Morango

Strawberry.

Today I return to Maputo with a colleague, for a few more days before my current Mozambique visit will end. Lichinga Airport in Niassa always has the sweet aroma of strawberries being carted for sale to Maputo, as there aren’t many places in the country where they grow.

The journey entailed a transit stop at Nampula. I had time for a quick espresso at the airport bar, alongside a couple of Japanese women who I’d seen in Lichinga. We bonded over the dearth of strong coffee to be found in the far north of the country, although it is grown in the highlands around Lichinga.

There are some excellent Portuguese words related to aviation. I always listen out for these in the announcements.
Tripulação (crew)
Aterragem (landing)
Decolagem (take-off)

The air crew giving the announcements burst into laughter when trying to pronounce the name of the South African pilot, which was an English-sounding surname. She just gave up with the spiel, laughter fading into the tannoy.

Paulo the txopela driver has been released from jail following the fraudulent papers incident I heard about last week. I called him to get a lift and it was sad to see him looking hollowed out and clearly affected by inhumane treatment at the prison. It sounds like a terrible miscarriage of justice that has left him in debt thanks to the bail payment. He will have to defend his innocence when he’s called for trial at some point in the coming months.