Now I know the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear about Mozambique, is the film Johnny English. Apart from it being the root of Johnny English’s traumas, it is a beautiful country even though I might be slightly biased. This December, I went home for the first time in two years. For a little bit of context, Mozambique is a Portuguese-speaking country neighbouring South Africa. It has 2,300 kilometres of coastline with the most fantastic beaches, with multiple historical buildings, particularly on an island called the Island of Mozambique.
The first step of course is to start with some basic Portuguese.
(phoor-fah-vor) ‘por favor’ – Please
(oh-bree-gha-doo) ‘obrigado’ – thank you (masculine)
(oh-bree-gha-da) obrigada – thank you (feminine)
(bohm-dee-ah) ‘bom dia’ – Good morning
(bo-ah-noit)‘Boa noite’ – Good night.
(Com-ou-estas) ‘Como Estás’ – how are you?
(ooo-meooo-nomeh-eh) O meu nome é ….. – My name is ….
(um-pra-tou-deh-cam-ah-ro-es) Um prato de camarões – a plate of prawns
(pou-soo-ter-oomah-dos-em) Possou ter uma dois M – Can I have a 2MM (our local beer)
One of the amazing things to do there is to go on an all-day trip to three islands off the coast of the country’s capital. You wake, catch a boat at 7:00 am (this is the hardest part of the whole trip) and spend a riveting hour crashing into the waves, hanging to the railing and finally, you reach your first destination, Inhaca Island.
Inhaca is a beautiful island with crystal clear water and pristine white beaches. It is the perfect place for those enthusiastic about snorkelling and diving with diverse marine life just a few metres off the shore. When you get there, you are served with sandwiches and crisps for snacks and then taken on your first snorkel. There are massive shoals of fish, and you will be able to spot octopus, clown fish and parrot fish too. However, it is not all just activity-packed, you can lounge on the beach and it is the perfect setting for an aesthetic Instagram picture with a coconut in hand.
After a couple of hours, they then take you to your second island called Santa Maria. Here you have a relaxing time by a pool and have a laugh with your friends and family with a massive plate of seafood waiting for you. You get to try the delicious local food called Xima (which is made from wheat flour) and Matapa (which is a leafy dish made from peanut and pumpkin leaves). Apart from seafood, you get Brazilian-style cooked food with different meat options as well.
Last but not least you are taken to your last island, Isla dos Portugueses (Portuguese Island). It was given this name because it was infamously an island where Portuguese settlers were sent to isolate when they had the plague. It now has a much brighter story with many tourists stopping there to see an incredible sunset. After this, you get back on the boat, with the drivers taking every opportunity to drive through a massive wave scaring everyone on board, and you are dropped off in Maputo Bay. And that ladies and gentlemen is one way to spend a day in Maputo.
Written By: Jessica Dixon
Edited By: Abirami Mathialagan