A Visit to Maputo, Mozambique

With its waterside setting, Mediterranean-style architecture, and wide avenues lined with flame trees and jacaranda, Maputo is one of the most attractive capitals. Also, it is Mozambique’s most developed place, with a wide variety of restaurants and hotels, a lively cultural scene, shady sidewalk cafes, and well-stocked supermarkets. Some acquaintances of mine who own Sherwood Park Carpet Cleaning took a recent vacation to check out the city and according to them, these are the top must-see attractions in the city.

Chissano Gallery
Works of Alberto Chissano, a renowned sculptor, and his remains are exhibited in his residence at the gallery. From central Maputo, taxis charge from $7.5 return, plus waiting time.

National Art Museum
The National Art Museum half a block of Avenida Karl Marx has a superb collection of sculptures and paintings by the finest contemporary artists in Mozambique, including Alberto Chissano and Malangatana.

Centro Cultural Franco-Mocambicano
A superb cultural hub with a café, a craft shop, theatre, films, dance and music performances, art exhibitions, and more.

Train Station
This landmark train station in Maputo is one of the most imposing buildings in the city. This dome was designed by Alexandre Gustav Eiffel associate. Other highlights include wrought-iron verandas, pillars, and latticework adorning the dark-green exterior. The Kulungwana Espaco Artistico is inside with an exhibition of works by visiting and local artists, as well as paintings and sculptures for sale.

Praca dos Herois Mocambicanos
This large plaza near the airport is famous for its 95 meters long mural in honor of the revolution. The white-marble structure in its center holds the remains of the post-independence and revolutionary heroes of Mozambique, including Samora Machel and Eduardo Mondlane, as well as that of Jose Craveirinha, a national poet. Photography is not allowed at this place and the public can only visit on Mozambican Heroes’ Day.

City Hall
The large, neoclassical City Hall sits atop the Baixa area from a hill at Avenida Samora Machel’s peak. Completed in 1947, the building is still in use today, so you can’t visit it unless you have a business in one of its offices.

Fort
This fort was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century by the Portuguese close to an earlier fort site. Inside are a small museum and a garden with remains from the early Portuguese forays era to this area. The carved and sealed wooden coffin of Ngungunhane – the final ruler of the Gaza kingdom – is exhibited in one of the rooms.

President’s Residence
The presidential complex of Mozambique is an impressive and beautiful structure just overlooking Maputo Bay. Also, photographs are prohibited here. You can’t also walk on the front complex sidewalk.

Why Travel Is the Ultimate Personal Development Tool

With the recent explosions of podcasts, conferences, and websites telling you how to improve different areas of your life, it is crystal clear that many of us want to become a better version of ourselves, right? It is very important to note that it is completely okay to feel this way. Actually, everyone should strive to become a better person in general. More often than not, people go through life without thinking about where they are heading. They just live, and that’s it! It seems like some people simply don’t have any goals that they want to achieve, and that is just sad if you ask us. We all go through some hard times, you know? However, if you really want to change your life for the better, you can’t just sit around and do nothing. The situation will not resolve itself if you don’t do something about it.

You need to put a lot of work and effort into your life in order to make a positive change to it. This is not us trying to make you angry or anything like that – this is us trying to motivate you to follow your dreams and make a positive impact on your life. It is pretty much safe to say that no one has the mental energy or time to make a hundred changes to their life, which is exactly why you should focus on just one or two changes at a time. But what does travel have to do with any of this? Did you know that travel is actually considered to be one of the best personal development tools in the world?

Expanding Your Knowledge
When you travel the world, you get to visit beautiful places, learn new cultures, and find out how other people live. Having knowledge of life in general is very important for you because it is actually the key to your personal growth. So, try to expand your knowledge as much as possible while you are on the road.

Organizing Your Life
Organization is one of the most important life skills that every person should posses. Keeping your schedule in order can be a pretty daunting task when you have a busy life. Travel gives you an opportunity to work on this important life skill. So, be sure to use this opportunity to do just that!

How To Pack Light For a Short Trip

Not every trip has to be an epic, unforgettable adventure. The reason why we said this is because there are many people out there who enjoy going on short, but relaxing journeys rather than long, adventure-filled, epic ones. Simply put, there are some people out there who usually travel for less than seven days at a time. And while it may be very tempting for you to reach for your usual travel suitcase to pack for a week-long trip, be sure to do whatever you can to resist that feeling. Packing for a short trip is not really the same as packing for a week-long trip. In other words, packing for a short trips is usually much easier, as well as much less frustrating than packing for a long trip. The reason for this is because short trips don’t involve a whole lot of exploration, which means that you don’t have to bring a whole lot of hiking equipment with you.

And because you don’t need to bring a lot of stuff with you, forgetting something is not as big of a deal as it is when going on a long trip. Another reason why short trips are so good is because you have a pretty accurate idea of whether or not you need to bring your umbrella or hiking shoes with you. This makes it much easier for you to put a limit on your travel backpack’s weight. With this in mind, whether you are a rookie explorer trying to get your bearings straight, or an experienced world-traveler looking for smarter ways to pack, here are some things that you need to know in order to pack well for a short trip!

Check Your Itinerary
A few days before you hit the road, double-check your itinerary. This will help you cut out unnecessary things, which means that your travel backpack will stay light. Also, don’t forget to check the weather in your destination. You don’t want to get caught in the middle of an unexpected shower, do you?

Use a Small Backpack
You should try to get some sort of a small carry-on travel backpack. Be sure to use something smaller than what you usually use when traveling. The reason why you should not use a large bag is because it might tempt you to fill up all that extra space with more staff than you actually need.

 

Things That You Should Never Forget
Whether you are going on a short trip or a long one, there are some things that you should always bring with you. This includes things like your mobile phone, passport, identification card, food, and water. Kep these things on you at all times and everything should be okay!