SA Express May 2013 magazine - Southafrica.to

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for around R20.00 per trip (always remember
to check the price). For a different way of
seeing the city, try a “tuk-tuk”. Often the
drivers will offer you a mini-tour of the city at a
reasonable rate.
A walking tour will reveal why the city is
well known for its architecture, especially the
astonishing work of Pancho Guedes. The style
of some of the buildings in the downtown area
of the city is reminiscent of Havana, Cuba,
and I did try to find the local equivalent of the
Buena Vista Social club. Caminhos de Ferro de
Mocambique, the local railway station, which
was used as the “hotel” in the movie Hotel
Rwanda, was designed and built in Paris in
1910 by Gustave Eiffel, shipped to Maputo and
rebuilt on its current site.
If you like late nights (or early mornings)
then Maputo is the place for you! Maputo is a
mix of New York – the city never sleeps – and
the Mediterranean coastline where evenings
only begin with dinner after nine and the clubs
do their best business from midnight onwards.
The sea is not the clear blue of the islands
further north, but this does not stop the locals
from using the beach for a variety of activities,
from drumming circles to baptisms.
Wedding parties can often be found on the
beach or in the water, while the attending entourage
shouts encouragement from the surf line.
Given the amount of rebuilding currently
been undertaken and the imminent arrival of
international five-star hotels, Maputo seems to
be pulling itself up by the proverbial bootstraps
and will soon regain its rightful place as a
foremost tourist destination on this continent
we call home.
OUT AND ABOUT
For Maputo sightseeing tours Indwe recommends
Dana Tours //WWW.DANATOURS.NET
Contact Jane Flood (+27 82 419 0574 or email
jane.flood@gmail.com) for walking tours of the city.
SA EXPRESS CONNECTS
CAPE TOWN TO
MAPUTO THREE TIMES
A WEEK. SEE FLIGHT
SCHEDULE FOR MORE
INFORMATION.
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Indwe