Coffee and cakes in Maputo
on Rob Wootton (Zambia), 30/Dec/2011 16:29, 34 days ago
My impressions of Maputo are that it feels like a proper city with its wide pavements, people busily hawking anything and everything, and markets full of fresh produce (lots fruit and vegetable varieties), which all means that as a capital Lusaka suffers terribly in comparison. There are pasteleria’s selling espresso coffee and small, sweet custard cream like pastries where you can sit outside and spend hours people watching. I am only a bit lost not knowing the Portuguese language; this means people are friendly but it is harder to access the open warmth of the Zambian people. The partsthat I have seen showcase a city of contrasts. On one side of the street you can watch maids all dressed up walking the dogs of their rich owners or waiting to collect shopping bags from cars as the owners pass by. The other side has buildings in disrepair, homeless people sleeping on the street and the foul smell of piled up, rotting rubbish. There are beautiful colonial buildings and on the next road towering, 1960s, communist like structures. The warm weather is perfect for outdoor eating and fruit is everywhere with some of my favourite exotic ones like litchi and passion fruit easilyavailable. I like the place.