Where in the world are we today? Maputo!

 In which we get mixed up in 10 beautiful weddings and see the sights of Maputo!

What a fun day we had in Mozambique. We started with a visit to the historic train station. 

Across the street, at the center of a traffic circle, there is a large statue which serves as a memorial mostly to military figures.  The crowning figure, however, is a woman with a snake.  The story goes that there was a venomous snake which would attack people who had to walk near the tree where it lived. The woman decided to do something about it. She put warm porridge in a pot on her head and walked to where the snake was coiled around a branch.  The snake tried to strike her, but he ended up falling into the porridge and died.

After visiting the memorial, we headed to the local market. Among the many items for sale were lots of delicious looking fruit and nuts.  It was tempting to buy some to have for snacks on the ship.  We had been warned about cholera, and I wasn’t sure that I could scrub the fruit clean enough without kitchen tools. 

After the market, we headed for a fort built when the Portuguese first colonized Mozambique. 

More about Maputo and the weddings tomorrow.  We are on our way to Durban tonight and tomorrow.  Dave and I scheduled to leave the ship in Durban for a few days safari at Thanda.  We will fly from Durban to Capetown to catch back up with the Zuiderdam. 

Have a great weekend!