Well rested and ready to go, we docked in Durban, South Africa on the 6th. We were warned that Durban is not the safest of cities and the shuttle from the ship dropped us in the safety of a shopping mall. It was kind of lame so we browsed a little while we figured out what we wanted to do that day. From the mall we put on our most charming American smiles and convinced one of the shuttle drivers to take us to a beach. He took us to a resort area called Ushaka and said he would pick us up at 3pm. I’ve never been to Hawaii but I image Ushaka must be a close resemblance with it’s palm trees, outdoor mall, and walkway along the beautiful beach. My mom and dad who have been there (several times, without me) confirmed it was very much like Hawaii.
After staring awhile at the sparkly purses and skirts in the outdoor mall, my dad assured me there would be plenty of sparkle to come in other countries and moved us along to the beach. We found a nice spot and set out our towels all the time wondering why not many people were on the beach. Shortly after settling down, we were quick to realize why when the wind covered everything with coating of sand.
My dad suggested I take a surfing lesson after he noticed me intently watching a dad teaching his son. Always up for a new adventure, I packed up my sandy belongings and walked to a surf shop. The owner’s name was Sheldon and he was the typical surfer dude stereotype. Sheldon outfitted me in some true surfer clothing and then we grabbed a board and hit the waves after practicing on the beach. I was a little surprised when he asked me if I was ready as soon as we got far enough out. I figured I would never really be prepared, so with that I was pushed onto the next wave and attempted to stand. After a couple wipe-outs, I did eventually manage to get up and ride a wave almost to the shore. Even though it was probably only a few seconds, it was pretty exhilarating. I improved a little and one of the other surfers even said I was pretty good for my first time…he was about 12. All that paddling around was pretty exhausting and after an hour I practically washed up on the shore. I managed to swallow a lot of seawater but I think it was mostly because I couldn’t stop smiling. Pennsylvania needs a beach.
We had a late lunch at one of those rotating sushi bars along the beach. It’s fun to watch the choices go by and chase after the ones you want. I told my mother that I’d like to have all my meals come to me on a rotating bar from now on. She scoffed and ordered another beer. It was well past 3pm after we finished eating, so we figured we would just catch a taxi back to the ship. On our way out, the poor shuttle driver came running up to us all out of breath and said ‘oh! I was looking for you!’ We felt pretty bad for making him wait but were thankful for the ride.
The following day the ship made it’s maiden call in Maputo, Mozambique. Since Maputo’s tourist industry is just starting, we were basically there to encourage it’s growth. Usually when the ship stops in a new port, the locals gather to welcome us or have a band playing or something. Maputo was a bit of a different story, there was no celebration when we arrived. They only have 12 or so small shuttles, so we waited for about 20 minutes to take one to the town. We didn’t take it as a good sign when people we saw get on the shuttle, return after about 10 minutes. They had warned us in other cities throughout South America and Africa to be careful and stay with a group, but Maputo was actually the first time I was nervous going into a town. We were about to experience ‘the real Africa’ as my dad said, poverty-stricken and dangerous.
The shuttle dropped us at a gated government building and as soon as we got outside of the gates we were basically on our own. One of the sights in town was a local market so we decided to walk there. The streets of Maputo were an adventure in themselves…cracked sidewalks, litter, mazes of vendors. Outside the market we were approached by people selling perfume, belts, and fake designer watches. My dad and I went with the no eye contact approach, meanwhile my mom carried on conversations as if she was in Macy’s. “Oh no thank you, I don’t wear belts…but it’s very nice.” No wonder it took us awhile to lose them. The market itself was quite vast with many vendors were selling things like spices and crafts. We wandered around and sampled some local-grown cashews while we were there.
The few other notable sights in Maputo involved taking a taxi, which we really didn’t feel like doing. Spending time in the town didn’t make me feel any less nervous about it. So after only about an hour in the town, we caught the shuttle back to the ship and breathed a sigh of relief. I think that was the mutual feeling of the passengers, many of which did not even venture out. Looking back on it, I think Maputo was an important stop. It reminding us that even though there are many beautiful, prosperous cities and countries in the world, there is still struggling and poverty as well. What we saw in Maputo was a reality check and I am thankful for it.
On a lighter note, Maputo marked the halfway point of our trip. That of course called for a celebration complete with champagne. And there was lots to celebrate! My dad’s class has been going really well and his ratings from the guests have been very good. Also, as you can tell if you’ve been reading, we’ve seen some pretty amazing places so far and there’s many more coming up. So keep reading!
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