If it's once place I have to re-visit, it's Maputo. This is not because I didn't get to finish my to do list but it's because I didn't get to see much at all. I landed in Maputo in the afternoon. I had a one hour flight from Johannesburg, South Africa. After paying for the visa on arrival, (a paper that you have to remember to keep with you at all times) I went ahead and got stamped into the country.
The hotel had arranged for a taxi and I popped out to see a gentleman holding the card with the hotel name. I stayed at the Afrin Prestige Hotel, which was a mere 20 minutes ride from the airport. I got to the hotel and got squared away and realized I had a quick problem. The phone charger I bought in South Africa wouldn't work at the hotel and I needed a local charger. (The hotel didn't have USB chargers) The front desk didn't have any either and it was already late.
It's always good to see what is around your hotel and if I did, I would have known there was a shopping center at the end of the street. Missed opportunity I guess.
The very next day, I was up at 4am. This was the lucky time my tour began because of the distance we had to drive. We drove a few hours to the Naamach Border. On the way there I got to see what rural life was like in Mozambique. The farming and other industries that provide an economy for the country, etc. Here we entered in Eswatini (Swaziland) where I would essentially spend the day.
I returned a few hours later at the Goba Border crossing. Mozambique is a rich, green and vibrant place and one i took for granted. Fun fact, it is easier to drive to Kruger National Park in South Africa from Maputo than Johannesburg due to the distance. I spent the afternoon in Matola, which was the hometown of my guide and one of the lagest cities in Mozambique.
Before returning to the hotel, I stopped at the Fortress of Maputo as well as the Maputo Central train station. I couldn't belive the fortress was so close to the hotel and that I missed the opportunity to visit the day before.
The next day it was back to South Africa but I have fresh in my mind the opportunities I missed out on while in Maputo and how I will make them up in the future.
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