Day 84 - March 28, 2025 - Friday - Maputo, Mozambique

Mozambique is a country of contrasts. Mozambique, which gained independence from Portugal in 1975, is still suffering from the effects of a 16-year civil war that ended in 1992.  Despite having a large quantity of natural resources, it is one of the poorest countries in Africa.  It still suffers from insurgency in the northern part of the country and government corruption.

Despite all of this, we were quite pleasantly surprised at the capital city of Maputo.  Despite being poorer than most countries in the world, we found the city relatively clean, traffic was manageable and there were many signs of good management.  In essence, it appears they are doing the best they can with what they have.

Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles is the lack of a middle class.  Our guide said there were the poor and poorer and the rich and the richer.  We observed this is we traveled through the city.

Sunrise as we come into Maputo Bay.

Who Knew?

We docked just before the Katembe Bridge.

Maputo-Katembe bridge, the largest suspension bridge in Africa.

Balzac, our guide for the day.

Our first stop was the CFM terminal, the Maputo Central Railway Station..

This terminal was completed in 1908 and is considered one of the most beautiful railway terminals in the world.  It was certainly impressive.

 

The station contained a museum which featured many retired engines, cars and other railroad paraphernalia.

The station even features a bar - Jameson seems popular...

Next we stoped at the local market.  We were surprised at how neat and clear (and no offensive odors) compared to other similar markets we have visited all over the world.

The market even had a "hair" section where you could obtain a variety of real or synthetic hair in a multitude of colors.

The Fortress of Maputo was our next stop.  This fort was constructed by the Portuguese in 1782.

This view is from the fort's upper level across the street at a bus stop.  What we have is an unlicensed pop-up market.  Balzac, our guide, said periodically the police would clear the sellers out.

This is an original heavy wood door in the fort.

Casa de Ferro

This interesting and unusual house has a unique history.  It was purchased by the Colonial Portuguese government.  It was supposedly designed by   Gustave Eiffel or one of his associates.  The house was prefabricated in Belgium and reassembled in 1892 in Maputo.  It was to be the home of the Govenor but was never occupied due to the hot climate.

We walked a short distance from the "Steel House" to the Botanical Garden.  It was a need greenspace with huge trees which offered a nice cool place to relax.  Balzac took us to a specific tree which was the home to colony of bats.

These are straw-colored fruit bats (Eldolon helvum).  They are quite large, and the wingspan can reach up to 30 inches.  

These guys feed at night and rest in clusters during the day.

Our final stop was at a handicraft market.  The wares were mostly Batik Art painting and wood carvings.

Some of the art was quite detailed and beautiful.

The last two photos were of another unlicensed street market.  This one was selling fish and seafood.

I apologize for the brevity of this post but there is just not enough time. We will be in Richards Bay, South Africa tomorrow for the first of 5 ports in South Africa.