The day after we left Mombasa was Easter Sunday and we received a nice large chocolate rabbit.

Two days later it was another formal night and the theme was Casino Royale.  There were large playing cards, dice, and black and red streamers all over the ship.  I was always impressed by the effort they made to decorate for special nights.  They only did it every few weeks so it was always a treat.                        The sunset that night was pretty nice as well.

Maputo, Mozambique was the first of four consecutive days in port. We arrived in Maputo, the largest city and capital of Mozambique at 8 AM.  Mozambique was a Portuguese colony for many years until independence was granted in 1974.  Over 250,000 ethnic Portuguese left the country virtually overnight leaving no skilled professionals to maintain  the infrastructure.  The economy plummeted as a result.  The governing party turned to the Soviet Union and East Germany for help, but by the early 1980s the country was bankrupt.  The Civil War, which lasted until 1992, further weakened the economy, but with the war ended growth and stability are returning.  Tourism is playing a large role in the country’s recovery.

Obviously, with such recent political and economical storms there were not a vast selection of tours available.  We did a five-hour excursion that was basically an overview of the area in and around Maputo.

We were first driven out to the countryside, past the river where ladies do the laundry and to the Pequenos Libombos Dam. Upon our return to Maputo we had a walk around the Jardim dos Namorados (the Public Garden) and a drive past the Costa Del Sol (beach front).

 We were pleasantly surprised at the modern high-rise buildings in the city and the clean streets.

It was a nice overview of an area that, unfortunately, is still riddled with unrest, so we were blessed to be there during a time of welcome and peace.