Winter

 

I believe that we don’t have a proper winter but a dry season, by contrast with summer that should be wet. Winter can be very pleasant, with hot bright sunny days and fresh nights. At the end of the season, if we count the truly cold days, they are as many as the European cold months: more or less six.

 

When I think back, I still remember times when we had a proper winter around here, because for the rest of Mozambique it is always summer. It is really upsetting to notice that we can spend years without wearing winter clothes! It is not because we miss cold, but because of global warming. It just remember us every year that the problem is not only empty talk.

 

A couple of days ago, I was commenting with our guarda George about the coming season. People here don’t really miss summer because it is an extreme season in terms of high temperatures. The majority doesn’t own air conditioner systems to soften the long hot summer days!

 

The funny thing is that George pointed our dog Thoth and said: “I think that he is going to miss summer, particularly the backyard parties, the barbecues and the ice-cream!”

 

“The ice-cream?” I asked with surprise.

 

“Yes. He loves ice-cream!”

 

That’s how I learned about another item to add to the list of our dog’s favorites: heart shaped dog food, raw meat, chicken soup, strawberries and ice-cream!

The Toast

 

Macaneta is one of the numerous long beaches possible to find along the Mozambican coast. It is not our favorite due to the strong currents and windy conditions, nonetheless it is a great place for walking or simply enjoying nature, not forgetting how close it is from Maputo.

 

There are different locations on the same beach. One of them has a particularity: it is situated in a tiny line of sand between the river Incomáti and open sea. The place is really special and also one of the areas suffering from the devastating effects of erosion in Mozambique. To be in such place is all about being close to nature. In reality, don’t expect a lot more.

 

Years ago, a local entrepreneur had the idea of using a few walls left from colonial time to open a restaurant and later a lodge. Today, the conditions offered by both are very basic. We were disappointed with the rooms and the service in general. One of the worst aspects of chalets with a straw roof is when the beds don’t have the usual nets. From the start and based in previous experiences, this simply means that you are going to sleep with all kind of bugs.

 

After a first contact with our provisory “home”, we went straight to the beach for a walk, a swim and a picnic of bubbling wine, crackers, chips and grapes. Our table was one of the cute traditional boats used by local fisherman.

 

We toasted to the winter season, hoping that it is going to be better than summer. It is not by chance that we pick Macaneta to salute the coming seasons. Indeed, due to the ghosts of ancient battles, all Marracuene area is known to be a magical, a place of xicuembo (witchcraft). The lights of the lodge were already on when we started our way back to our room.

 

I arrived in need of an urgent warm bath. I opened the hot tap and waited. Nothing! Conformed, I stepped under what felt like icy water after sun exposition. Only later we discovered that the hot water was running in the cold tap, just to give you an idea of how basic the place is!

 

Dinner was served in the bar because there were only a couple of tables occupied. The next day was all about walking and swimming. By curiosity, one of chalets was occupied by guys traveling around Africa.

 

Late in the afternoon, Andy arrived with a different friend. The road wasn’t much better than the previous day. Tractors didn’t stop rescuing all the cars immobilized along the road. Once again, only Andy and a couple of lucky drivers succeeded. It was sunset when we arrived at the ferryboat and already dark when we crossed the river.

 

Andy was able to make laugh everybody inside the ferry, by implying that the man guiding the vehicles wanted to put our car in the water. Instead of immediately driving to the place indicated, Andy advanced in slow careful motions, doing the funny noises of a “terrified” person.

 

One of the naughty sides of Andy is creating panic among people traveling in “suspect” transportations. I think that he does it as a superstition too. Perhaps he thinks that if he doesn’t exteriorize loudly his fear, the worst is going to happen. It started long ago with an airplane travel and never stopped. Months ago, he traveled by plane from Maputo to Durban. When people were called to the gate, he started to tell to anyone who could hear him: “I have this feeling that this plane is going to fall!”

 

Most of the people changed of color with such statement. But what Andy didn’t expected was that his experienced mechanic eye would discovered a compressed can of a know soft drink used to substitute a screw on the engine propeller cover. He pointed to it and said: “I told you!” Everybody could see that strange African (?) way of repairing a plane. The pilot was told about the improvised screw and was so embarrassed that, when he was checking the airplane commands, by mistake he released the oxygen masks. I don’t have to tell you how the rest of that flight was!

The Plan

 

Sometimes we plan, we make all the arrangements, but everything goes wrong. We had the perfect journey planned! As the road to Macaneta wasn’t passable due to the heavy rain falling during the last days, Andy suggested a tempting solution: he would drive us to Marracuene and from there we would take a boat to the lodge.

 

With this option we could avoid the road and the ferryboat. Instead of both, we would navigate on a centenary boat along the river. I was ecstatic with the perspective of a different adventure and the opportunity of taking photos of the river and its margins.

 

Andy was supposed to come back for us 24 hours later. Unfortunately for the three of us, “patrão” Pires old lazy boat was out of order. Paul and I had to forget our river promenade. Andy and a friend had to face the worst road that you can imagine, twice! The photo that I could take is from one of the “good” parts, because if the car stopped in the muddy road it would be the end of our weekend.

 

So we had to cross the river on the ferryboat and prepare ourselves for the worst. Andy is a good driver, very popular in Marracuene, to where he used to go from early age for bike and motorbike adventures. Because of that, everybody asked a lift on the back of our 4×4 and Andy just said yes and yes… Later, when the car was gliding in the mud, I could hear the shouting and laughing on the back. People were covered with pieces of mud thrown at them by the action of the tyres on the soft ground.

 

Everybody arrived as if we had been participating in an endurance rally. Andy and friend had a cold drink and left again for the worst 10km that you can imagine. In the middle of 2006, there was a bid to maintain and recuperate these 10km of terrible road, so important to the tourism. The value allocated for the job was USD200.000, and eventually it was done and finalized within 2006. I know that it is not a big amount, but nobody could see the result of it. The road is precisely as it was before!

 

The next day, Andy confessed to me that he had been naughty. He saw a group of people near the shops all dressed up in white for religious Sunday ceremonies, perhaps waiting for a safe transport to Marracuene. He just couldn’t resist! He stopped and offered a lift. They were a little surprised with such gentle attitude, because usually people have to beg for a lift.

 

Andy indicated the back of the car to them and drove to the muddy swamp. Once near Maputo, when they signaled to stop, Andy and friend couldn’t stop laughing. The poor guys were covered with mud showing very few of white!

The Battle

 

Long time ago, when the Portuguese were still settling on the coast of Mozambique, there was a powerful man called Ngungunhane who ruled as Gaza Emperor. He was related with Shaka Zulu and later he signed a pact with the British to take control of the strategic area known as Delagoa Bay, a place that later became Lourenço Marques and after that Maputo.

 

Unfortunately for Ngungunhane and the British, a Portuguese general called Caldas Xavier decided to fight the numerous Gaza troops utilizing the ancient square tactic, the same that proved to be so efficient during the Roman Empire.

 

A big battle was fought precisely where Marracuene village is. Gaza warriors were defeated and emperor Ngungunhane deported with his seven wives and a son to an island of Azores group. Despite this defeat, Mozambicans still celebrate every year the bravery of Ngungunhane and his soldiers in a ceremony called Guaza Muthine. Formerly young Mozambicans used to kill a hippopotamus symbolizing the Portuguese and feed the crowd with it, but hypos don’t appear in Incomáti mouth for years and years due to the salinity. Today people just gather in Marracuene to share food, traditional drinks and dance.

 

During Portuguese rule, the battlefield of Marracuene was transformed in a quiet village leaned over the Incomáti river. It was called Vila Luísa. I don’t know who that Luísa was, but I like to think that she was someone who knew how to cook and receive friends. Nowadays the village is a shadow of its past glories. It bears again the name of Marracuene, but it has lost the glory of the empire and the quiet charm of a Portuguese village planted in Africa.

 

Each time we cross Marracuene, we wish that someone had the vision to transform it in a village-museum and a center of restaurants and tourism. That could be possible with a strong alliance between the public and private sectors, with the support of one and the initiative of the other. It should be declared Patrimony of the Humanity too.

 

Marracuene is situated on the right margin of Incomáti river and it is only at 17km far from Maputo. We recently crossed the almost ghost village of Marracuene in direction of Macaneta, on the left margin. Six months ago we went there to celebrate summer. It was time to welcome winter!

Trees

 

I like trees. Despite the fact that I studied one year of agricultural engineering, I don’t know about the subject more than any common person. What I like about trees is the similarity that they have with humans. If we compare them, they can have some identical traces, but that’s all. There are no replicas. Trees are graceful, useful and they have personality.

 

For months I had this idea of photographing Costa do Sol old trees. The other day I noticed that they started to cut what is left of destroyed trees, so I had to rush before those vestiges of the nature strength and men’s lethargy disappear.

 

Unfortunately, I couldn’t take pictures from the beach and had to settle for the possible. I think that next week I can carry on with my tree project. Most of the trees are casuarinas, a good type to stop the action of erosion.

 

I was expecting to find a lot of destruction, but what I wasn’t prepared for was to find tree cemeteries in various areas of the beach. It was devastating to see it. I think I felt the same people feel inside a regular cemetery.

 

In a question of months, in the place where those trees where planted, we are going to find walls of concrete and stone, as it is already possible to see in some parts. Give them time and instead of the Costa do Sol that we all know, we are going to have something very close to a desert.

Maritime Tragedies 2

 

Last Saturday, when most of us were doing plans for a special Sunday, a tragedy happened at Bilene lagoon, a place where we have been not long ago. It was like this: a group of people rented a small motorboat to go and return from the other side of the lagoon, where a ceremony was taking place.

 

During the crossing back to the village, the boat turned due to bad weather. This kind of situation is not uncommon. On the contrary, keeps happening again and again. Usually, it is one of the boats from the lodge that is sent in rescue of the boat in distress.

 

I personally witnessed a similar case. Unfortunately, this time help arrived a little late. When the rescue boat reached the disaster site, 4 people had already disappeared. Tragedies do happen, but some are avoidable! Take the case of Bilene lagoon, a known tourist destination. Despite all the risk that people take while enjoying different sports or just crossing to the other side for various purposes, there is no rescuing boat or any other organized service. As always, people have to rely on the private sector operating in the region, a provisory and irregular situation.

Rainy Easter

 

Easter holidays had the beauty of change, the beauty of quietness. We had rainy days and we had sunny days. We had humidity and even a touch of the “cold” to come. It wasn’t perfect as a family reunion, but near. TD and JP arrived the previous Sunday. TD was looking tired and absent. JP was looking a little fat and complained about South African food. A couple of days later, TD was in a much better mood and JP looked less fat due to hard work.

 

Because TD had a show in Joburg, we planned a family dinner for Wednesday but JP had to rush to Xai-Xai. Anyway, we had our roast and a few other Easter goodies. Twenty four hours later, TD and girlfriend sent a nice message before crossing the border.

 

JP spent the week coming and going to Xai-Xai. The first time he returned he told me about his concerns regarding Limpopo mouth flooding.

 

“Do you remember the bar? The houses on the beach? They are all gone with the water!” he said.

 

Finally JP arrived to stay with us during the weekend. Despite the thunderstorm and heavy rain, JP, Andy and friends have been in party mood since Friday 9am. It looks like it is going to last! Despite the same thunderstorm and heavy rain rain, Paul and I decided in favor of walking on Miradouro. It was a wise decision!

 

We are used to spectacular afternoon landscapes, but let me tell you that last Friday it was really something! I am not going to use words to describe it, because I know beforehand that I would never be able to use the right ones. Sometimes I just wish I was a painter! The blues ranged from perfect to deep. Even the clouds were painted in an exquisite blue shade. The bay was a mirror where, for the first time, I saw the town reflected. During almost two hours, it was possible to watch a colorful rainbow over Xefina island (recent photos were taken with a phone).

 

While walking we planned a mixed summer-Easter Sunday lunch with lamb and chicken kebabs, prepared outside on the charcoal grill. We didn’t even care about the weather!

 

During today walk we crossed eight times with a group of 6 to 8 homeless kids and adolescents playing football. They eat and sleep under the trees of the hill that goes from Miradouro to Clube Naval. It is not pleasant to watch the way they live!

 

The thing is that the ball came to me and I played a little with it before kicking it back to one of them. During a short minute, I could perceive sheer pleasure in the boy’s eyes. He could be glad because he was playing with his street mates or he could be glad because I was playing along too. One thing is for sure: at that precise moment I understood why they live like this. At home or inside institutions, they can’t enjoy the same kind of playful freedom. In part it is all a question of fun. The hardest life in the streets can be, at least there are moments when they can behave just like children.

Best of March

 

March was a month of implementing decisions, tangible decisions. More than that, it was a month of doubts and incentives. I found myself thinking: “What am I going to select as best? Decisions that I implemented? Doubts representing a shadow in my life? Perhaps incentives received, especially during the second part of the month?”

 

When I am not sure about subjective aspects of my life, I turn to something that is objective and positive most of the time: nature. Since I decided to put some aspect of nature as best, it was not difficult to pick the right one. It had to be Bilene, a beach situated 180km far from Maputo. It was really pleasant. Paul, Andy and I enjoyed the experience and we talk, from time to time, about returning. Despite the rain that spoiled half of the weekend, Bilene is my best of March.

Cars

 

If I start to tell you stories about cars, perhaps I would become very popular with guys in general. Don’t worry because I am sticking to my kind of tales, but I just can’t resist telling you the curious story of a car that we own.

 

The car in question is a 4×4. It was brought new and had only 4 months of use when vanished from the street where it was parked. We reported the robbery to the local police and waited without a single hope of ever seen it again.

 

One year later, Paul was reading a local newspaper when he saw an advertisement with an engine and chassis numbers, asking the owner to contact South Africa embassy in Maputo. Once there, a resident representative of South African police told that we should go to Pietmaritzburg to recognize the car and present prove of ownership.

 

The car was identified and everything seemed to be solved. The police took photos of Paul and Andy in a garage next to the car. Time went by and we never heard about it again, except for a phone call with the following explanation: the car was stolen in Maputo and sold in Durban to a famous drug dealer. During a night ride to his place, all his possessions were confiscated by the police including our car. He presented papers that looked original, but the police suspected and from that suspicion resulted the advertisement that we saw.

 

After that explanation, we were told that the car was under court arrest because of the dispute between the drug dealer, claiming that the car was his, and the South African police, acting on our behalf, because they knew that we had presented enough proof on the contrary.

 

From time to time, the same police man called from Pietmaritzburg to tell us that nothing was done because the dealer had lots of money and lawyers, not enough to get the car but sufficient to maintain the process in quiet waters, perhaps waiting for the right judge to get a favorable decision.

 

One day the calls from Pietmaritzburg stopped and we simply forget about the car. Another 10 (yes, ten) years went by, when one day, to be precise the 24^th of December 2004, we received a call from the same policeman. He asked Paul to come right away to South Africa to pick the car. “The judge has finally ruled in your favor! The drug dealer was killed during a police raid and there was no reasons to rule otherwise.”

 

More or less a week later, Paul and Andy went for the car. They found it parked in the same garage, in the same place. They drove it straight from the police garage to Maputo without a single failure. It speaks well of the car!

 

The question is that we found ourselves with a 12 years old car with less than a year of use… and no bullet on it! Inside the car there was a lot of bandit stuff, but no drugs. We like to think that we own a car that was “frozen” for 11 years. It has been in our possession for more than two years now, always behaving. It is stories like this that make us feel some affection for specific cars.

Four Seasons

 

Yesterday, Paul and I left a little late and had to settle for photos from Miradouro. With no time to arrive at the Clube Marítimo area, from where we would have a seat in the front row to watch the demolition of the Four Seasons hotel, we rushed to the best available place.

 

Despite far, we had a complete view of the highest building on the Costa do Sol area. To our surprise, the streets were full of people who, just like us, left their houses early to see such unusual happening around here.

 

I stayed in a place but Paul had to be far due to car parking, just to give you an idea how it was crowded. I found myself and my faithful camera in the middle of a German speaking group. Everybody around me was a little excited. To understand why, you had to live a couple of years here and feel the odd of a building with 100 meters high, never completed or occupied, erected in the middle of a flat area, without any construction with more than two floors.

 

During the few minutes that I had to wait for the demolition, I was wondering how many people around me knew why the name of the building was Four Seasons or even why it was built at all. The building was almost finished during the seventies, most of its furniture and decoration was even imported and lately sold to locals. This fact explains, for instance, why so many people had the same type of curtains at home, a fact that I observed during years before discovering a satisfactory answer. It was the never opened Four Seasons! The building was conceived to be a hotel similar to the ones existing on Marine Parade in Durban. At the time it made sense because Mozambique was experiencing a spectacular growth as a tourist destination. The name Four Seasons corresponds to a local weather feature: it is said that Maputo has four seasons in the same day, a way to point how it changes.

 

In less than 5 minutes, what once was a visible concrete shadow became a persistent grey cloud. In the afternoon, not even the cloud existed. Only a pile of rubble to be removed. It was a good job led by a team from which I have to stand out Eric Charas’ name, someone that we know well. When we went to the sight during the afternoon, we were surprised because the buildings near were spot clean, namely the Casino, the Marítimo and the Mercado do Peixe.

 

I don’t know if someone is going to miss such singular presence in our landscape. At least I already discovered one. While driving back home, Paul told me with a touch of regret in his voice: “I will miss it when the boat is returning from Inhaca. Used to help a lot as a landmark. Costa do Sol is now all flat!”