Woke up with mosquito nets in face, I was still trying to get used to them. The nets are used to decrease the amount of times you get bit by mosquitoes, and thus, decrease your chances of getting malaria. Already being on doxycycline, I'm tempted to say to hell with it, but I'm getting used to them. In Maputo, after staying the night at Fatima's, we went to the outdoor market and drooled over all the beautiful fruits displayed. We even bought a few mangoes to scrub off and eat. Then we headed to Mozambique's train station (our guidebook pointed it out as being ranked #10 in Newsweek's most beautiful train stations). The station is about 100yrs old and was ironically designed by the same guy who built the Eiffel tower.
From there we wanted to go to Costa do Sol. The minibus driver said it would be 5 Meticals. (To break down the math conversions we have been doing in our heads: 10 Meticals = 1 dollar, 8 Rand = 1 dollar). So we said "ok" and climbed in the Chapa (aka minibus). More passengers had gotten off until only 1 other was left. He and the driver started arguing about why he was taking us further out of his way for cheaper than the norm. After listening to a flurry of Portuguese,
the passenger turned to us to explain what was going on. When he said that the driver may be intending to take advantage of us tourists and "rob us," we got off at the next stop and took a taxi instead. The restaurant Costa do Sol was closed, but we were able to get a taste of the culture at the Mozambique beaches. It was like 
one big BBQ party. People were grilling fish, swimming and drinking over the holiday weekend. We had previously been told not to swim in the water at Maputo, so we found some shade and shared a mango and coke between us. Then we started to look for some transportation to take us back, but there wasn't any. On foot again, about half a mile up the road we were able to get the bus to take us to the hospital near where we were staying. I'm still not sure if he said yes because we told him we needed to go to the hospital, but away we went. We made it back just in time to pick up our stuff and hit up the airport.
one big BBQ party. People were grilling fish, swimming and drinking over the holiday weekend. We had previously been told not to swim in the water at Maputo, so we found some shade and shared a mango and coke between us. Then we started to look for some transportation to take us back, but there wasn't any. On foot again, about half a mile up the road we were able to get the bus to take us to the hospital near where we were staying. I'm still not sure if he said yes because we told him we needed to go to the hospital, but away we went. We made it back just in time to pick up our stuff and hit up the airport.
We met the guys at the airport and I think we were as glad/relieved to see them as they were to see us, because there were hugs all around. It's amazing how quickly a group can bond in so little time under these kinds of circumstances. It was like seeing long lost brothers. We boarded the plane and flew from Maputo, Mozambique to Tete, Mozambique.
In Tete, a nice man gave us a ride through the outskirts of town and dropped us off at the
bridge. So our group of 5 walked with packs across the suspension bridge, as I tried not to look down. By this point in time we had gotten used to the starring and pointing and car honking. It was 3km to "Motel Tete." Needless to say, there were definitely some perks to AirFrance holding my suitcase and the med supplies hostage. And that's what I reminded myself of every night while washing out my clothes by hand. Anyways, back to Tete...
When we arrived at Motel Tete, it had apparently been converted to a motel for a Brazilian mineral bulldozing company. We talked with them for awhile and became the night's entertainment as everyone came out of their rooms to say "hello." From there we took a minibus to a different hostel, which was extremely expensive. All of the other hotels were already booked, except for one (can't remember the name), so we checked in there and went out for pizza.
In Tete, a nice man gave us a ride through the outskirts of town and dropped us off at the
bridge. So our group of 5 walked with packs across the suspension bridge, as I tried not to look down. By this point in time we had gotten used to the starring and pointing and car honking. It was 3km to "Motel Tete." Needless to say, there were definitely some perks to AirFrance holding my suitcase and the med supplies hostage. And that's what I reminded myself of every night while washing out my clothes by hand. Anyways, back to Tete...When we arrived at Motel Tete, it had apparently been converted to a motel for a Brazilian mineral bulldozing company. We talked with them for awhile and became the night's entertainment as everyone came out of their rooms to say "hello." From there we took a minibus to a different hostel, which was extremely expensive. All of the other hotels were already booked, except for one (can't remember the name), so we checked in there and went out for pizza.
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