Vacation to Mozambique

I’ve been really busy with school and projects this past term but still found time to squeeze in a well deserved vacation! Last week, I went to Mozambique, a large country bordering Malawi, with my friends Kelly O, Bryan and Enrique. We had a fantastic time and were able to meet up with many Peace Corps Mozambique volunteers throughout the duration; they were really wonderful and offered us places to stay, tips on travel and insights on language and culture.
After traveling down to Blantyre to meet Kelly, I headed to Milanje, a town just across the southern Malawi/northern Mozambique border. In Milanje, we stayed the night with a Peace Corps volunteer and then climbed Milanje Mountain the next day while waiting for the guys to catch up. As soon as we crossed the border, everything was different. The smells, the houses, the money, the language; it was amazing to witness such a vast and sudden change.

We really enjoyed our hike and the view from atop the mountain. After lunch, the boys arrived and the four of us got a ride to Mocuba with another volunteer and her family. There we had a nice meal and spent the next two evenings at the house of yet another volunteer. From Mocuba, we took a LONG bus ride to Nampula, a larger city where we spent the following night.

After Nampula we finally made it to our destination Ilhya de Mocambique, Mozambique Island! It was absolutely beautiful and the sites were really breathtaking. Unfortunately my camera battery died and I was without the charger, but I’ve posted the pictures I do have on my "My Pictures" link and am waiting to get others from my friends for you to see.

Mozambique Island used to be the capital city of Mozambique while it was under colonial control by Portugal. Its a really beautiful place, with a low key atmosphere and a rich blend of African, European and Arab cultures. We didn’t get to go swimming at the island (besides at the pool in our hotel) but we did get to set foot in the Indian Ocean. You can see Madagascar from the shore as well! We visited a beautiful museum and many of the monuments, fortresses and building from years past.
After two days of Island life, Kelly and I headed back to Malawi while the boys continued on to another beach a ten hour bus ride away. We both had lots to do at our sites so we were happy to enjoy our short but wonderful stay in Mozambique. We took the same route back, spending one night each in Nampula, Mocuba and Milanje. This time we splurged on hotels and resthouses but were still able to meet up with one of our PC Mozambique friends in Milanje. Transport is much more difficult in Mozambique, especially in the northern region. We spent a lot of time on very crowded buses and in the back of overloaded trucks. Furthermore, the roads in Mozambique are much worse than they are in Malawi, MUCH WORSE. I’d imagine this is true because of the country’s civil war which ended in the 1990s.

We made it back across the border on Sunday, about nine days after we had arrived. Since I was in the southern region, I then got to visit Kelly’s site to see her home, friends, and school. It’s really nice to be able to visit other people’s sites because all of our experiences and situations are so different from one another. Kelly, for instance, lives in arguably one of the most beautiful parts of the country, where she is surrounded by British owned tea estates, with a Mission Hospital down the road.

I had a really wonderful time with Kelly, Bryan and Enrique on our trip. I’m glad to have taken the time to travel and am looking forward to making it to see other countries as well as the sites of my fellow Peace Corps Malawi Volunteers in the future.