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Life in Mozambique: Challenges and Beauty

It’s been a while since I last wrote! After our road trip, I took a break from writing, though I’ve kept capturing life through photos. The past few months have had their challenges – adapting to life in Mozambique hasn’t always been easy. On the surface, life looks comfortable: a nice home, a steady job, and all the modern conveniences. But emotionally, it’s been a journey.

I still miss Thailand, its beauty, the ease of daily life, and the attention to detail. Even in my second year here, that sense of loss lingers. Mozambique has its own beauty, though, and I’m slowly learning to notice it: the wide skies, the vibrant communities, and the unexpected beauty of nature.

The political unrest since the October 2024 elections has made inequalities feel very real, and witnessing protests and unrest can be unsettling. Yet, even in the midst of uncertainty, I’m learning to find grounding in small moments: a peaceful walk, a shared meal with friends, or the quiet joy of photography. Life here is not without challenges, but it also continues to offer moments of connection, wonder, and growth.

A man wearing a black garbage bag as clothing stands on a street, holding a sign that reads 'VIVA, SALVE MOÇAMBIQUE POVO NO PODER JOSÉS'. The background features a wall and palm trees.
A scene of unrest in a city street with visible military presence, smoke in the air, and parked cars along the road. Billboards advertising vehicles and local businesses can be seen in the background.
Protesters holding a sign reading 'Até Quando a Ditadura Numa Nação Democrática' in front of smoke and fire.
Protesters holding signs in a demonstration, expressing messages about their country and government issues.
A large crowd with raised hands gathered around a speaker standing on a vehicle, surrounded by buildings and trees.
Two individuals standing together, watching a large Mozambique flag being waved, with the text 'PELA PAZE DEMOCRACIA' prominently displayed.
A man holding a flag stands in front of a building during a protest, with the words 'Pela Paz' and 'Democracia' superimposed.

In the midst of all this, we have found some oases of calm and tranquility and built connections with people around us. Not many but some good ones and it is quality that matters, isn’t it?

In June/July, we met with family and friends in Lisbon, Brighton and Barcelona to recharge our batteries.

A view looking down a spiral staircase with stone steps and a railing, featuring two pairs of feet at the edge.
Group of five people posing in a themed escape room called Vault 27, with props and a dramatic backdrop.
Our usual family escape room, this time in Barcelona
A close-up photo of two people smiling together in a park setting. They appear to be enjoying a sunny day, surrounded by greenery and trees.
Three young adults sitting on a park bench, posing playfully with palm trees and greenery in the background.
A couple stands together on a viewing platform with a scenic mountain backdrop in bright daylight.
Four friends posing confidently in front of a historic building and rocky mountains on a sunny day.
Group of four people posing playfully in a narrow street with stone walls and arched entrance, showcasing a mix of casual clothing and smiling expressions.
A person standing confidently in front of a graffiti-covered wooden wall, wearing a patterned shirt and shorts.
A textured wall featuring street art, a graphic depiction of a woman with raised arms, various colorful stickers, and a keyboard mounted above.
Two individuals sitting and standing by a large tree in a park setting. One person is standing on a thick tree root while the other is seated below, both appear relaxed and enjoying the outdoors.
A group of people gathered around a colorful table in a restaurant, smiling and enjoying drinks together.

On our arrival back in Mozambique, we were reunited with our friends from Bangkok! So lovely to see old friends and to have them close by.

A person standing in front of a colorful mural featuring abstract shapes and a portrait of a man.
A vibrant mural featuring abstract shapes, figures, and colorful patterns, depicting various human expressions and cultural symbols.
Two women smiling in front of a colorful mural with abstract shapes and figures.
Two men enjoying a light-hearted moment at a cafe, surrounded by lush greenery and vibrant decor.

Time flies and we continue with our explorations of the area. Here are some random photos of various places.

A warning sign cautioning about the dangers of hippos and crocodiles, featuring images of a hippo and a crocodile. The sign is placed near a water body and has a lamp on top.
Pongola River, South Africa
Close-up of a black spider resting in its web, located in a corner of a wooden structure.
A group of people wading through a river, with trees and a dirt path in the background, during sunset.
Swimming or rather laying flat on a very shallow bit of the Pongola river in South Africa
A truck loaded with various items such as furniture and bicycles driving on a road under a clear blue sky.
No large truck, no problem!
A young boy wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt and shorts stands on a sandy shore, smiling and holding a fishing spear, with a clear blue lake in the background.
Fishing kids in Quissico lake in Mozambique
Two boys wearing snorkel masks and casual clothes holding a fishing net along a sandy shore with a blue ocean in the background.
A person stands by a calm body of water, pointing towards the horizon with green grass and tall reeds in the foreground, and distant hills under a clear blue sky.
A dog with a happy expression sitting in the back of a truck, enjoying the sunny weather.
A person standing next to a white SUV on a sandy beach with a view of the ocean and blue sky.
The only way to go to the beach is to drive on it….
A tranquil ocean scene with gentle waves and a sailboat gliding on the water under a clear blue sky.
A tranquil beach scene in Mozambique with gentle waves lapping at the shore, featuring a fisherman in a small boat and two people walking along the sandy coastline.
A coastal view showing a sandy beach and calm waters, framed by greenery and a weathered tree, set against a bright sky.
Praia do Farol, Mozambique
A person sitting at a counter with a mural of various fish painted on the wall in an abandoned building.
Abandoned bar, Praia do Farol
A colorful mural depicting a woman carrying a large basket on her head, painted on a weathered wall in an abandoned building.
A colorful mural depicting a woman balancing a basket of fruit on her head, wearing a bright top and patterned skirt, set against a textured wall.
Signpost welcoming visitors to Tofo Beach and Tofinho Beach, listing distances and guidelines for attire, along with information about cocktails and live music at a restaurant.
A rural scene in Mozambique featuring a dirt road lined with palm trees. A group of people is seated in the back of a vehicle, while a person wearing a blue shirt walks alongside the road.
A woman and a man stand together smiling in a heart-shaped frame made of wood, with a beach and palm trees in the background.

I attended a conference in Cape Town so took one evening to go up Table Mountain. The sunset was beautiful and it was quiet, very different from the last time I went up with hoards of people!

A panoramic view of Table Mountain and Cape Town, with the ocean visible in the background, captured from a high vantage point.
A picturesque sunset over the ocean, with soft pastel colors reflecting on the water's surface and rocky terrain in the foreground.
A panoramic view of the coastline and ocean from the top of Table Mountain, showcasing a colorful sunset and a cloudy sky.
A panoramic view from Table Mountain during sunset, showcasing the coastline and clouds over the ocean.
A serene sunset view over the ocean with soft clouds and a gradient of colors in the sky.
A woman with brown hair, wearing a colorful floral top and a blue wrap, smiles while standing on Table Mountain with a scenic ocean view and sunset in the background.
Two women wearing matching green floral dresses pose for a photo indoors, in a modern building with escalators in the background.
When you find someone wearing the same dress!!

Maputo Park is very close to Maputo but somehow we hadn’t made it there. We spent a weekend camping by the lake and exploring. It is a beautiful park by a very nice beach, all pretty empty and quiet. There are a few animals, not loads but we managed to see a few here and there. Lots of giraffes and elephants!

A caution sign in Portuguese and English warning about the priority of dung beetles on a dirt road, surrounded by green grass and trees under a cloudy sky.
A beetle carrying a ball of dung on sandy terrain.
A close-up image of two beetles, known as dung beetles, working together to roll a small ball of dung on a sandy surface.
Dung beetles fighting over dung
A sign prohibiting swimming, placed in a grassy area by a body of water under a cloudy sky.
I guess swimming here is only for fools…
A person walking along a wooden boardwalk beside a beach with gentle waves and green hills in the background.
A serene landscape featuring a body of water surrounded by lush greenery and tall grasses, with trees in the background under a clear blue sky.
Two waterbuck standing on a grassy area near trees.
A field of tall grass with several round nests hanging from the grass, likely from weaver birds.
Weaver birds nests on the reeds
A white bird standing on a small mound in a marshy area, with tall grasses and water in the background.
A yellow-billed stork walking through shallow water with reeds in the background.
A tall giraffe standing in a grassy landscape with a lush forest in the background.
Close-up of a giraffe's head and neck against a cloudy sky.

Another beautiful place very close to Maputo is Inhaca island and Santa Maria. Santa Maria is part of the mainland of Mozambique, but from Maputo is easier to go by boat than drive so we decided to drive! It’s at the end of a peninsula in the Maputo national park. To drive its one and a half hours on a good road as far as the park entrance, then four or more hours on at times, very sandy roads through the national park. It’s somewhere we had been meaning to go for a long time, but never got around to. So off we went to see what the fuss was all about. It is a beautiful place with amazing snorkelling, we saw hundreds of fish and turtles. The water is crystal clear and warm. On the other side of the peninsula is a very wild beach with big waves and no people, we didn’t venture into the water there.

A colorful lizard resting on a log surrounded by green foliage and purple leaves.
The most beautiful lizards!
A close-up image of two colorful lizards resting on a wooden log, surrounded by green vegetation.
A colorful lizard with blue, green, and yellow hues resting on textured wood surrounded by green foliage.
A slender green snake resting on wooden planks.
Little green snake just popped up through the boards as we were having a drink
A tranquil beach scene in Mozambique, featuring soft sand, calm waters reflecting sunlight, and a distant boat on the horizon.
A white SUV parked on a sandy beach with lush green vegetation in the background under a clear blue sky.
A couple standing on a sandy beach with waves in the background, both wearing sunglasses and smiling at the camera.
The beach is all ours!
View of a beach with rocky shorelines and two shipwrecks partially submerged in the water, under a clear blue sky.
A tranquil beach scene with a small boat on the sand, surrounded by clear blue water and a bright blue sky.
A beach scene featuring two wooden lounge chairs under a large umbrella, set on a shallow shoreline with clear water and green foliage in the background.
A tranquil beach scene at sunset, featuring soft sand and calm waters with a boat anchored near the shore.
A beautiful sunset over a calm body of water, with a silhouette of trees and distant land in the background.
A tree on a sandy beach adorned with handmade crafts and decorations, including wooden fish and colorful bags, creating a vibrant scene in a coastal setting.
Colorful welcome sign at Praia do Santa Maria in Mozambique, featuring various directional arrows to local attractions and lodges against a backdrop of greenery and blue skies.

Yay, it is Xmas and we have visitors. With all the protests intensifying, Mozambique has been devoid of tourists, not that there were many in the first place. The financial impact of the protests and of the pull out of USAID is becoming more evident in the country and we fear that there may be more to come. However, this was a time to celebrate being together and even though the protests intensified and we ended up leaving the country, we had a good time together and enjoyed Xmas.

A person wearing a festive hat with antlers and green glasses decorated for Christmas, smiling, with a 'Yippee!' text overlay.

We went to Ponta for a couple of nights and had an amazing seafood feast!

A group of five people enjoying a meal at a seaside restaurant with ocean waves visible in the background.
A group of four people gathered around a table filled with a large seafood feast, including grilled shrimp and fried foods, in a restaurant setting.
A large seafood platter featuring a variety of grilled shrimp, fish, calamari, and fries served on a banana leaf, with lemon and lime slices for garnish.
A close-up selfie of two people posing together, one with dark hair and the other with short, light-colored hair, both expressing thoughtful expressions.

Followed by the usual visitor’s trip to Kruger where we saw plenty of animals!

Four zebras with distinctive black and white stripes are lined up next to each other, reaching towards a feeding area. Trees and outdoor furniture are visible in the background.
Hungry zebras
A kudu antelope standing in a wooded area, surrounded by trees and rocks.
A person looking through binoculars while another person poses playfully in a scenic outdoor setting with greenery and a river in the background.
A man and a woman standing back to back on a scenic overlook, with a river and lush greenery in the background under a cloudy sky.
A close-up image of a warthog resting near a tree in a natural setting, with a sandy ground and some greenery in the background.
I just love the warthogs!
A zebra and a group of wildebeest gathered near a swimming pool surrounded by lounge chairs in a lush garden setting.
Close-up of a zebra standing near a path, with its distinctive black and white stripes visible. The background shows a green, leafy environment.
Zebra at the front door
A woman hanging laundry on a clothesline with two zebras visible in the background among trees.
Not everyday you get to hang the washing with zebras watching you
A woman standing at the entrance of a house while zebras gather outside on a sunny day.
We had an invasion….

Due to the protests in Mozambique, we decided to take Marianne to Johannesburgh airport instead. We spent some days in Pretoria doing city stuff and met up with Paula and Manny from Phuket. Such an amazing surprise!!

A serene garden scene featuring a stone sculpture of a head surrounded by lush greenery, flowing water, and rocks.
Pretoria Botanical Gardens
Colorful sculptures resembling heads in a green park setting with trees and blue sky.
Two women smiling and standing together outdoors, with a green landscape and a blue sky in the background.
Group photo of seven people posing together, with playful expressions and holding signs that read 'CX Mozzies 5315' and 'CX Mozzies 46-11', against a backdrop featuring a colorful brain illustration.
Our habitual family holiday escape room, not bad!
A playful photo of four people posing behind a zebra-themed cutout at a leisure area, with a bright and sunny background.
At Alzu petroport service station where they have a safari viewing area, on the way to Pretoria on the N4

Nowhere in the world can you sit and enjoy a coffee or a delicious sausage while you watch buffalo and rhino walking mere feet away from you. The Alzu Petroport station also has eland, blesbok, ostriches, and emus to name a few. Rhinos, however, are the highlight of every visit to the petroport! We stopped there 4 times and it is so incredible to stop for a coffee and watch animals walking around. Unreal.

A variety of animals in a natural setting, including zebras, antelopes, and dogs, interacting in a grassy area.
A rhinoceros drinking water from a small lake in a dry landscape.
A herd of buffalo drinking water at a watering hole, with several other antelope species in the background.

After Marianne left, we went back to Eswatini and walked around Sibebe rock, a massive granite dome and the world’s second-largest monolith. It is a three-billion-year-old volcanic slab with a height of 1,488 metres over around 16, 500 hectares. The views are stunning, mountains as far as the eye can see.

A large, sloping granite dome under a clear blue sky, showcasing a rocky surface with patches of green vegetation at its base.
A person walking through a grassy field with several animals grazing in the background, surrounded by rocky hills under a partly cloudy sky.
A person in a blue shirt is playfully leaning against a large rock formation surrounded by grass and trees under a partly cloudy sky.
Joshua has grown stronger since we last saw him
A panoramic view of a lush green landscape with rolling hills, rocky formations, and a bright blue sky dotted with clouds.
A smiling couple taking a selfie in a scenic outdoor setting, with rocky hills and a green landscape in the background.
Three people sitting under a rock outcrop, enjoying a scenic view of a green landscape with rolling hills in the background.
A bit sweaty!
A wide landscape view of rolling green hills and rocky outcrops under a partly cloudy blue sky.
A panoramic view of rolling hills and valleys, with rocky terrain and patches of greenery under a partly cloudy sky.
Four people posing under large rocks in a natural setting, with two wearing blue shirts and others in casual clothing.
A group of four people posing for a selfie outdoors, with green hills and a blue sky filled with clouds in the background.
Two hikers navigating a grassy hillside surrounded by rocks and trees, set in a lush green landscape.
Two friends playfully posing with a large orange traffic cone outside a shopping area. One friend strikes a humorous pose, while the other points at the cone.
Can’t take them anywhere…. In South Africa, they have giant cones!
A panoramic view of a lush green hillside with a rocky cliff in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A serene landscape featuring a rocky shoreline and a calm body of water surrounded by lush greenery and clouds in a blue sky.

And so we come to the end of this chapter. It has been an interesting few months, unsettling and at times scary and anxiety provoking. It is unclear what is to come but more social and financial hardship is on the horizon for one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked 181 out of 189 countries on the Human Development Index. The political unrest continues to bubble in the background and with Trump intent on destroying the fabric of society, there is another level of uncertainty added to the mix. Until next time with the hope of better news.

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