Road to Mozambique

By Andrew -

The leg to Mauritius proved to be eventful.  First we had the ceremonial (and rescheduled) Neptune Day events covered in this blog.  Because Jacob did not shave his head at the equator, he was in need of a haircut which he scheduled at the ship's salon. His stylist was from Mauritius and was looking forward to visit home at the next port. 


Live Music


We were also treated to a concert: our own Tristan Alexander, musician & dungeon master, arranged a concert in the Lido Terrace to play original songs, many of which he wrote while on the ship.  He explained that he planned to record and release his first EP as soon as he got home, so he had been working on writing and recording along the voyage.  He was excited to have a venue to play live some of the songs he had been writing: 



Brimhalls in the front row!




The room was packed so he borrowed Jacob's fan to cool off before getting started.


Just before Tristan started his set there was an irregular announcement over the ship's intercom: "All faculty, come to the [auditorium] immediately."  Luckily, Kim and Ender and considered staff so we were able to stay. Tristan started his concert but was only able to get into his second song when their was another urgent announcement over the ship's intercom: "All voyagers are to report to the Union Auditorium immediately."  Such an announcement had never happened on our voyage before, but it definitely raised some hackles. We quickly emptied the terrace where we met the rest of the ship's passengers moving into the auditorium, similarly bewildered about what could be happening. 


Cyclone!

We very quickly learned that we would not be going to Mauritius because a cyclone was forming, not just in our path, but over the island nation itself. They wasted no time in bringing up the image of the cyclone that was expected to hit in just a couple of days: 





The response from the students was a mix of groans and questions. Many people had planned to meet family in Mauritius,  some had booked non-refundable hotels and travel. It definitely threw a wrench in plans. We were disappointed because Ender had specifically wanted to visit an island in Thailand but we decided not to because we thought Mauritius would be the island experience we hoped for.  But...there was also understanding.  A cyclone!!  We definitely did not want to mess with that. 
 
Semester at sea had already been quickly making alternative plans, which was pretty impressive given the short amount of time they had known about the storm. First, they found a new port and told us we would be spending 2 days in Mozambique!  Only 2 days, but better than just skipping straight to South Africa.  Second, they arranged for us to arrive early in South Africa which would give us a total of 8 days in South Africa.  This was met with an uproarious cheer. What we didn't know then, but would later find out, is that Cape Town is one of the best places to visit on our itinerary. 


So, the ship turned, and a few days later, instead of disembarking in Mauritius, we were able to meet the nation of Mozambique.  In preparation for Mozambique we were warned that out of all the places we were to visit, this would be the one country where it was unlikely that our taxi drivers, service providers, or even tour guides, would speak any English. However, we were delighted to learn that the official language in Mozambique was Portuguese, which Ender happens to be fluent in. 


P.S. Tristan was able to finish his concert after the announcement. 

Mozambique



We loved Mozambique.  Having 0 expectations, and only a couple of days to look around, it was surprising and welcoming.  And the weather was a little nicer than it had been throughout the voyage so far, so even walking around was a bit more pleasant. 

Ender dove in and became this weirdly outgoing and gregarious person who suddenly wanted to chat up every taxi driver, waiter, and stranger he met. You should have seen it. He was even asking where to find things in the grocery store.  He said the accent sounded Brazilian to him, however everyone he spoke to asked him if he was Brazilian, so they could definitely tell the difference between what they were speaking and how he sounded. 




There were quite a few similarities to Brazil, including Ender's favorite: Suco de Maracujá. 


They also had a very cool artisan park with souvenirs, largely made of carved wood. 












It seems the main attraction in Mozambique is the scuba diving which we were not prepared to do, so instead we visited a couple of Cathedrals.  




Pissing prohibited, fine of 500 metical (about $8)
Mansplainer in chief, probably.



We were excited to find more sugar cane juice




The most exciting part was when Ender found the local grocery store carried Guarana, a Brazilian soda that CAN be found in the US, but it's usually around $4 a can. Finding them at regular price was too hard to resist. 




After 2 short days we were back on the ship, headed for South Africa.  





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