Maputo

oh, Maputo. I have such a love/hate relationship with you. Since living in South Africa I have spent a handful of weekends away in Maputo. Some nights were just spent stopping over (like on our bike trip), others were planned weekends away with Roger, but mostly we are just passing through on the way to Bilene.
What can I say, Maputo is a mindfuck. Admire the beautifully run down architectural buildings, experience the intense traffic and traffic jams, taste delicious pastries and amazing seafood, drink hot coffee and cold 2M's, encounter aggressively corrupt police officers, walk on broken sidewalks between piles of garbage, watch the rich and poor Mozambicans interact, drive between expensive cars and old asian jalopies, go to the markets markets and more markets, drink cocktails at the bar in one of the many expensive hotels, dance the night away to jazz music, visit interesting museums (see the natural history museum full of stuffed animals), buy buckets of fish, take a scary ride in a tuk tuk, find amazing street-art, etc. Everytime I am there I notice something more.

clockwise: praca dos trabalhadores statue | street art | railway station | tuk tuk | outside clube naval | the promenade | inside costa do sol | sunset

I am obviously no Maputo expert but here are just a few of the things we have done and enjoyed:

• Seafood dinner at the Maputo Waterfront restaurant. Such a fun vibe, always live music playing at night and the seafood is delicious. Its not cheap, but Maputo isn't cheap.
• Drinks & lunch by the pool at Clube Naval de Maputo. I like to pretend I am über rich when I am here, sipping a 2M by the pool at my private beach club of choice. 
• Sun-downers at the Hotel Cardoso. Really cool panoramic views of Maputo and the beach - perfect place to watch the sun go down. ( another great place to pretend you are rich)
• Prawns at the legendary Costa do Sol. The food isn't THAT good, and it is a little pricey, but you just have to go to Costa do Sol. We have also stayed here a couple times, in the hotel and in the park homes out back. Again, the accommodation isn't that great either - but it is a really beautiful old building. Have some prawns washed down with plenty 2M's and if you stay there into the night you get to watch (or join) all the locals across the street having a fat party.
• The Maputo Central Market - have only done this once, but it was an experience. There is another street market that happens right outside the fort on Saturdays, not sure what it is called, but they sell better goods than the market if you are looking to buy gifts.
• The Railway Station. You have to see it - it is magnificent. See it by day to take it all in, but come again on Saturday night to check out the Jazz club. Roger and I did this one weekend and we were pretty blown away. Could have just been a good night? who knows - but we loved it.
• Make sure to stop at a local coffee shop/ pastelaria. I don't remember any of the names - but there are so many downtown. Go to one that has a lot of locals, it is sure to be good.

There are of course, plenty of other "must-do" places in Maputo ( The Iron House, the old fort, art galleries, etc). Our times in Maputo have always been an experience. I love finding more.

Almost a Full Year

It has been almost a full year since I have written in this blog, and our other blog, There and Here, has also taken a break. Sometimes the online world seems to be too much when your real world also has a lot going on. This year has had a lot of ups and down (I suppose every year does, but this year in particular has been a real roller coaster for me). I have been back and forth to Canada twice, and I am finally back in the Lowveld now after an extended summer visit there. My parents will be in South Africa in exactly a month today and it will be their first visit here. A lot of exciting times ahead, so I am hoping we have jumped over most of the hurdles that life has thrown in our way this year. Besides, "a calm sea does not make a skilled sailor."

So with that being said, I would like to return to the online world. It may be slowly, and infrequent, but I will do my best.

 clockwise: Roger & Jean in Capetown | Kananaskis | Tofino | Kruger Park | Engagement Ring by John Blair | My Girls | at Lion Sands | Ruby

Protection Island

I have been M.I.A. from the internet world for over a month due to spending time on Vancouver Island with my parentals & Roger. Sentimentally known as "the island" to me, Vancouver Island is where my parents were born, where my extended family lives and where I have spent basically every Canadian summer of my life.

 
Protection Island is a little island right in the harbour of Nanaimo where we have rented various cabins since I was around the age of three. Most of my summer childhood memories are based on the beaches of this place.

This summer after spending time in Calgary, we headed straight to Protection Island with my parents to stay at a cabin my parents have been renting for over seven years now on Smugglers beach. Fun fact: Frank Ney, who was the mayor of Nanaimo for twenty years and was well known for dressing up like a pirate, purchased and subdivided Protection Island in nineteen sixty and sold it under a pirate-promotion theme. Because of this, all the streets, parks, beachs are in this theme ( ie. Captain Morgans Boulevard, Pirates Lane, Smugglers Park, etc).

Roger and I enjoying a beer while barbequing on Protection Island, B.C.

We spent two whole weeks here walking, boating, crabbing, kayaking, eating, drinking, bath-tubbing ( see Nanaimo Bathrub Race), more walking & spending time with my familia. I wouldn't necessarily say that Protection Island is a must see visit for tourists, but if you find a perfect little cabin on the beach to rent, it is a perfect getaway. This place definitely has its magical moments.