Quelimane - Nampula - Pemba: The drive

For those having an inclination towards knowing new places the map alongside shows the various provinces of Mozambique and the arrows indicate the the journey from my first place of posting, Quelimane, to my present location – Pemba.

The drive from Quelimane in the province of Zambezia to Port Pemba in the northernmost province of Cabo Delgado with a stopover at Nampula, the third largest city of Mozambique, in the province of Nampula was my longest road journey in Mozambique. This 1000 km drive through three provinces in northern Mozambique and the wild African outback gave me my first experience of rural Mozambique.

I left Quelimane at 6 am on the 2nd of October with a packed breakfast of bread, cheese & eggs (courtesy Mauricio) and not to forget, some roasted peanuts too. We filled the Pajero tank at the nearest fuel station, checked the tyre pressures and off we were.

Quelimane to Nampula was a 7 hour drive. For half the journey the roads were awesome. And I really mean awesome - Center divider with reflectors, yellow lines marking the sides of the roads lined with reflectors & railings on the sides of the road at certain intervals just like the ones on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. We touched a top speed of 160 on those stretches. For the other half of the journey I was wondering where the roads were!! Long stretches of the road were under repair and I am sure that a few years down the line this country will have wonderful roads. The landscape during the entire journey was dotted with scattered hamlets. The countryside seemed sparsely populated. The earth was black from the fire that it had endured.

We reached Nampula at 2 in the afternoon and went straight to the hotel rooms booked for us. Lunch was aloo parontha and roasted fish. (yummy… I just love the food here) In the evening I visited Shoprite along with my colleague who wanted some tea powder. It reminded me of the shoprites we have back in India. My stay in Nampula lasted 2 days more than I expected. The timber meet lasted one whole day (3rd October) and the next 2 days were spent servicing my Pajero. I spent these two days at a colleagues place (who also happens to be an alumnus of my institute) and was treated to some lovely idli, rasam and stuff.

It was finally on Monday, the 6th of October that I left for Pemba. It was 5 hours later that I reached the place where I would be taking charge of the branch office. I will definitely write about Pemba later preferably accompanied with snaps because this is the place that is considered to be the tourist destination of Mozambique and is especially for its beaches. (It’s been 2 weeks now but I am still to pay a visit to the beach)

Long time... No write :-)

Yeah, its been quite a while that i have not penned down anything on this blog even though i have a lot to write about.

An authentic Chinese dinner in the company of 9 Chinese yapping away in mandarin (I was the only Indian in the group); I've had my passport confiscated by the immigration department; dealing with the police has been another wonderful experience; a 1000 km drive across three provinces in my Pajero and the one that surprised me the most - Navaratri puja & Garbha in Nampula as well as Pemba.

Its been 2 weeks since i came to Pemba and things are more-or-less settled. Now i am looking forward to spending some time writing... :-)

The beach

Ever since i came here i wanted to make a trip to the beach and it finally happened yesterday. The best part about this trip was not just the destination but the journey too. It was a 30 km drive and this was the first time that i drove out of the town limits and got a little taste of green & rural Africa.

One very distinctive feature during the drive was the abundance of coconut trees. Lots and lots of them. Reminded me of the typical rural south Indian setting-Narrow roads; open fields on either sides of the road - as far as your eye can see; thatched roof houses & coconut trees.

As we neared the beach we got off the road and drove down a sandy trail which led us closer to the water and a large number of casurina trees. here were quite a few cars parked along with some mini-vans and some pick-ups. Leaving my floaters in the car we started walking towards the water. We walked from among the trees into the open patch of sand between the water and the tress. I stopped and looked back only to see a massive wall of casurina along the shore parallel to the water. Amazing sight. The wall-like structure that you see in the snap is the casurina that i am referring to.

Being a Sunday, i expected to see a large crowd. But a majority of the people seemed to be concentrated at the exit of the trail leading to the beach. A group of guys were playing volleyball, some were enjoying a game of football, parents trying to handle cranky kids; but the scene that stood out was that of a 4 or 5 year old kid on a mini 4-wheeled motorized vehicle merrily zig-zagging through the people present at the beach. along the shore away from the crowd. At a distance, towards the horizon, i could see some small boats with sails. Other that that it was just waves and waves crashing into the shoreline.

There was this sort of thrill that i felt as i walked barefoot on the sand and into the water, watching a sight that i was accustomed to seeing throughout the four years of my graduation. I walked slowly into the water as we walked along the shore. The best part about the beach was the gradual incline. I walked almost 75 meters into the water and it was barely upto my knees. The waves dashed against me and drenched my shorts and water splashed onto my glasses. I loved this feeling. I put my hands into the sand, digging a bit into it, to look for clams - and i sure did find them there. By the time we left for the beach i had a handful of clams which i gave to my driver who said he'll have them for dinner.

Overall a wonderful evening; i enjoyed it and am looking forward for more.

(NOTE: For all those who have already asked me "Why no photos till now?"; well i still don't have a camera. The above snaps were taken form my colleagues camera-phone.)

2nd impression

My first impressions of Africa had more to do with the place, the people and the culture. But my second impressions went beyond that. They were the result of the questions i asked myself. Questions that arose as a result of the life i live out here. Questions that arose from my interactions with people and because of my job itself.

Its been two months since i came to Quelimane and these two months have definitely made me wiser. (I am not talking of white hair :-) ) When i first came to Africa, i was excited. A new place; new people; new culture. But this fascination slowly wore off as i got accustomed to the place. I settled into a routine. Life revolved around work and home. An occasional meting with an Indian family with whom i have made an acquaintance. A one off party. Trips to the market to make my purchases. Internet. Television. This is what life has been for the past two months.

And now i have begun to question this life. Fine, agreed i came here to work. But is this what i want?? Is this the combination of work & life i have been dreaming about? No way. I love my work. I love what i do because of the freedom and responsibility that i have. I have learnt a lot in the past 2 months and am sure this experience will be handy as i grow in my career. But i want to enjoy the journey as much as i enjoy the destination.

Imagine this - Its 6 pm and the roads are deserted. Very few people are walking on the road. An odd car passes you by. You get a feeling that curfew has been imposed in the town. You get home around 6 every evening and stay at home till you go to office the next. Going out of your house is not a comfortable feeling. There is a part of your mind thats scared every time you step out of the. You cannot just walk around the streets after work. You are advised to travel by car wherever you go. Socializing is nil. No friends around to have a cup of coffee.- So how does this sound??

On the materialistic front i have everything i could ask for as a bachelor. An independent house, a cook, a chafuer driven car, a dollar salary, my clothes get washed & ironed, my house get cleaned, etc etc. But is all this worth the description mentioned in the preceding paragraph? I still dont have a definate answer to this question, but i surely will have one pretty soon.

I would not want this to be taken as a cribbing exercise undertaken by me; but just as an outburst. If this place is in a certain situation today, there is a reason for it. Also, I would not want to generalize this situation for every place in Africa.

This, is not the end. Impressions change with time. And now i want to see what the future has in store for me.

The mystery of the burnt onions

My man Friday Mauricio is just amazing. He does the dishes, cook food, cleans the house, washes & irons my clothes and also folds them (EXACTLY the way i want them folded). The best thing about this chap is that he does things the way i want them to be done.

I love to cook and do try my hand in the kitchen whenever i feel like. I also showed Mauricio a few dishes, both veg and non-veg. One of these dishes was Pepper Chicken. A simple chicken dish prepared with onions, ginger-garlic paste, salt, chicken (obviously), pepper and some coriander for garnishing.

One fine day i showed Mauricio how to prepare this dish. And whenever i wanted it, i would simply point out to the chicken and pepper. He understood what i wanted. Its been 2 months since i have been here and he must have prepared this dish around 5 times; Each time preparing it EXACTLY the way i showed him. The first time he prepared it, the onions were burnt. I did not tell him anything assuming that it might have happened by mistake. The second time he prepared it, the onions were burnt again. I decided to mention this to him but forgot to do so. The same burnt onions appeared when he did it the last two times. Now i would have to talk to him about this.

Around this same time Rishi was leaving for India and was instructing me about how to handle these guys. He said that these guys are like robots. If you show them how to do something they will do it EXACTLY the same way. As he continued this explanation, i suddenly burst out laughing. "What happened?" he asked. "No wonder the onions were burnt." i replied. He looked at me quizzical expression on his face.

It struck me that the first time i cooked pepper chicken in front of Mauricio, i accidentally burnt the onions.

A glimpse of the other side

The other day, I had an interesting conversation with a colleague at work which was a result of a chap in my office asking me for an advance in salary.

It was the morning of 4th of July. I had just walked into my office. Into my room walks this chap and with a bowed head requested if i could give him a certain amount as advance against his salary. I asked him, the reason for the advance. He replied with a long face, that his mother expired in the morning. He wanted money for traveling to the place where his mother was residing and for performing the last rites. There was no question of denying him the advance.

After he left i pondered. "Today is the 4th of July. We just distributed staff salaries 10 days ago. And he's already asking for an advance??? Hmmmmm..... The amount that he requested for was almost two thirds of his salary. So what?? He must have had some savings and that along with his latest salary would be enough to cover his expenses. But then why still the advance??"

I turned to my colleague, who is a native, and put across this thought to her. Instead of answering my question directly this is what transpired in the next few minutes. This lady asked me, "Sir, my monthly salary is 3500. Could you please make a list of my possible expenses and prioritize them for me? I'll help you with it." I picked up a paper and started with the list. The first ones that struck me the basic necessities first - Food, clothing & shelter.

This is how my list initially looked like:
1. Food
2. Clothing
3. House: (Rent + Water + Electricity)

Looking at this list, my colleague commented, "I also go to school. I have to pay my fees." This added another point to my list and this is how it looked.
1. Food
2. Clothing
3. House: Rent + Water + Electricity
4. School: Fees + Books + Other expenses

I looked at this list and was wondering if i had missed out any point. At this juncture my colleague added, "I have three kids aged 5, 3 and 3 months." Imagining the expenses that are incurred while raising kinds i blurted out "No way. There is no way you are going to manage all these expenses within your salary. Its not possible." And then my colleague fired the final salvo, "I have not put savings on the list yet, sir."

This is what my list finally looked like:
1. Food
2. Clothing
3. House: Rent + Water + Electricity
4. School: Fees + Books + Other expenses
5. Children: Creche + School + all other expenses that you can imagine
6. Savings / Reserve

I looked at the list and said myself, "3500 and so many expenses!!" I thought I had received my answer regarding the advance when it then struck me that this lady was married and her husband earned too. On telling her this she smiled and said, "That's why I can manage my house." I was still wondering what this lady was getting to, when she pointed to another young lady colleague and asked me, "Do you know that she is a single mother of 3 and supports a family of 4?" All i could exclaim was, "What!!". My colleague went on, "Now imagine the same expenses & responsibilities on her with a salary of 1700, which is half of what i get."

I got my answer.

Dear Sudeep, welcome to the real world...

The local taxi...

Two weeks ago, i came across a local chap during work and had to give him a lift in my car from his place of work to where i had to go. For his return journey he requested me to pay for his taxi fare. He asked for 5 units of the local currency. I gave this chap the 5 bucks he requested. As soon as he left i turned to my accountant and asked him, "5 bucks for a taxi??" He replied in affirmative. I did not ask him anything more and assumed that traveling in a taxi must be very cheap here.

Yesterday evening, i was on my way back from office and noticed quite a few ladies traveling on a cycle. The point to be noted here is that, they were not riding the cycle but were sitting on the carrier behind the cycle. I closed my eyes and thought to myself, "I have been see this scene almost everyday." I opened my eyes and looked carefully at the cycle that was coming towards me on the opposite side of the road. It was a simple cycle with a carrier. I wondered how these ladies managed to sit at the back of a cycle - on a metal carrier - and travel through the pot-holes filled roads. I looked at another cycle traveling in my direction and for the first time noticed something different. Instead of the carrier, there was a cushioned seat at the back. I saw another cycle and noticed the same. I smiled.

My mind immediately ran back to the 5 bucks that i had given for a taxi ride two weeks ago...

Please note: Cars are very much used as taxis here. The 'cycle taxis' are used as a mode of transport by those who cannot afford traveling by car. It is also a source of income for some of the local guys.

How lucky can i get...

What i am going to narrate is a real life incident that happened today evening.

I live in a 5 room kitchen independent house in a quiet neighborhood of Quelimane. My house boy cum cook and guard stay in the outhouse in the same compound. Today, being a Saturday I work till noon. I got back home from office, polished off the delicious lunch and preceded to my room for a siesta. I watched a French Open tennis match for a while and then put off the television to take a nap. An hour later i woke up. I walked out of my room to wash my face in the bathroom. On the way, i unknowingly pulled the door of my room.

Wiping my face I walked back to my room to find the door shut. Following the force of habit my hand reached out to the keyhole where there should have been a key - Yeah, i said "There should have been a key." I looked down at the floor to see if the key had fallen down somewhere. On seeing no key it hit me - boss, the key is inside the room and you are outside. (An interesting point about the 5 rooms is that mine is the only room, the door of which, locks automatically on closing and it then needs a key to open. And there is no duplicate key - i came to know about this today)

I walked to the outhouse and called out to Mauricio (my cook!!) only to find that he had gone to the market. I looked towards the guards room, only to see it locked. That reminded me, my guard too had gone on leave just yesterday. "Wonderful", i thought to myself. I went back to my room and tugged at the door hoping that some miracle would open the door. For a moment i wondered i should do. I could not even call anybody since my phone was in the room. I walked out of the house to the window of my room. Two of the three windows were half open with a latch holding it to the frame.

I managed to open the outer window only to find that the inner window was shut. With a groan, i pushed it and to my surprise it was not latched. (This window is normally latch.) I peeked through the window wondering how i could open the door. I thought i would put a long stick through the window and open the door from the inside. I went around the house and located a 6 foot wooden stick and the mop (which Mauricio uses to mop the floor). I tied the two together and was just about to put it through the window when my eyes fell upon the table, which i had moved just yesterday, close to the window and my bunch of keys lying on it. With a 'thank you' on my lips i grabbed the keys through the window, picked up a coke from the fridge, got back into my room and with a smile on my face, started watching the IPL second semi-final.

Well well... So this is the situation i found myself in. A sleepy, sweet little boy (that's me!!) in shorts and a T-shirt locked out of his room in which lies the room key, specs, mobile phone, land line - and in the background all i could hear was the sound of the AC and some commentary on the TV. Inspite of all this, i was able to get my key, through the outer window (which was open by chance) and through the inner window (which again was unlatched, but should have been latched). The key was lying on a table which, just yesterday, i had moved near the window.

I don't think i could get luckier than this...

On the other hand, if the outer window was not open and the inner window was not open and the table was not near the window and the keys were not on the table... For sure, my room would have needed a new door...

Chief Chef

The 'Rice Bowl' gang will definitely appreciate my voracious appetite - If i may call it so!!- (Looks can sure be deceiving) and liking for some good wholesome (& FRUITful) food. Back home in India, it was never a problem when it came to food. But the day i flew out, i was wondering about the type of food that i would come across in Africa. I had no clue there was a surprise in store for me in the form of a 4 footer named Mauricio (my wonderful cook).

I would not mind taking him on in a bout of boxing but in the arena of cooking he definitely packs a punch. He's got this subtle understanding for taste and boy, he's a quick learner too. The first day he cooked for me there was enough food to feed two people more. Two days later, there was not a grain of rice that was wasted. Yes, it took him just two days to get used to the quantity i eat. And from that day onwards he has surprised me with his skills.

I did know where to start from, so i gave him a free hand for the first few days. But i did poke my nose when he made a verrrrrry spicy curry and so i had to place the chili powder under lock and key. The first two days were spent eating vegetables since, firstly, he was not too sure if i ate non-vegetarian food and secondly, there was no non-veg food at home. The third day onwards, its been a roller-coaster ride. Chicken, fish, shrimps, mutton... hmmmmmm...

I was really surprised, when one fine day on returning from office, Mauricio took me to the kitchen and showed me some cabbage, potato, beans, carrot, shrimps and eggs; and asked if he should prepare dinner using them. I wondered for a moment. "What a combination for dinner!!" My curiosity got the better of me and i asked him to go ahead. I was watching television when he walked in with a sizzler sort of dish with the above mention ingredients, and even some sauce. Well well, this is something that i never even imagined.

I love fruits and Mauricio has learnt that too. He now cuts an apple and a sweet lime after every lunch and dinner. He keeps stopping the fruit vendors who pass by my house and call me to see what they are selling. And yes, he keeps getting these sugarcanes from somewhere for which he does not even take money from me. He peels them, chops them into small pieces and keeps it in the fridge for me to eat. My my, he sure knows how to pamper me.

This chap has taken good care of me (my tummy, i mean) and am just waiting to see what more he has in store for me.

Happy Eating to me,
Happy Eating to me,
Happy eating, happy eating
Happy eating to me...

(For the uninitiated; 'Rice Bowl' is a chinese & sea food restaurant in Bhopal which serves delicious Butter prawns, Spicy fish red chili, Dragon Tail, Roasted Thai prawns on looooooooong tooth picks... I think I'll stop here :-))

A multiethinic dinner & a fire extinguisher

The day i arrived in Nampula (my first stop in Mozambique), i had no company for lunch as well as dinner. I ate alone at an Indian owned restaurant and tucked into some prawns & mixed fried rice. My first taste of local crusine. Little did i know that on the next day, in addition to some delicious food, i would also be treated to a few bouts of laughter, thanks to the subtle sense of humour of (lets call them) Mr T & Mr M. (Mr T is a Mozambican & Mr M is a Zimbabwean.)

I met Mr T & Mr M in the afternoon, on the second day. We did not get too much time to get acquainted as Mr M & i had some official work. It was only at the end of the day, when we got back to the hotel that we got some time to get better acquainted over dinner. It started off with some brief introductions of ourselves and, since we were at dinner, it carried on to food. Mr T expressed his liking for some spicy Indian food while Mr M had an opposite opinion. He had one bad experience with Indian spices and was not willing to take a second chance. His expressive narration of his experience gave me the feeling that the spices set off a fire inside him. But, on the repeated insistence of Mr T, Mr M finally agreed to taste some of the spicy stuff.

After going through the various Indian items on the menu, Mr T finally settled for an Aloo Parontha and some chicken masala. Mr M would not budge from some tried and tested local food. The waiter took down our order and left. Mr T was still looking at the menu in a very serious manner. Mr M and i looked at each other wondering what he was looking for. Without looking up from the menu Mr T commented, "I don't see a fire extinguisher on the menu." We looked at each other for a moment and then, suddenly burst out laughing. Well, i did not know that Mr M had such a bad experience... :-)

This was just an indication of what was to follow...

Football is a craze in Africa. With the upcoming league final & Euro 2008 our talks also drifted towards club football. Mr T was casually dressed in a jeans and T-shirt with 'FCP' printed on the shirt. Mr M interpreted it as 'FC Porto' a Portuguese football club and asked Mr T, "Did you play club football in Portugal?" Mr T was in a very jovial mood and winked at me as he replied back, "Yes. I did. Don't you know that i am a Portuguese." Mr M wondered for a moment and then realizing that Mr T was trying to pull his leg quipped back, "Then, you are the dirtiest Portuguese i have ever seen." And all three of us started laughing. (The Portuguese, i learnt later are generally very fair.)

Now, this was a dinner i would remember for quite some time...