Home in Maputo

My expectations about the arrival to Maputo were not quite met. I guess I expected to be met by a suffocating humid heat,deafening noise  and a miscelaneous crowd of beggars, venders, pick-pocketers, and pushy or clandestine taxi-drivers pulling your sleave on the exit -

Instead I saw a tidy and modern airport with neatly dressed, polite and quiet people. Immigration was fast and in the arrival section of the airport were only a few people waiting. Otherwise the aiport and the area outside was empty and completely quiet; I took out some Meticais from a cashmachine and sat down on a bench to call my contact, as a guy from one of the hotels very politely offered a ride to the center for a reasonable price - I took it !

The climate was extreemly pleasant, around 25 degrees and a fresh wind, and the way into the concrete center of Maputo was filled with colour:  lush green trees with flowers by the road side, blue sunny sky and orange-red dust. The entrance to my house is  a wee hole sqeezed in between two walls, and once you reach the 19th floor where I am staying you have a wonderful panorama view of tree-tops, tall buildings and lots and lots of blue-greyish ocean.

I spent most of my day with the maid; going to the market, chit-chatting, and trying to make my cellphone work on a Mozambiquean chip. The people I've talked to have been  warm and welcoming though much less talkative than I expected....

I thought I would be somewhat overwhelmed by Maputo, but instead I have had a peacefull experience of arrival in a beautiful city, full of trees, good manners and a realxing atmosphere (and compared to a city like Salvador, impressively quiet!!!) - that being said, I am looking forward to knowing more parts of the city as I am aware that I only saw one tiny part of an upscale neighbourhood so far...