Cóbuè to Ilha de Moçambique, Mozambique 26 - 28 Mar 08

Crumbling relic of past glory

27 March. Morning guided tour of the magnificent San Sebastian fort (Fortaleza de São Sebastião) whose construction began in 1558 and took over 50 years to complete. The oldest building, though, was the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte, built in 1522 by the Arabs as a mosque and later ‘converted’ to Catholicism by the Portuguese. This was followed by a guided tour of the beautifully preserved Palácio de São Paulo, dating from 1610, which used to be the Portuguese governor’s residence. In front of the palace stood a proud statue of Vasca da Gama, the first Portuguese sailor to arrive in Mozambique in 1498. Delicious lunch of stuffed crab and fresh fish at the Relíquias restaurant with an idyllic view of palm trees, dhows and the glistening sea. Afternoon dhow cruise along the north- western shore of Ilha de Moçambique with the young rather cocky owner of the dhow, who called himself Harry Potter, and his crew. On our way back to the hotel, we passed by the newest, but not the most attractive, hotel on Ilha de Moçambique, the Hotel Omihi'piti. This was where the Portuguese president, Cavaco Silva, lunched yesterday, hence the banner outside it about cooperation between the Portuguese and the Mozambicans. The banner had a typing error: the ‘e’ was missing from ‘governo’. From the looks of it, they had run out of space.

28 March. The same driver transported us back to pretty Lumbo airport, the oldest in Mozambique dating from 1947. It is decorated inside with Portuguese azulejos (blue and white tiles). We paid our landing fees of US$32 and a 5-dollar tip for the guard and then took off, flying low over Ilha de Moçambique before heading north for Ibo.