We are up early this morning, pile in the mini and head to the border to
Maputo, Mozambique. Maputo is the very fast paced capital city and Africa's 2nd largest port, but we are mostly interested in the resort area where the beaches in the Indian Ocean are divine! Lots of people in the azure surf but not really like you see in the Caribbean.
We stop to visit a local market, but first we must pay a couple of locals to watch the van. Otherwise,
many people crowd around wanting to sell you stuff. You must be firm but kind or you will have no peace to explore. The market is filled with everything imaginable, and lots of people, who are just trying to make a living. We buy fruits and nuts (the cashews are amazing and CHEAP!) and look at some local crafts.
Back to the van and off to the fish market. Here we will purchase our lunch (right off the boat) and carry it to a local restaurant for preparation. Louise does all of the negotiation (everything is negotiable) and, they would probably think you were crazy NOT to.
Louise also knows the very best place to go for the best beer and the best cook for our beautiful,
fat fish. I have no idea what kind it was. We are starving and would eat anything right about now.
The restaurant is not like any I had really seen anywhere else. The kitchen was a very small, two
room shack where you could NOT sit inside. Tables and plastic chairs with umbrellas were sitting
out in the sand but there were quite a few folks there. Who cares....bring me food & BEER!
While we wait for our delicacy a crowd of locals surround the table. Probably 10-12, all selling
their wares, mostly young men and girls. They have figured out quite quickly WHO the easy
sell person was among us, (Wayne) and he began dishing out $$$ quicker than an ATM.
The woman in particular were drawn to him, He bought lots MORE cashews and some
wooden bracelets. . He really is a very sensitive guy and he really just wanted them all to make some money that day. As the cashews piled up, he had to end the shopping spree. Most had moved on but there was one young girl left and she had a baby tied with a large scarf to her back. She was selling cashews and he just did not want anymore. So, being the tender "TOUCH" that he is, he handed her some money and told her that it was for her baby. She turned the money away and pushed the cashews back at him. He shook his head no and pointed to the baby. Telling her he did not want the cashews but to just take the money for her baby! Not speaking any English at all, she began to cry.
What in God's name is going on???? Then a LIGHTBULB Moment....She thought he wanted to buy HER BABY! We laughed till we peed our pants! !!! With Louise's help and her knowledge of the African language, we finally convinced her that he DID NOT want to purchase her baby! She took the money (which amounted to about a months salary for her) and off she went. Happy, I am sure! He would never live this one down and we could not wait to tell Gary, that he was going to have a new Grandbaby!