Rainy day in Maputo, Mozambique

It was threatening rain when we docked in Maputo, Mozambique this morning. Maputo is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It currently has a population of approximately 1.1 to 1.27 million residents within the city itself. We felt like we saw most of them today – ha! We had originally planned to go to the Feima market that we visited in 2023. However, before breakfast a friend offered us their excursion tickets because he had been up sick all night and didn’t feel like going. I was a little disappointed because I really wanted to go to the market, but it was a kind offer so we accepted. Ironically, the tour was named “City and Sun.”

view of Maputo-Katembe Bridge from our balcony

By the time we exited the ship, it was already raining and it continued to rain without letting up the entire day! ☹ Trying to dodge potholes full of water and climbing in and out of the van with umbrellas and wet shoes made for a much less enjoyable day.  Since the tour was ridiculously overpriced, there were only perhaps 10 or 12 of us. The van was air conditioned and better than expected, but the tarred roads were full of potholes.

Our first stop was the Central Railway Station. We walked through the CFM Train Station Museum which was thankfully covered.

 

vintage locomotive

Maputo Central Railway Station

modern passenger train

Above are some art displays inside the small train museum.

From there we were driven to the Maputo Central Market. Our guide pointed out significant landmarks as we rode, including Independence Square and City Council. There were an abundance of nuts (mostly cashews) for sale, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and lots of wood carvings and trinkets. Most sections were cleaner and better organized than most markets we've seen. 

 

approaching Maputo Central Market (seller sticking purses in front of me)

women peeling shrimp (right) and broom seller (red shirt)

Maputo fruit & veggie vendor

a good selection of wigs

cashews and baskets for sale

colorful plastic shopping bags

After walking through the market, we visited Saint Antonio’s Cathedral and did a "drive by" of the Iron House. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_de_Ferro We could have walked through it but with the rain, all except for a couple of us opted to just lower the window and snap a quick photo.

We were supposed to visit the Tunduru Botanical Gardens but that would have been impossible with the steady rain coming down. 

 

St. Antonio's Catholic Church

Iron House

inside The Sé Catedral de Maputo (Cathedral of our Lady of the Immaculate Conception)

candles burning inside cathedral

Water was rushing down the curb when we exited the van, but those of us willing to get out went inside the church for a quick look around. 

I had been happy to learn that one of our stops was to be the Feima Market which was the one I had originally wanted to visit. We did go there, but it was raining and not much fun at all. Vendors had make shift tarps over their wares but some were full of water and dripping anyway. It’s not easy to shop outside under an umbrella in the rain! 

some were lucky to be under covered roof

rain interrupted this checker game (bottle caps for checkers)

very clever recycling

 

Above are examples of very clever use of items we would normally throw away. Christmas tree is made of soft drink cans. Silver elephant and crocodile are made from soda can tops. Alligator is made from metal bottle caps, etc.

 

carved wooden figures

I haven’t mentioned the high pressure sales people at every entrance and exit and who will follow you around out in the open. They are aggressive and persistent and you absolutely don’t make eye contact with them unless you want them to escalate the pressure. And it’s not just one but several at the same time. While sitting on the bus, I saw a lady from the ship stop to look at something. All of a sudden she had seven men surrounding her with their wares. It is difficult, but to be expected. We have been warned as we move around Africa from this point forward not to wear flashy jewelry and to pay careful attention to our handbags, etc. These people don’t take “no” for an answer – at least not easily.

By this time, we were tired of the rain and our feet were wet and we were both ready to get back to our home away from home. Oceania was running a shuttle every 30 minutes back and forth from that location to the ship, so we saw our opportunity to bail out. Our guide wasn’t real happy with us because our next stop was the hotel and lunch. But it was already after 2 pm, so we headed back to the ship for a late lunch.

It would have been enjoyable, but rain puts a damper on the best laid plans. I don’t think either of us would ever vote to visit Maputo again.