Heat wave in Maputo!
on Karen in Maputo (Mozambique), 10/Jan/2009 14:11, 34 days ago
A few weeks ago we had a wonderful visit to the fish market outside of Maputo. Here are some photos from the market. You choose your fish and seafood and then the restaurant cooks it for you! The prawns were fabulous and - no - we couldn't eat them all!Apparently this week we had a heat wave in Maputo! It seemed a bit hotter to me but not that much different from other weeks. I continued to do daytime errands and shopping but okay - maybe I did get the tops of my toes burned from the sun! Even sunscreen #50 didn't save them.I still find it sad, every time I venture out, to see the garbage on the streets, in the gutters, on the sidewalks and just blowing around. Okay, my mother would hate that about Maputo. The country seems to be on the road to recovery after the "civil war" which ended in 1992, and has many other serious priorities, but tourism continues to be a large source of economic growth. I can't imagine what tourists think!Notario, one of the local newspapers, has many ads requesting bids for infrastructure projects throughout the country. Sidewalks are in very dangerous condition and are extremely treachourous at night, if the street is not well lit.If anyone in Ottawa (or elsewhere) feels like phoning me - I think this is the sequence 011 258 8232 92237 (my cell phone). I am 7 hours ahead of Ottawa - so the best time to phone is between 10 am to 2 pm Ottawa time (5 pm to 9 pm my time). I go to an internet cafe on Saturdays to skype my mother around 3 pm but reception at her end has been iffy, plus I know she is not wearing her hearing aids!! Thanks to all my friends in Ottawa for helping her out. Sorry to hear about horrible snow storms and freezing cold weather you are having. Canada is a very tough country to live in - weather-wise!!! However, it makes us a tough bunch as well.We have no tv or radio at our apt. but are pretty exhausted after a day of Portuguese lessons, so bedtime and reading tends to be around 9 pm - believe it or not. Mind you, I am awake a good part of the night with the incredibly loud music and other noises where we live - so getting a bit of sleep before midnight is not a bad idea!! It could be a lot worse!We have to write an "interesting" article about ourselves in Portuguese, complete with photos, for next week. I have no problem with the photos but the article will be a challenge. I am grateful, however, for the opportunity to study Portuguese (100 hours with Leonor!). My French has been both a help and a hindrance: I can guess at some verbs and words due to knowing French but then pronounce them incorrectly. There are sounds in Portuguese we just do not have in English! There is a language grant, for an additional 50 hours of lessons, I can apply for from VSO and I am seriously thinking about it - once I am settled in my placement at the University - beginning of February.The street vendors also continue to be a great source of interest to me. They walk up and down the streets carrying and selling mops, buckets, extension cords, bras, pants, dresses, shoes, nail polish, skin cream, cell phone credit (you have to buy cards and top up your cell phone here - no monthly plans), etc. I currently need an extension cord badly, so that I can have both my computer charging and the fan on (for white noise mostly) at the same time, but the men are never on the street when I need them... We just saw our first female MCEL (Mozambican cell phone provider) worker this week near Polana, the posh area of Maputo. Other than selling fruits and vegetables, it is extremely unusual to see women selling anything else.It looks like a big rainstorm heading my way, so I had better sign off and get home before my computer bag gets soaked through. When it rains, in this rainy season, it can be torrential - not just a tiny drizzle. Too late, I am here until the downpour ends... ah, time for another lovely cafe com leite or galou.Also, the best months to visit Maputo are April, May and September, October. June to August is their winter and it is cooler ie. too cold to swim? with temperatures around 10-12 C or low 50s F.Beijo, Karen