My Trip to Mozambique Part 1

Shortly after school ended, I spent a chic week in the African tropical paradise that is Mozambique!!!

   I recently got a chance to visit the southern African country of Mozambique, a melting pot of many different cultures.
   It's a tropical paradise, consisting of 16 main ethnic groups.
   Fishing is a huge source of income, and about 80 percent of the population relies on subsidized farming (maize, cassava) to get by.
   Portuguese is the official language, as the country was colonized by Portugal. I had to pick up a few phrases such as Bom dia (Good morning) and Obrigado (Thank you!).
Mozambique gained its independence in 1975.
   I had a great time during my stay there back in June.
   Take a peek at my chic week that wasn't weak in Mozambique!

I went with several Peace Corps buddies. We first stopped in the capital, Maputo, for a night.

 Fabrics. This is my weakness! 

 This is the golden coast of Tofo Beach. What a dream come to life.  

This is a scene from where I stayed in Tofo Beach, a tourist enclave in Mozambique.

Crafts were everywhere! I bought only three of these necklaces. Only three!

These were my PCV friends I went with. Dominick (on my right), Amanda, Mary Beth and Will. Dominick spent his summer break with Will and Amanda.

This was the view from the hotel. I'm a beach girl so I really appreciated waking up to this type of heaven:)

The currency is called Meticals. The exchange rate was 3 Meticals to 1 South African Rand/Lesotho Loti. So 200 Rand ($20 USD) was equivalent to 600 Meticals.

Fishermen fetch their catches of the day in these dhow boats.

I liked the way the women there wrapped their babies around them with their bold fabrics.

I spent more money on fabric than food. No lie.

I spent many days like this!

   Overall, I had a really good time in Mozambique. I stayed at Nordin's Lodge, which was right on the beach and farely reasonably priced.
  Tomorrow, I'll talk about the food I ate in Moz. Stay tuned!

Source: Lonely Planet guide