Tom planned a great first weekend in Africa for me. I arrived on Friday about 15h30. After we returned to the hotel we set out to get a feel for our immediate neighborhood.
The hotel is a few blocks from Brad and Tina's apartment and is in a bustling, residential part of the city. Brad met us after work for a few beers and then Tom and I went to dinner ourselves at a small outdoor cafe frequented by local print journalists, called "The Journalista." Grilled chicken is a speciality in Mozambique, and one of the most delicious things I've eaten yet. We split a grilled bird served with chips (fries) and piri (chile sauce). Piri is available at EVERY restaurant in the city and The Journalista has, without a doubt, the spiciest piri I've tasted. After spending so much time in Thailand and Laos I thought I could handle some spicy food - but I was wrong. This piri was so intense I could barely touch a piece of chicken in it and my lips were burning. The bird itself was juicy and charred in all the right places. This country really knows how to prepare a good bird.
The next morning we went for a walk along the Indian Ocean and wandered our way thorough streets named after socialist or revolutionary leaders in Africa and throughout the world. Lenin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Patrice Lumumba, Kenneth Kaunda, among many others, are scattered in with streets and avenues named after important dates in Mozambiquian history like 24 Julio and 25 de Setembro. This initial walk proved that I know very little about Mozambique. After our two months here, I hope that changes!
The evening was great. Tom planned a surprise sunset cocktail at a hotel overlooking the bay and then dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant. The picture you see is of Saturday night, at about 17h30. Because it is winter, the sky is nearly black at six. Another advantage of the season and our tolerance of "cool" weather is that we were the only people sitting outside at the restaurant. We had a private veranda, with nearly the same view, for several hours. Incidentally, the food was amazing. We cannot find an Italian restaurant like this in New Orleans, as those tend to have a Creole-Southern Italian flair. In other words, we will definitely go back there before we head home!
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