(copied from an older blog, to consolidate my Blogger accounts)
20 SEPT. 2009
Finalement, un peu plus de temps a l'Internet, moins cher et plus rapide. Mais il ne m'en reste pas tant que ca, alors je vais ecrire une entree rapide. Et esperer avoir du temps plus tard aussi.
We left South Africa yesterday, by bus. The Greyhound bus isn't the most comfortable, though it's better than many buses I've been on before. We had to cross the border on foot, which I've never done! Quite an experience. First, a line-up to get out of the country. No problem. Then, we walk up the road, lined with barbed wire, beside the cars, up to an imaginary line where two guards stop us and ask to see our passports. We show them, and keep walking. Good thing it wasn't too hot. Then, we get to another building, with another line up (by the way, there's no one to tell you where to go, you have to guess and hope the people in front of you, who were in your bus, know what they're doing.) Here, we have to pay the 3US$ fee to enter the country (!) and then we get our passport checked and stamped. The customs officer didn't seem to care wether I looked like my picture or wether my visa was good. He looked pretty bored.
And we made it! The bus didn't leave without us, all our luggage was there and intact when we got to Maputo (the capital).
Le Mozambique est tres different de l'Afrique du Sud. Plus pauvre, moins industrialise, on dirait. Alors qu'en Afrique du Sud (ce que j'en ai vu), les routes etaient belles, les villes propres et modernes, la ville de Maputo ressemble beaucoup plus a ce a quoi je suis habituee quand je voyage. Des trottoirs pleins de trous, en ruine, des maisons coloniales delabrees, des dechets sur la rue. Par contre, contrairement a l'Asie, c'est moins agressif. En descendant du bus, il y avait plein de chauffeurs de taxi qui nous offraient nos services, mais des qu'on disait non, ils nous laissaient tranquilles. Ca fait du bien! Par contre, hier soir, Rheal a montre un peu trop d'interet par rapport a une peinture, et quand il est parti sans acheter, le vendeur l'a suivi autour du coin!
It's very useful to have Sarah with us as an interpreter, since few people speak English here. But I think that with my Spanish, I'll be able to get around. I understand most of what's said when I know the context, so I hope people will be able to understand my garbled mix of Portuguese and Spanish!
I hope to have time to write more soon, this Internet Cafe is relatively close to our hotel, but it'll depend on what we decide to do while we're here.
Keep those comments coming, I like to read you.
N'hesitez pas a m'ecrire!
We left South Africa yesterday, by bus. The Greyhound bus isn't the most comfortable, though it's better than many buses I've been on before. We had to cross the border on foot, which I've never done! Quite an experience. First, a line-up to get out of the country. No problem. Then, we walk up the road, lined with barbed wire, beside the cars, up to an imaginary line where two guards stop us and ask to see our passports. We show them, and keep walking. Good thing it wasn't too hot. Then, we get to another building, with another line up (by the way, there's no one to tell you where to go, you have to guess and hope the people in front of you, who were in your bus, know what they're doing.) Here, we have to pay the 3US$ fee to enter the country (!) and then we get our passport checked and stamped. The customs officer didn't seem to care wether I looked like my picture or wether my visa was good. He looked pretty bored.
And we made it! The bus didn't leave without us, all our luggage was there and intact when we got to Maputo (the capital).
Le Mozambique est tres different de l'Afrique du Sud. Plus pauvre, moins industrialise, on dirait. Alors qu'en Afrique du Sud (ce que j'en ai vu), les routes etaient belles, les villes propres et modernes, la ville de Maputo ressemble beaucoup plus a ce a quoi je suis habituee quand je voyage. Des trottoirs pleins de trous, en ruine, des maisons coloniales delabrees, des dechets sur la rue. Par contre, contrairement a l'Asie, c'est moins agressif. En descendant du bus, il y avait plein de chauffeurs de taxi qui nous offraient nos services, mais des qu'on disait non, ils nous laissaient tranquilles. Ca fait du bien! Par contre, hier soir, Rheal a montre un peu trop d'interet par rapport a une peinture, et quand il est parti sans acheter, le vendeur l'a suivi autour du coin!
It's very useful to have Sarah with us as an interpreter, since few people speak English here. But I think that with my Spanish, I'll be able to get around. I understand most of what's said when I know the context, so I hope people will be able to understand my garbled mix of Portuguese and Spanish!
I hope to have time to write more soon, this Internet Cafe is relatively close to our hotel, but it'll depend on what we decide to do while we're here.
Keep those comments coming, I like to read you.
N'hesitez pas a m'ecrire!
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