Day 100 Maputo, Mozambique

What a delightful surprise! Our expectations were fairly low because of the Civil War which devastated the country in the past. They seem to be making a lot of progress although a lot of poverty still exists. I found the visit very nice. The people and sights were very nice. We first stopped at the rail station which was built by Gustav Eiffel. Next up was the museum of Natural History… great stuffed animals attacking each other. Actually, the museum had a lot of interesting exhibits. Next we drove around the city and hit a seafood market out by the beach and then the central market. People watching was great. The seafood they have here is amazing. The crabs and tiger prawns are huge. We stopped at the Praca de Independecia where I caught a shot of the statue of the country’s first president, Samora Machel, the Catholic Cathedral (beautiful) and the city hall. Very nice architecture! Finally, we went to the Iron House…. What were they thinking? A house made totally of iron in this heat…. The sail away was great, capping a wonderful visit to a maiden port for Holland America. Tomorrow morning we arrive into South Africa. We arrive in Richard’s Bay at 10:00 for an overnight stay. Sandy, Grace and I will take the opportunity to go to Phinda Game Reserve to once again go looking for the big game. I’ll update the blog when I can… Very exciting!!!!