was delicious meat (veal?), fries, tomato, cucumber, onion and fried egg. We are back in the room. It lacks a number but I think it has a name instead and is called Xitende. We have a blowpipe or is it a longbow on the outside of the door. It might also be some form of musical instrument. We are about to plan the day to come.

22.40 The time has come to drop down the mosquito net and pull the blanket over me. We’ve mainly been transported today but lots of things have happened.

Roberth is getting ready to sleep.

Tuesday 28th of July

08.17 We’ve woken up here in Maputo under a mosquito net each. How many back home can say the same? How many are aware that Maputo or for that sake a mosquito net exists? I am sad to say that the fluorescent light in the bathroom is flashing. It got to be taken care of during the day.

09.15 The three of us are showered and dressed. I am glad we did it in that order. We are about to find a place which offers what we crave the most, breakfast.

09.47 ”I can’t get over” can be heard from the loud speakers. We are sitting at Pastelaria Twingo. We are about to have coffee and something else. This is where we will enjoy what we call breakfast.

What are they looking at....? Well, a man is welding very close to the guests at Pastelaria Twingo.

10.34 I ordered coffee and a chicken sandwich and was served a hamburger! But I got my coffee. My travel companions also had hamburgers but they drank Coca Cola. There was a fried egg on the hamburgers. They sure like egg here.

11.24 The time has come to interact in yet another internet café. Roberth is already sitting by a computer, Christer is arranging with a code and I am waiting for my turn. It seems to take a while to us a computer each. They also seem to take care of different other services as well. They are handling all kinds of economic transactions.

12.40 The netsurfing went fine and we are updated on the world news. We are now sitting at the café of Hotel Pestana Rovuma. The high prices made us settle with coffee but I can’t complain. After all we got a can of it. We are just by the cathedral and the place address is Rua da Sé 114. We are about to take out a new direction. People with machine guns can be seen here and there. They are guarding something, maybe a CIT, money transport.

The catholic cathedral in Maputo.

Expensive coffee at the hotel Pestana Rovuma.

14.02 We went into the post office and bought postcards and stamps, expensive stamps. We were followed by a persistent guy who sold paintings. It all began as Roberth was about to film the view around the post office and attracted the painting guy and his friend that sold woodworks. We’ve managed to get rid of him for a while. We are inside a sports shop. Roberth and Christer are looking at some jerseys.

View from the central post office.

Roberth at the old Maputo fort (fortaleza).

14.26 Christer made a deal and bought a football jersey as a gift to his nephew Anton. It is the Mozambique national soccer jersey. Anton now owns jerseys from two great soccer nations, Vietnam and Mozambique :-) Earlier we saw the theatre Teatro Avenida where the author Henning Mankell works from time to time. We didn’t stop there since we were followed by the painting man. We’ve also seen the city’s modest old Portuguese fort (fortaleza).

14.37 After walking through Mercado Municipal, a narrow and hectic market place, we´ve reached the Botanical Garden. Roberth and I are having a bench break. Christer is taking pictures. The three of us are thinking about having a little something to eat. Two white men just passed us. The park itself is way past its glorious days.

14.57 Today we will be having lunch at O Galeto just next to the Garden. We’ve ordered meal of the day, spinach soup and meat curry. We are also about to write some postcards.

Walking through Maputo.

Christer and Roberth walking through the market area Mercado Municipal.

Peter and Roberth resting in the botanical garden in Maputo.

Praca da Independencia (Indepedence square).

A Maputo street named after the swedish prime minister Olof Palme who was murdered in 1986.

16.25 We are finally back in our home. We’ve asked them to switch the flashing fluorescent light. One attempt has been made. It failed due to the fact that the switcher had brought the wrong kind of light. He is back for a second attempt.

17.57 We are sitting in the recreation room. We’ve bought ourselves a beer each. We are surrounded by other guests and the two dogs living here. Scents of garlic reach us from the kitchen area and one of the guests just coughed. The switch was a success.

19.00 After talking about different subjects we´ve returned to the room. The new light is also flashing and blinking.

Roberth outside Fatima´s Backpackers. The security guard is actually awake. That´s good!

Arriving home after a long day exploring the streets of Maputo.

19.51 It is time for dinner again. We are sitting by a square table with a checkered cloth. We are at the restaurant Mimmos. It is time for pizza. We are sitting in the non-smoking area with a cigarette machine in one corner.

21.12 We had to wait for the pizzas. The place is very popular and visited. We watched some Michael Jackson videos on the TV while waiting and dining. It was some kind of tribute program. We got 100 meticais less back on the change. But everything is settled now. We are in our room again. The ceiling fan is at full power. Our stamina and strength isn’t.

21.54 A brushing sound followed by a spitting one can be heard from the bathroom. Roberth has been brushing his teeth. Now he standing and singing at the foot of my bed.

Wednesday 29th of July

07.03 We’ve just heard the wake up call from Roberth’s cell phone. It isn't supposed to be heard now. We are going back to sleep.

08.13 We’ve just heard the wake up call from my cell phone. This is a more pleasant time to wake up.

09.49 The time has come take to the streets of the city. All we have to do is getting rid of one the place’s dogs which just entered our room. It entered as Roberth opened the door and said something to it, the dog that is, not the door. Whatever is ”come here little dog” in Portuguese?

The day started with the difficult task of moving this stubborn dog.

10.09 I managed to get the dog to the doorway but that was it. The lads spoke with one in the staff and he called for the dog. The dog has apparently just been to the vet and took every chance he had to hide. We left our home for the post office further down our home avenue. We placed our cards in a mailbox outside of the small post office. That turned out to be the wrong thing to do! It wasn't meant for letters and cards. It was instead the storage for some gentlemen. They began to yell and wave at us from across the street. One of them opened the mailbox by removing a piece of cardboard. Christer brought the postcards inside the post office instead. However could we think that the mailbox was to be used as a mailbox. It is now time for coffee and pastries at Pizza House.

Don´t put your mail in this one.

Roberth having breakfast (not pizza) at Pizza House.

11.02 We are about to see the more exclusive parts of the city today and especially the ocean. We’ve walked east from our home and among other things seen the Swedish embassy. Roberth is currently doing business with a street vendor. Well, he isn't about to buy a street, just something to bring home to his wife.

11.27 Roberth made a deal. We are standing overlooking the Indian Ocean. We’ve walked to a calm side street and have a beautiful view over the ocean. Roberth has phoned home to Sweden and spoken with his family.

Indian ocean

12.03 We can see the sea again. We are having a bench break in Jardín dos Namorados (Valentine’s Park). Here birds are singing, kids are playing and music is played. The sea is calm and on the horizon there are visible boats. It is also wonderful and warm today.

12.37 Martini, said Roberth as he was about to order. He has also ordered a Coca Cola. Christer has settled with Fanta and a pastry. All I need is a Coca Cola. We are at the restaurant Surf here in the park. A gentleman with a straw hat is sitting a few tables away. It says ”I love Durban” on the brim of the hat. This is a lovely oasis of tranquillity in a slightly chaotic Maputo.

Roberth enjoying his holiday.

It´s very pleasant to find a peaceful park in a big city.

This looks romantic but this is actually the path leading to the toilets.

13.35 We’ve strolled along the Julius Nyerere Street and have been inside the luxurious Polana Shopping Centre by Hotel Avenida. We took the chance to use the bathroom. The price level in the mall made us feel unfamiliar, misplaced.

14.25 The street is filled with men selling everything, extensions cords, boxes, cloths, shoes, woodworks and other stuff. We are sitting at the restaurant El Greco on Av Julius Nyerere, nº326 to avoid them and to get ourselves a lunch. Christer has ordered chicken, I’ve chosen squid and Roberth wanted seafood.

Christer buying a T-shirt.

15.28 It was really tasty. Christer is about to do some business. I don’t know if they are good or bad. He seems to be buying a t-shirt related to Mozambique.

16.23 We bought some bread for tomorrow on our way home. Since we got home we´ve thought about payment for the room. The tricky thing is that they don’t accept creditcards here. We had hoped they would have accepted it. Now one of us has to cash out in a nearby ATM.

16.37 The phone just rang in the reception. The guy there have said "Hello" three or four times. He has also informed us that we owe him 3600 meticais, US$115 for the room. The cost for the transport to the bus station is around 150 meticais for the three of us and a ride to Swaziland costs 100 rand per person. Now it is time for some reading. Roberth will be the one cashing out and we will owe him 365 rand each.

18.43 We are looking at pictures from today and are planning for tomorrow’s trip to Swaziland. I guess we will remain here for a while before we head out for our final Maputo dinner.

19.45 We are once again at Mimmos. Our final dinner will be pizza, not that original and correct but we have to adjust our meal according to what we got in the wallets and we already knew what a pizza costs here.

21.13 It was delicious and filling. We are about to slow down. Tomorrow awaits a new travel day, a new country and a new capital. What surprises await us?

Our home street, Avenida Mao Tsé Tung.