Last Weekend in Maputo... for now at least...

Last weekend was our last in Maputo for this three month assignment. We started off the Friday night by going to one of our favorite restaurants, Zambi. They have probably the best seafood and a really nice outdoor patio just across the street from the water. Dan got two different salads with crab and a seafood medley. I got salmon with vegetables.

Dinner was really nice except for a drunk guy behind us who was unnecessarily rude to the staff. There's a "thing" here in Africa... excuse my generalization but this happens in Ghana too so I'm going to extend my assumption to an entire continent... how American of me. A patron who wants the attention of a server makes this really loud sound pushing air through their teeth in what comes out as a "tsist" sound. I now cringe whenever I hear it. However, this gentlemen decided to do it pretty much every time a server was within 10 yards of him. It was clear that he thought he was more important than everyone else dining that evening. Luckily, he eventually got up from his wimpy cocktail, almost fell over and then proceeded to drive his loudly painted vehicle home. Sigh.

On Saturday, we lounged around after breakfast and eventually headed over to the craft market to finally purchase the obligatory Christmas tree ornament. We did a full walk of the place and settled on a little African house that says Mozambique. The seller offered to carve a name on it for us so we requested the year.

After completing our purchase, we went over to Mundos sports bar to have some lunch and watch the Manchester City match. Headed back to the hotel for a bit with the intention of trying a new place for dinner that night. We've heard about how good (and expensive) this Portuguese place called Taverna is. It's one of few places we haven't yet tried here and figured our last Saturday night would be as good a time as any. Well, joke's on us because they aren't open on Saturday. Yes, you read that correctly. A nice restaurant that is not open on Saturday. We agreed that was utterly ridiculous and defaulted to our favorite wine and tapas bar. Had some good conversation, thanked the manager for a consistently good restaurant experience (since we don't know if we'll ever be back) and headed back to go to sleep.

Sunday was the epitome of laziness. We watched a bunch of movies and ate dinner at the hotel while watching some of the NCAA basketball tournament via Slingbox. So now we are in the home stretch in Maputo. We expected a pretty calm week leading up to our departure on Saturday... until I came upstairs yesterday to find our bathroom flooded under half an inch of water. Never a dull moment in this place haha. Dan came home to check it out and have lunch with me as we expected to have to change to the fourth room of this trip. However, to our shock, they actually were fixing it when we returned from lunch. Amazing! Dan made a great point that we think the hotel is actually full so there was nowhere to move us. As a result, they actually had to do something about this issue.

Fair warning that our flight lands pretty late on Saturday night in Ghana. I suspect we will sleep pretty well in our own home, so I apologize if my Sunday blog post is a bit late. Consider yourselves warned :)

VIP Fancypants Dinner

They say life is all about who you know... well, we know the Food and Beverage Director. We were in the lobby a few weeks ago waiting on the ever temperamental elevator when a guy extended his hand and said he had seen us around quite a bit. Turns out, he is Roy, the Food and Beverage Director at the hotel. We chatted for a bit and parted ways.

We saw him again (and again, and again) and he said that he really wanted to plan some sort of dinner for us his "special guests". Now I'm pretty sure he meant "special" in a good way. Not the way that your mom says "you're special" when you've just done something really stupid. Anyway, he insisted on making this occasion a surprise for me and sort of a birthday dinner. In an effort to keep this a surprise, he and Dan had several phone chats and text messages to sort this whole thing out.

Last Sunday was the big day. Roy told us to be downstairs by the bar at 8pm. We had just come back on the ferry from Inhaca so we got showered and watched some soccer before we headed down. We exit the elevator to find Roy in workout gear having just come back from a jog. He clearly was flustered that it was already 8 and had us sit at the bar while he ran to get a shower (funny point: He's in the room next to ours). He had Nelson, the bartender, make us a pina colada and a manhattan. We laughed having no clue what this evening was going to entail.

After drinks, we were ushered out to the pool where they had set up a table with candles. The candles were a nice touch but it was a particularly windy night so they didn't seem to want to stay lit. Roy presented Dan with a rolled up paper that had a nice note about how much they appreciate us as guests and whatnot and explained the evening's menu.

Now, let's backtrack a bit. Roy's previous engagements include the Hyatt in Miami and a Sandals resort in Jamaica, although his wife and kids are still in Portugal. Coming from those hotels, wining and dining patrons is somewhat easy and what he really enjoys doing. This makes his current hotel much more difficult since it is 99% business people and convention attendees. Almost no one is here on vacation with their spouse. So when he saw us (and kept seeing us) it was clear we were an anomaly. Hence why he practically begged to put something together for us. Anyway back to the food....

The first course was spicy shrimp with mango and a delicious sauce of some sort. Quite possibly the best plate we've had here. The main was a juicy, perfectly cooked chicken breast with a vegetable tart-like thing in puff pastry. (I just made a point of saying how well cooked a chicken breast was. I think that pretty well describes the barometer of food we've had for the last three months, although we have had some very nice meals.) Dessert was a custard in a cup that my best description is that it would be listed on a San Francisco dessert menu entitled something like "deconstructed custard tart". The custard was in the glass topped with some fruit and some graham cracker crumble thing. Everything was delicious. We had some wine and the chef, a very nice Swiss gentleman, came out and chatted with us.

 Shrimp Appetizer

Empty Dessert Glass

Did you notice there is no picture of the chicken? Yeah. About that.

All in all it was a lovely evening. Good food, good company, and it was free! All because we know a guy... Guess it really is true.

Craft Market and "Mercado da Peixe"

Last Saturday, we decided to go out exploring. I had been wanting to go to the craft market which is located in a park. We took a cab and during the ride I attempted to muster the strength and patience for what we were about to walk into. You see, I had done this craft market "thing" in Accra and it was nothing short of a miserable experience. Just constantly getting hounded by people to buy things and people essentially chasing you through the place. So we took a deep breath and walked in.

It was lovely. A lot of stalls of the same stuff over and over again but the people were friendly. Of course, they wanted you to look at their goods but no one pressured you to stop or followed you around or made you feel horribly uncomfortable. We walked around a bit and then decided to stop for a bite to eat because we did't have breakfast. There are two restaurants with picnic tables under trees where you can have a nice lunch and just relax. The atmosphere was calm and we will probably go back just for the reasonably priced, quiet lunch. We decided on some things that we liked but didn't purchase anything this time. I'm still in the market for the obligatory Maputo Christmas tree ornament, so we were hunting for that. Dan wanted a carved rhino because he thinks Henry the Elephant is lonely back in Ghana. Luckily, he saw the logic in how impossible it would be to get it back to Ghana. Phew. Crisis averted.

After the art market, we went to Mercado da Peixe (Pronounced peshi... or like Joe Pesci), the Fish Market. Our cab driver... bless his heart... had barely pulled into a parking spot before our windows were stormed with people screaming at us in Portuguese. The cab driver smiled at us and rolled up the windows on them. We got out and people followed us, still yelling about something. The best way I can explain this scene is to say it looked like the seagulls in Finding Nemo. A cab pulls up and everyone runs to it going "Mine! Mine! Mine!".

We figure out that these people work at the restaurants behind the fish market and they want us to pick their place. We select a lady and walk into the market. Holy cow there are fresh fish everywhere. Just stacked and stacked on top of each other on various tables. People yelling again trying to get you to buy from them. Shellfish, clams, prawns, snapper, red fish, even eel and barracuda, all just sitting out waiting to be purchased. We decide on some snapper and some prawns. The lady puts them in a bag and weighs them and then the guy who is now with us tells us what is a completely arbitrary price that is probably 10x what a local would pay. Dan negotiates him down a bit but we are clearly being severely overcharged. Oh well, it's an experience.

After we pay, the kid takes our fish and asks how we want it prepared. Off he goes and we follow the original lady to the restaurant. For as loud and hectic as the fish market is, you turn the corner and it's just restaurant after restaurant with plastic tables and umbrellas and Kenny G playing over speakers. The complete opposite of where we just came from. We sit down and order beers and recap "What the heck did we just do?". Mr. I-clean-the-fish comes over at some point and we tip him 100 mets for his help and his respectable English. He says it's 200. We said for what? It's a tip. He argues for awhile and Dan says we'll see how the food tastes and then decide.

Food comes. It's absolutely delicious. They clearly know what they are doing. The prawns are de-headed, deveined and are pan seared in butter and garlic. The fish has been skinned on one side so Dan deboned the rest of it, which was flakey and cooked to perfection. Sorry, we scarfed down the prawns before I remembered to take a photo of them.

We paid the bill for our beers and the food preparation. We're walking out to the cab when I notice that Mr. Relentless is chasing us to the car wanting his extra 100 mets. We told him we gave it to the waitress at the restaurant and got in the car while he was still yelling. We did not feel sorry at all. If he's that upset, he should go demand a share of the cut from the woman selling the fish since he made up the totally ridiculous price. While we admit, it turned out to be an expensive lunch, it sure was an amazing experience that we will remember for a long time!

Live Music and Corrupt Police

Friday night, we decided to go check out some nightlife. Dan had read about a place called Coconuts Live up by the Radisson so we decided to just head there for dinner. Ate at a restaurant in the hotel and then went out to find Coconuts. We walked up and down the street looking for it and couldn't seem to find it for the life of us. We looked it up on Google Maps and walked to where it was listed on the map. There was a sign for two bars and Coconuts Pool.

We decided that maybe this was Coconuts "Live" so we went in to one bar/club. Loud music and not one soul in there. So we figured we'd try to adjoining bar. Went in to find more of the same, but at least there were bartenders. We had a beer and waited for other people to show up. Welp, beer is gone and still no one here. It's 11:30!! How is there no one here?! Oh well, let's try something else.

Got in a cab and asked to go to Gil Vicente which, apparently, is a popular hangout not far from our hotel. He starts to pull away and asks us if we have "documentation" (meaning our passports) on us. We said yes, as we've been warned several times that we should always carry them on us because the police often stop white people and things get quite difficult if you cannot readily provide your documents. The cabby said "good because the police like money". We know, buddy, but we appreciate your concern.

We start to drive back towards our side of town. Mind you, pretty much the only reason to be on this road is if you are coming from the nicer hotels on the Indian Ocean/beach side. So the police aren't stupid with where they have placed their checkpoint because it's likely tourists/foreigners who would be coming from this direction. Not surprisingly, they stop our driver and we pull over. I start to try to put my seat belt on (because I've been yelled at for this before in Ghana) and Dan says not to bother. Funny part is that probably 80% of cabs I've been in both here and Ghana have seat belts but the buckle part is no where to be found.... making it totally useless.

Dan is in the back on the curb side and the police are now outside his window. They ask for our documents in Portuguese and we, of course, play dumb and ask for English. We hand them our passports, very reluctant to let them out of our grips. The guys flip through them (honestly, we wouldn't have cleared customs without a visa so this is obviously just a money grab). They hand the passports back and try to write us a ticket for not wearing our seat belts. This is where Dan's Ghana training comes in handy.

Dan says "No, I cannot give you any money as I work for the government. I'll need your name and badge number for any payments because I am required to report it." The guys take a step back. "Who do you work for?" Dan says "PwC" blank stare. Dan says "INP" (Instituto Nacional da Petroleo).  They look at each other and say "Oh." I lean forward to the driver and say "Yeah, you can go now." Finally, the cops say "you can go" and the three of us laugh as we pull away.

We arrive safely at Gil Vicente and the place looks mobbed. At least 15-20 people outside the door, but we quickly learn they are just outside to smoke or hang out and we got right in. There was a band and the place continued to fill up after we arrived. The music was good and we had a nice time. Walked back to the hotel to get some rest after an eventful evening.

Dinner with Friends?!

Being in Maputo and living in the hotel hasn't been as glamorous as I'd imagined. I miss having an apartment with multiple rooms so that, if I have to work late, I'm not keeping Dan up or looking like a 5 year old who wants read after she's been told it's bedtime... you know what I mean... she's holed up under the sheets to block out the light of her flashlight (or Kindle since it's 2015). Mostly, I miss having friends to meet for lunch or dinner, or just sit around and do nothing.

So last week when Dan told me we had been invited to dinner with some people, you would have sworn he had just blessed me with some magical gift card that I could go shopping with and never pay a cent. I was elated. Thursday of last week, we went to the Radisson Blu hotel for a sushi dinner. I know what you're thinking... a Radisson? In Maputo? Yes, and it's arguably the nicest hotel here. Dan and I are convinced that hotel chains are backwards in Africa. Some of the nicest business hotels in Accra are a Best Western and a Holiday Inn, which is the reverse of the case in the US.

So we arrived a bit early and the restaurant didn't open until 7 (which was the time of our reservation) so we went up to the hotel bar and had a glass of wine and waited for people to arrive. In total, there were 8 of us for dinner. Me and Dan (obviously American), Dan's coworker Driaan and his wife Carolina (South African), another married South African couple who as terrible as this is to say... neither of us got their names that night, and two girls who work at PwC with the guys who are from Portugal. Their names are Ana and Elsa and they currently live together in a corporate flat. No, this is not a blurb from Frozen, nor did we go to Disney World for dinner. Although they made the Frozen reference without it being pointed out by any of us so they must be used to it.

It was a flat rate, all you can eat thing. They had sushi and sashimi and Korean BBQ and dumplings and a dessert table. I had never had Korean BBQ before which frankly, sounds more daunting than it is. When I think Korean BBQ, I picture the scorched ducks that hang from the windows in Chinatown back in SF. Do I have to BBQ the duck? Is he already dead? Is he going to convince me to switch to Aflac before I roast him like chestnuts over an open fire? Thankfully, it's nothing like that. Basically, you select a bunch of ingredients (noodles, raw chicken or fish or pork, broccoli, onions, whatever else you want) and hand it to the guy who is behind a hibachi grill. Then he cooks it for you... voila! Korean BBQ. We got some wine for the table and chatted for a couple of hours.

It was really nice to get out and meet some new people. Elsa took some photos at dinner with her phone and sent them to us. So here's a little photo collage of our dinner.

From left to right: Driaan, Dan, me, Elsa, Ana, Carolina, and the South African couple whose names we don't know (Wow I feel terrible about that. Really need to rectify that if there's a next time)

Hunger Games: Finding our favorite restaurants in Maputo

Since we both work during the weekdays, we try to go out to eat in the evenings when possible. Dan's office is just a short 5-7 minute walk from the hotel. I work either in the hotel room, in the cafe downstairs, or in the small business center just to change my scenery around when I can. All this means is that we try to go out to eat off the property when we can. We've tried a few restaurants around town so far, but there are still plenty to explore. Luckily, Dan's coworkers here are friendly and kind enough to offer up some recommendations.

Our first night in Maputo we went to Maputo Waterfront. Dan had a seafood rice dish that was a bit like a cioppino. I had some tasty red snapper with potatoes and veggies. The takeaway from the first night was: "oh thank goodness, the wine is better here." Suppose when you're a former Portuguese colony who sticks with the language and culture, the wine ought to be of Portuguese standard as well.

Sunday, we ran some errands... found the local supermarket and got some snacks to have in the room on days when I don't feel like going to the cafe or breakfast buffet. That night, we ate at the cafe downstairs and watched the Cowboys/Packers game on the computer via Slingbox. (And no, we shouldn't discuss Dez Bryant's probably-should-have-been-a-catch-to-likely-win-the-game-but-some-stupid-rule-says-it's-not.)

Monday, we tried a sushi joint that Tripadvisor had dubbed the best sushi in Maputo. Let's just say we hope it's not the best sushi in Maputo. If it is, we will be looking forward to our return to Accra where we have at least two sushi restaurants that are significantly better :)

Tuesday, was our most interesting find. A place called Wine Lovers (right up our alley, right?). A tapas style restaurant with a wide selection of bottles and an extensive menu. Biggest challenge? Servers only speak Portuguese and menu is in Portuguese. So we took a stab at it and ordered a few dishes and some wine and had a nice evening.

On Wednesday, we decided on a more casual vibe and went to Mundo's. It had come highly recommended by Dan's coworker, Driaan. Considering that he's "melanin-deficient" (aka white) and from South Africa, we trust his expat tastes. Upon pulling up in the taxi, we quickly learn that Mundo's is a HUGE, open-air Sports Bar. Way to go, Driaan! So we had some beer and wings and pizza and watched some soccer. I forgot to take pictures that night (whoops) so here's the logo for Mundo's:

Thursday was a quiet night at the hotel restaurant as I had some work that went into the evening and needed to stick close to home.

I'd say there's one major food takeaway so far: everything, and we mean everything, comes with french fries. While that was fun for about 3 days, we are totally sick of them on every level. Thus, one of the first Portuguese phrases we have perfected (along with thank you, good morning, and big bottle of water) is "sin batatas" or "without potatoes". We get some surprised looks for rejecting the fries but it's better for our health in the long run. Looking forward to seeing what else this city has in the gastronomy department. More foodie posts to come, I'm sure since this was only the first week's recap!

Ever seen a Mozambican Presidential Inauguration?

Yeah, neither had we. Actually, I've never physically been present for an American President's inauguration. The week that we arrived here in Maputo, we learned that the inauguration for President Nyusi was to be later that week. The inauguration took place at the Town Hall which is visible from the balcony of our hotel room.

Starting Monday morning, we were greeted with the sounds of crews constructing various stages and seating areas. A marching band practiced daily with a large contingent of the Mozambican military rehearsing their marching processional. Suffice to say after four days straight of one song on repeat, it still haunts my dreams. I catch myself randomly humming it subconsciously. It's going to take quite some time (and several catchy Taylor Swift songs) to override that tune.

Thursday was the big event. We found out Tuesday afternoon that the government had declared it a public holiday so Dan got the day off. Unfortunately, I work for a US/UK company who for some unknown reason didn't think that a new Mozambican President was a valid reason to give a day off. Thankfully, all events were very slow moving so Dan just knocked on the sliding glass door when I needed to come out and view something that had the possibility of being worth watching.

The morning festivities started around 8am with music over loud speakers. There was a red carpet rolled out and Nyusi arrived in a vehicle processional. He was seated in the center red tent on the right just in front of the Town Hall. There was a podium at the front of it to address the citizens.

After the soon-to-be President's arrival, the festivities began. There were small stages on either end that had dance performances on one side and a choir on the other. Eventually, the speeches began and we assume the President was sworn in. I say "we assume" because this was all done in Portuguese and over a series of loud speakers making it very difficult to decipher what was actually being said. Periodically, the crowd would cheer and stand in support. Once that was done, the party began.

Some local children walked through and stopped in front of their new President, sang a song, and released balloons the colors of the Mozambican flag into the sky.

After the kids walked on, the marching band led the beginning of the military processional into the area. That went on for quite awhile as several branches of military in different uniforms marched past and saluted the new President.

Upon the completion of the military processional, the seated guests rose and started to make their way out (around 1pm). Many of the public who came out for the event stayed behind. Music was played over speakers for another hour and a half or so. Finally, around 2:30pm, the booming bass stopped and people cleared out. 

It was certainly an interesting piece of history to witness firsthand!