Sent from my iPhone
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Update 21
On one of our outings to Maputo (the capital), we drove a good 4 lane road with a sidewalk that skirted the Indian Ocean. We passed by fishing boats, flamingoes, several kite surfers, a beach volleyball game & people enjoying the huge beach. Vendor stalls & a few nice food trailers lined much of the road. Chicken was cooking over charcoal fires and tables & chairs were set up under trees. The buildings overlooking the ocean were much bigger & nicer than any we'd seen. Several were embassies based on the flag flying in front. The largest & most elegant was a Chinese hotel. As I've mentioned, the Chinese do most the construction here.
After we left the tall buildings behind, we cam to flat fields many with large & small sections walled off but nothing inside. We were told that if you buy land in Mozambique, the first thing you must do is wall it or the gov't will claim it back. The owner than may take years to build on it. Many building we saw were only partially built. Loans here are very expensive and hard to get.
Vehicles are an equal mix of newer & jalopies. No window, no door, no trunk panel...no problem. In less than an hour, I saw three cars being pushed. Buses are an equal mix of bigger & cleaner or crappy & crowded. Vans is the most common way to get around & they can squished over 20 in them. Over 20 also can ride in the back of a truck and at least there they have air flow...and if the tailgate doesn't open...they seem better off!.
The rule of the road seems to be: get there however you can. Sidewalks, wrong side of road, between parked or stopped cars...wherever. I haven't spotted a parking meter or a line down the center yet.
In spite of this, our drivers always seem calm & seldom use their horn! I have learned to avoid looking out the front window and enjoy looking out the side window.
Sent from my iPhone
After we left the tall buildings behind, we cam to flat fields many with large & small sections walled off but nothing inside. We were told that if you buy land in Mozambique, the first thing you must do is wall it or the gov't will claim it back. The owner than may take years to build on it. Many building we saw were only partially built. Loans here are very expensive and hard to get.
Vehicles are an equal mix of newer & jalopies. No window, no door, no trunk panel...no problem. In less than an hour, I saw three cars being pushed. Buses are an equal mix of bigger & cleaner or crappy & crowded. Vans is the most common way to get around & they can squished over 20 in them. Over 20 also can ride in the back of a truck and at least there they have air flow...and if the tailgate doesn't open...they seem better off!.
The rule of the road seems to be: get there however you can. Sidewalks, wrong side of road, between parked or stopped cars...wherever. I haven't spotted a parking meter or a line down the center yet.
In spite of this, our drivers always seem calm & seldom use their horn! I have learned to avoid looking out the front window and enjoy looking out the side window.
Sent from my iPhone
Update 19
This morning we took off to Maraquene...about 30 minutes away...where the Iris Ministry has helped set up a small community for the Iris kids who've grown up & need to learn to live independently. Rev Pedro met us there & showed us the simple homes they built & tried to explain how difficult it is to find a job. You actually have to pay to get most jobs. (Don Larson had told us this too.). Faced with the challenges of supporting yourself, Iris kids...really most kids here...end up on the street selling odds & ends...possibly stealing...living a poor life. Here stealing is not considered as bad as we think of it because it's part of the "you do what you gotta do to eat" mindset.
Pedro took us to a small cement block factory he has built where he has 4 or 5 guys working now but is praying for more funding so he could double his production & profits. He needs $375. Now he produces 1000 blocks at 2 Met profit per block = 2000 Met ($33) a week. Pedro also has a dream of starting a job-training school for mechanics, plumbers, electricians, computers skills, etc.
Several people have told us that besides gov't corruption...lack of jobs is the biggest problem in Mozambique. We often wonder why we end up being taken to so many different places. This time we knew. We see helping train & support jobs as a solid long term investment and a good place to donate some of the $$ that DUMC & friends have sent with us. It's humbling to be the hands that actually hand over the gift!
Sent from my iPhone
Pedro took us to a small cement block factory he has built where he has 4 or 5 guys working now but is praying for more funding so he could double his production & profits. He needs $375. Now he produces 1000 blocks at 2 Met profit per block = 2000 Met ($33) a week. Pedro also has a dream of starting a job-training school for mechanics, plumbers, electricians, computers skills, etc.
Several people have told us that besides gov't corruption...lack of jobs is the biggest problem in Mozambique. We often wonder why we end up being taken to so many different places. This time we knew. We see helping train & support jobs as a solid long term investment and a good place to donate some of the $$ that DUMC & friends have sent with us. It's humbling to be the hands that actually hand over the gift!
Sent from my iPhone
Update 20 cont...
Oops...sent that too soon.
As I was saying, there is another saying around here that if a Mozambican throws something away, it is truly useless. They know how to make something from scraps...and sell it!! Metal is welded to together to make grills, bed, chairs, etc. Plastic containers are in demand to store water. Pop cans are used to make wheels for toys. Broken cement blocks & old tires hold down tarps covering vendor stalls. Old car parts are dislocated also on top of auto part stores. Cloth strips are used to tie together larger branches to form the vendor's stalls and cloth pieces are also used to sit on while waiting for the transport vans to arrive. The uses of scraps is endless. Don't need recycle bins here!
Sent from my iPhone
As I was saying, there is another saying around here that if a Mozambican throws something away, it is truly useless. They know how to make something from scraps...and sell it!! Metal is welded to together to make grills, bed, chairs, etc. Plastic containers are in demand to store water. Pop cans are used to make wheels for toys. Broken cement blocks & old tires hold down tarps covering vendor stalls. Old car parts are dislocated also on top of auto part stores. Cloth strips are used to tie together larger branches to form the vendor's stalls and cloth pieces are also used to sit on while waiting for the transport vans to arrive. The uses of scraps is endless. Don't need recycle bins here!
Sent from my iPhone
Update 20
There's a saying here that Mozambique roads never end. We now know why they say that. Their definition of a road is very different than USA. We were on our way to visit Rev. Pedro & due to arrive at 9. We left about 9 & it should have been a 20 minute drive. After our driver, John turned off the main road, he kept running into impassable mud holes in the road...picture red clay with several inches of water all the way across both lanes. Repeat, repeat, repeat! The 20 minutes was now almost an hour which pleased John who spoke English and was happily yakking & avoiding yet another bad spot in the road. Besides mud holes, sand pits & rutted hills was like a challenge to him. When it looked like we could go no further...he'd just turn down what looked like a walking path & say "no worries, Mozambique roads never end...and the path eventually turned into a one lane road. Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive! This is definitely a off roading experience. We did arrived around 10:30 but no problem, no explanation needed. Pedro was waiting patiently.
Another saying here is if a Mozambican throws something away, it is truly useless.
Sent from my iPhone
Another saying here is if a Mozambican throws something away, it is truly useless.
Sent from my iPhone
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)