SA Express May 2013 magazine - Southafrica.to

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Two of Maputo’s best-known landmarks
are today, as they were in the past, going very
strong. The Costa de Sol Restaurant is still
serving the best seafood in town and the
“Grande Dame” of Maputo, The Polana Serena
Hotel, recently reopened after a refurbishment
that lasted two years.
For bargain hunters and those who like to
haggle, Maputo markets are the ideal place to
shop. There is a thriving craft market in the
city centre, as well as The Central Market that
is definitely worth a visit. The former offers
wonderful trinket boxes, sandals and bracelets,
while at the latter you will find stalls selling
prawns, fish, cashew nuts (which seem to be on
sale everywhere), vegetables and crafts. It was
here that I bought a wooden skeleton, which I was
told to hang from my rear-view mirror. “If it rattles,
it means that you are driving too fast and the
sound reminds you of your mortality,” explained
the stallholder. A new craft market was opened in
2010 and offers both buyers and sellers the best
opportunity to interact in one location.
From the downtown area, I took a “water
taxi” to Catembe to have a look at the Maputo
skyline from the opposite side of the estuary
– and what a skyline it is! The urban sprawl is
in stark contrast to Catembe and the people
who live and work there. There is also a car
ferry that does the crossing, and a trip on
either is worth the experience. However, what
kept tourists coming back year after year
is definitely the food… Prawns, prawns and
even more prawns are on the menu at every
restaurant. I believe that if I had found one of
the major fast food chains, they too would be
serving prawns!
A meal at the fish market should be on
your itinerary, but it is not a place for the faint
hearted, as you get to choose your own live
seafood which will then be cooked for you, out
of sight in the kitchen. My choice was mud
crab (delicious), prawns (again) and rock cod
(interesting flavour). For those whose taste
buds are more refined, the Delagoa Restaurant
(at the Polana Serena Hotel) offers one of the
best fine dining experiences I have had, and the
city also seems to have an endless supply of
coffee shops and bakeries to tempt both locals
and visitors.
Most places of interest are within walking
distance, but there are taxis that can be hired
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Indwe