Reflections from Mozambique

Am sitting at Lichinga Airport waiting for the plane to arrive. As this is Linhea Area Mozambique, LAM, noone has been able to say when I should check in but all agree on one thing: do not use the time written on the ticket. So I was number 2 to check in, almost 3 hours in advance. Just to be sure. That leaves time to do some "reflective thinking".

Mozambique to me is (at least) 2 countries: Maputo and "the rest". And the farther away from Maputo you get the more difference. Look at a map and you will see that Maputo is right at the southern end of the country. It is a place full of hustle and bustle, a "real city" with wide avenues and a bristling business life night and day. Cafés. restaurants, shops etc are everywhere and there is always something going on. People are friendly, it is not difficult to strike a conversation as a stranger in a cafe or bar. I shared beers with mine-removers, football-fans and a number of others last week. On leaving Maputo I found myself standing next to a man ordering double whiskey (very popular drink in Moz, even for lunch sometimes) with Red Bull. Note this is at 7 in the morning... He told me he had not slept for 48 hours and was now on his way to Nampula. His rather upset wife was phoning all the time, small wonder if he had been partying for 48 hours. I ask what he was going to do in Nampula - "I am a financial controller for a World Bank funded organisation"... aha. He then calls another guy who turns out to be Sales Manager for MCel, one of the larger mobile phone companies. He then suddenly remembers he is in Business Class and can drink for free in the business lounge, leaves his nearly untouched drink and disappears. Characters like him seem to be everywhere in Maputo.

I arrive in Lichinga after a most painful flight, this due to a collapsing stomach - probably brought on by a meal of shrimps the day before. My "pick-up" Andreas takes me to the guesthouse where I am to stay, I go straight to bed. Later I recover enough to join him and his wife for an evening meal (a veeeery careful meal) in what is basically the one reliable restaurant in Lichinga.

On waking up the next day it is good I do not have much of an appetite for breakfast. Because it turns out to be fresh bread, coffee and margarin. Finish. There is cornflakes but no milk, it was suggested to me to mix my own using milkpowder. No thanks. There is no cheese, polony, jam etc etc.

In the evening I go for a lonely dinner at 2+1, same resto as the evening before. There is at least one more resto operating but there you never know when you will get your food and if it will be cooked or half raw or burnt. Then to bed to read. At around 8.30 power goes for half of the town and it gets pitch dark. Early bed for sure. Next morning there is understandably no hot water but otherwise breakfast has picked up a bit. There is juice, peanutbutter, jam and even some fruit to go with the bread. Milk too, but no cornflakes this time. To cut the rest short, cheese never showed up but next day cornflakes did and coffee was available. That is OK by Lichinga standards.

It is sort of the opposite of Maputo. Professionalism and hospitality are very very hard to find. If you do not know someone when you enter a restaurant, café or bar you will likely eat and drink alone. Last evening I was picked up by a friend who works for a Swedish forestry company and we had a pleasant evening updating each other on events since last time we met, over a year ago. In the dark as their generator had a problem and there is no "city power" where they live. I guess working with forestry makes you a "long-term person" as he is busy planning exactly how he wants to build his house, not far from where he is staying now. He will have a magnificient view and plans to build a log-house with a sauna etc etc. Well why not if you plan to stay in the area for years on? Will very likely be a house like no other in Lichinga as he also knows how to build - and that kind of knowledge is rare if it even exists in Lichinga.

If you think I am negative you should hear those from Maputo who come here to do whatever short term work. They refuse blank to believe anyone wants to stay here and can not wait for the return to Maputo. I sort of understand them, the attitude towards almost everything is so different. There are many stories as to why this is so, one is that this was the Siberia of Mozambique during the communist days, people were sent here for "re-education". Another talks of the forgotten part of Mozambique and I can sort of agree: if the main road to the province capital is mainly a dirt road and not even tarred then you ask if central government is serious about "development everywhere".

Whatever it is, the place is slowly improving. Compared to when I first started coming here it is way better in terms of infrastructure etc. What would be most welcome would be some sort of "change of mind" in the people. I also strongely believe some sort of Technical College or University for such trades as builders, plumbers, electricians etc would be a great improvement.

Only the future will tell. For now I join the crowd who takes every opportunity to go to Maputo ;-)

Hur dum kan man bli egentligen?

För en gångs skull är det dags att skriva på svenska på bloggen. Helt enkelt för att jag inte orkar ens i hjärnan att översätta allt jag vill ha sagt.

Ämnet har inte med mig att göra, tro det eller ej. Detta trots att kvällen igår blev ett undantag från dom där många trista hotellrumskvällarna. Jag gick och åt en mycket sen lunch och landade senare på Mundos (Globen ungefär i översättning) där jag kom i samspråk med en minröjare. Efter att ha återvänt till hotellet så gick jag till baren här och hamnade i samspråk med 3 vackra damer som av okänd anledning hade köpt en flaska Chivas Regal. Nånstans där las grunden till hur jag mår idag. Åter på Mundos fastnade jag i fotbollsnack med 2 män som lovade att ta med mig till Matola, sådär 2 mil från Maputo, för att se kvällens Champions League final. Om nu inte om vore så vore jag där.

Istället vaknade jag mest för att somna om igen hela dagen. När jag sen släpar mig ner till Mundos för finalen inser jag nåt jag egentligen vet sen VM-finalen 2002: ägarna är rugbyfanatiker. Vilket innebar att då fick vi närmast övertala dom att visa VM-finalen istället för nån jämra super14-match. Ikväll var det samma saga, ett antal vilsna fotbollsfans tvångsmatades med brottning, förlåt rugby. Det är kanske värt att komma ihåg att rugby uppstod när en mindre begåvad fotbollspelare plockade upp bollen med händerna och sprang....

I vilket fall, efter en pizza tröttnade jag och gick till en mer lokal lokal. Som visade musikvideos istället (ursäkta, RAP inte musik). Så därför sitter jag nu på hotellrummet i all ensamhet och ser matchen.

Det blev väl inte direkt nån spännande match men ett grymt snyggt avslutande mål. Den "speciellt sure" hade bättre ordning på det mesta än tyskarna, så var det bara. Vaknade sen upp med magsjuka och hur roligt är det när man måste upp 5.30 för att ta sig ut till flygplatsen och sitta på inrikesflyg hela dagen. Det var en jobbig dag som avslutades med en jobbig natt. Puh, det är som sagt inte bara glatt och glamman att vara på resande fot.

On the road again

Am in Maputo, Mozambique. From here it will be Lichinga in the north of Moz. Then home to basically wash, iron and repack the clothes. Off to Lusaka in Zambia, then after returning off to Bulawayo in southern Zimbabwe. Phew.

I really like Maputo, it is a "proper" city compared to most in southern/eastern Africa. A very vibrant, living city centre full of small shops, restaurants, cafés and such, wide avenues full of traffic and people. Every time I come here I wish I could bring Mia along with me to experience it as it would feel great to show her the place.

One thing many may not realise is that in spite of the "break from humdrum" that travel in work may be it is quite often boring. This simply because after work one is often alone and you can only eat/drink etc so many times in an evening. Hanging around bars and clubs do not go well with work or health and as a lonely man often attracts the attention of "single ladies". So quite often you find that eating a lonely meal and following that retiring to the hotel room for TV, a book or the computer is how most of the evenings are spent.

Shoud be able to break that habit this week as I have some friends here (if I can get hold of them) and Friday there is a big festival at the French Cultural Centre - it makes our Alliance Francais in Harare look a shack would next to a luxury house. And Saturday there is the soccer final to be viewed somewhere, hopefully amongst old or new friends. And before that I will somehow get to Costa do Sol by the beach for a good meal. On my own or not!

Harare International Festival of Arts

Once a year the normally rather quiet Harare is transformed by HIFA to a really kicking place! As we living here in Zimbabwe are a bit starved on international entertainment during the rest of the year it is as "everyone" has to be there and enjoy.

Saw Hothouse Flowers on Friday night, enjoyable and with a fantastic firework display at the end of the show. Got thoroughly "too tipsy" with friends afterwards and literally saw double for a while. Spent yesterday recovering then took the family for the "open area" with facepainting, restos we never knew existed (sushi, sushi and again sushi), sat down with Zimbabwe's only standup comedian worth mentioning (Edgar Langeveldt) who seriously claims that everyone from Moses via Einstein to Obama were/are coloured (mixed race). Makes as much sense as "everything originates in Africa" but why not?

Tonight it is Salif Keita and let's forget tomorrow is Monday and back to work...

Positive posting

As many of my posts over the last months have focused on various health problems I just thought I would do a positive update.

I have managed to get to the gym 2 times this week. Admittedly, I am far from what I consider to be my normal standard but at least I CAN do it. Not since November last year I think I have been able enough.

And I can take reasonably long walks! Yohoo! OK I again am very very far from fit but it feels just GREAT to move freely without pains, limping etc.

Launch photos

Some photos from the launch at Tongogara:

http://picasaweb.google.com/O.Sinclair/TongogaraTelecenterLaunch2010#

Successful launch

First of all some complaining: following weekend after weekend tied to the sofa due to either sciatic, leg pains or lately surgery wound on the left foot I think I could have deserved a "mobile" weekend. That is when I go down with a flu and cough of a lifetime... So once more this a report from the sofa at 3 Ussher Close Harare.

Since 2006 I have on and off worked with a project in Tongogara, near Shurugwi in the middle of Zimbabwe. This involves creating a cooperative society out of the members of an earlier project and then assist them in setting up a functional business in the shape of a "Telecentre", a combination of copy-, phone-, computer- and internetshop. After years of struggling to "outlast" things such as hyperinflation, no electricity supplies etc. we could last year finally put the wheels in motion and deliver copier and computers. Following that training on computers (Linux OS Kubuntu and other FOSS software of course) was done and the centre opened and quickly became very popular in the area. Note we are talking about a place where before this the nearest place to make a photocopy or such is around 60 km and a day of travelling away.

Following the success I/we noted that mobile internet worked at the site and decided to go "all out" and install internet and have a "grand opening launch" with various politicians, local chiefs and the Swedish Ambassador invited. Since then me and colleague Arnold have been travelling down to Tongogara every week and this last week we were basically on site the whole week.

It was a lot of hard work but the launch on Thursday was really successful and we had both TV and newspapers plus around a 100 guests attending.

For me it felt GREAT to see something I strongly believe in and have worked with since 2006 come to a successful completion. I myself pay tribute to the people in Tongogara who never gave up as well as to my project-partner Arnold, myself and SCC ROSA.

Just wish I knew if we were on the news as Arnold, a colleague from Ministry of SME and Cooperatives and myself ended up in a put mildly dingy guesthouse in Kwekwe on our way to Gokwe and next Telecentre on the night following the launch. No choice of channels on the TV there... but nice to enjoy the euphoria of a successful ending of a project.

Pain and parenting

Like most parents I have moments when I doubt that I am a reasonably good father and more or less loved by my kids. In all honesty though, most of the time I know that it is not true and whatever issues I might have are very far away from creating a situation where my 2 boys do not like or love me.

Pain however is not a good companion to parenting, at least for me. I guess that people react individually to pain but I am well aware that I become a grumpy, irritable and not very likeable person when I am in pain or sick. Even worse if it is both sick and in pain.

So for more than a week my dear beloved Mia and the boys Bradley and Eric has had to live with a man who, when not being passed out by medics or exhaustion, is likely to ignite and shout for nothing, who hates lying on the sofa the whole day even though that is the best position/cure for the pain and generally gets out of line on a regular basis.

Good then that I do whatever I can when I am on the ups and not the downs. I like cooking. So I spent the better part of Saturday making a cake, pancakes for lunch, preparing a pizza for dinner (Mia did everything but the dough though and she is really good at that) and then collapsing on the sofa. Today we went to the local car race course Donnybrook to watch karting carrying a cooler box with hot dogs and cold drinks/beers. That it took around 3 hours before I had to go home is another story.

I guess all we can do is to do our best and be aware of that it is not always enough and then try to make up for the bad moments on the good days.

The sofa

Am stuck on the sofa since Friday following surgery on the left foot. To be more precise, surgery inside the sole of the foot. And I can think of few more inconvenient places to have stitches etc as it effectively renders me immobile.

It is tricky, most tiring and occasionally painful to move around. I am, of course, expected to keep it dry and reasonably clean, not so easy to achieve either in this case. So the sofa it is and now being on the fourth day I am sick and tired of it. It does not help that power disappears for hours at a time ever so often.

Internet from home, with a 3G-modem, is giving an at best "fast as dialup" experience but at least I can just keep it on and try and wait it out. Sometimes it just stops, sometimes it is quite good. Try to work as best I can but even that not too easy since the painkiller/anti-inflammatory medicines I take make me rather drowsy.

Can not wait for Friday when this is supposed to come off!

Courtroom Comedy

I just can not stop myself from commenting on this. The full story can be found at Zimbabwe Situation but in short the State has found an IT "expert witness" in the trial against Roy Bennett (MDC member with very strong support, hated by ZanuPF and supposed to be Dept. Minister of Agriculture, at the moment on trial for "treason").

This expert was called in to give statements on the authenticity of some emails that are supposed to be from said Bennett regarding the treason charges. Note that only printed versions seems to exist...

a long quote:

"HARARE - February 24, 2010 - AN information and technology expert-witness who was called in to buttress the State's assertion that emails printed from Peter Michael Hitschamann's laptop were authentic in the ongoing trial of MDC treasurer general Roy Bennett, stunned the court when he revealed that he was not aware of the term hackers.

Under cross-examination from defence lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, State's expert witness Perekai Denchort Mutsetse, who claimed he is a provincial engineer for Africom based in Mutare, stunned the court when he said he was hearing the term "computer hacker" in court for the first time in his life.

"There are no such people called hackers. I am actually hearing that term for the first time here in court. Where are they trained? I don't know anything about hackers. They don't exist," said Mutsetse.

"There is no software that can be used to trace the originality or otherwise of emails. The website that created that email will be shown at the top if
that email is printed out," he said.

Asked whether he was aware that there were people called computer forensic experts Mutsetse said there were no such people in Zimbabwe but might be found in South Africa.

Mutsetse, who claimed that he had several certificates on data communications from the City and Guilds, University of Zimbabwe and Africa University, was also asked about the EnCase software used by computer forensic experts to which he responded, "Where did that come from? There is no such software in Zimbabwe; if it's there you must have brought it in here. I am not in forensics."

After given the example of the hackers who have been hacking information from the US Pentagon for years, Mutsetse simply asked "What is the Pentagon?"

Mtetwa also told Mutsetse that he was not qualified to be identified as an expert who can be called in to give an expert testimony with regards to computers and internet functions.

Instead of responding to most of the questions from the defence lawyers, Mutsetse continuously asked Mtetwa which led to Justice Chinembiri Bhunu to
intervene and ordered the IT expert to respond.

"The witness' function is to give evidence and the lawyer has to ask questions and not the other way round," ruled Bhunu

He said they tried to verify the emails by sending messages to the given addresses but they bounced back to show that they were no longer in existence.

Mutsetse also declined to talk about his position at work arguing that the company's policies do not allowed them discuss it in public. He also denied that he only passed 2 O' Level subjects in 1994 according to a CV that he send to one of his previous employers.

end quote...

You have to ask yourself a number of questions such as: is the guy joking? Is he being deliberately stupid in order to actually help the defence and not the State? Or is it simply that this is the only person the State can find that is not willing to lie in court and so they had to scrape the bottom of the bin?

To be called an IT expert and state that email can not be falsified or traced, being unaware of the term "hacker" and not know what Pentagon is or the attacks on Pentagon (hacker attacks that is) is an insult to everyone in my profession.

But I had a good laugh though...

Birthday bash

During the weekend a certain president in a southern African country celebrated his 86th birthday. That is of course great for him and his family.

However, for the majority of the citizens of the country in question it is nothing but prolonging the pain. The biggest obstacle to recovery of a once well working economy is spelled in the name of one old man.

There are theories that he is in many ways a great leader but, like Mwalimu Nyerere, does not understand finance and economy at all. In a way I hope that this is true. How can you otherwise defend the too-oft-repeated warcry of "sovereignty, indigenisation" etc etc. Can you eat sovereignty? Is it better that a company is owned or run by a local idiot instead of a foreign professional? What puts more money in the State's coffers?

WHY are local parastatals and companies not doing as well as foreign-controlled or owned? THERE lies to question to be answered and the solutions to be found. NOT in "we must own our own resources no matter how much we do not utilise them or frankly waste them".

Soulsearching is something very much lacking +20 years after independence in many former African colonies.

Tongogara comes online

If you know a bit about Zimbabwe's history the name of Tongogara is known as one of the original freedom fighters. It is also the name of a local council nowadays, the Tongogara growth point.

Since 2006 I have been involved in setting up a so-called Telecenter there. It has involved quite a bit of hard work and patience, more for the people involved in Tongogara than for me, as it involved creating a business cooperative, raising funds, finding a place to house it etc etc.

Last year some equipment, including computers, were donated and training was done in October for the operations manager and some others.

Sadly however, we have not managed to find a way to bring telecommunications and thereby internet to the place. TelOne, the landline provider, says the switches in the area are full. The cellphone providers have coverage but very "spotwise" and not for internet anyhow.

But, as I think I have mentioned, Econet has promised coverage and they are also introducing 3G internet. Yesterday we went for a follow-up visit and I brought my 3G-modem just in case.

Boy was I surprised to find that not only could I connect but it was faster than what I get at home... we are now looking at how they or we can fund some modems and next step will be to make it a "true" Telecenter with internet and phones!

Heat, pains, phone and politics

I am spending the week in Maputo setting up an accounting (well ERP actually) system for use here. And it is steaming HOT here! That kind of heat where your shirt is soaked after an hour or so and you have to take a shower after work when it starts to cool down. And the office has no aircon and no fans...

Otherwise the sciatic nerve pain is sloooowly subsiding and I can now at least take reasonably long walks. Not having been able to exercise since November has not had a good influence on my waistline sadly. Am so looking forward to being able to hit the gym again! Weekend before last was in so much pain I could not sit, lie, stand up or pretty much do anything so it has really improved since.

Politics and pomms. Where do they dig up their foreign affairs secretaries in the UK? Straw was hopeless and now David Milliband hands Zanu PF a brilliant reason to refuse to fulfill the agreement they signed over a year ago. This by telling the UK Parliament that "when it comes to sanctions we must be guided by the MDC"... bingo. Exactly what Zanu wanted to hear as they have for months argued that MDC can ask their "western masters" to lift the sanctions, something that is of course nothing but stalling tactics. Well, now they have it "confirmed" by mr. Milliband. How come these oh-so well educated pommies get outwitted by a gang of ageing guerilla-fighters over and over again? When it comes to Zimbabwe they should by know that the less they say the better.

With the help of kind Swedish friends I bought a new cellphone a while ago. I have never really like the idea of "gadget phones" that can do x number of things apart from being phones but I wanted this phone as it can act as a radio transmitter and walkman, thereby assisting me to endure long drives I regularly go for. Well, I have become quite fond of the walkman functions (it is a SonyEricsson W980) and the fantastic headphones that came with it but it turns out that the radio-thing only works in countries where legislation so admits. And that means not in Zim, not in Zambia, not in Malawi and not in Moz. It works in SA - where you have plenty of good radio stations. Will have to see if there is a way to crack this block but apart from that really love the new gadget.

Finally a comment on the president of SA, Jacob Zuma, who is once again caught redhanded when it comes to his sexlife habits. This is the guy who was spearheading HIV/Aids prevention while at the same time admitting to having unprotected sex with a woman he knew to be HIV positive but "it did not matter as he showered afterwards"... for a long time all the cartoonists pictured him with a showerhead. Now it has been revealed that he has recently fathered a child outside marriage. That is, outside the 3 wives he is currently married to. And that the child was conceived while he was busy preparing for his latest marriage... To finally top it off this is again a daughter of one of his supposedly close friends (the HIV lady was a friend's daughter). Well what can you say? I would not let him near my nieces or sisters-in-law for sure and I consider it a huge embarrassement for Southafrica that their president can not control his urges and obviously let's his smaller head do the thinking for him. As for his wives, well it is their headache but I don't get how not even one of them are preparing divorce papers.

Boys starting school

School started this week and for Eric it was his first day in Primary school. A VERY excited boy was ready to go nearly 2 hours before it was time to leave home.

I realise that it will not last with this enormous enthusiasm.. but for now it feels good!

Here a photo of him in his uniform outside Lusitania school where they both learn:

Is Bilbo a blogger?

Just testing the newly installed Bilbo blogging tool, see Blogilo. Otherwise back at work and in full swing.

Eric started primary yesterday, full of expectations and was basically ready to leave home more than an hour earlier than needed. Will post some photos later of our uniformed boys.

For my part I by pure coincidence found a chiropractor and is now under treatment for the sciatic nerve problem. If it is helping I am still not 100 but at least he took time to explain the problem, showed me on the X-rays and generally seems to know what he is doing. And is organised, most welcome after earlier doctor experiences.

Still have some follow-up visits lined up this week but then I hope not to see any doctor until it is time for bp-check some time in June or so.

Zimbabwe still slowly but surely improving. Let's hope that will be the story all throughout 2010!

Doctors, pains and 3G

Following visit to a rather useless "back doctor" who told me nothing I could not figure out myself I find I am still on and off in pain. Apparently a "pinched sciatic nerve" is (quote doctor) "tricky". As I said, nothing I could not figure out myself.

It has become much better with a mixture of rest and a healthy dosis of exercise but some things makes it raise its rather ugly head. One of them being driving long distances, I did some 730 km yesterday and that was not good at all.

Once we are in 2010 I will find a chiropractor but for now I live with it. More seriously, as I see it, I was diagnosed with high bloodpressure and am now trying to come to terms with that and bring it down. On that issue at least I think I have found a decent doctor and I have good support from the National Blood Transfusion Service as I am a donor. Have also found that a surprisingly large number of friends and colleagues have the same problem.

One good result of that and other medical issues is that I have been thoroughly tested, scanned, looked over and pinched at. Apparently I am, except for high BP, in perfect health.

As our landbased telephone line died a while ago (TelOne are "upgrading" they say) all internet access from home disappeared. Given that Econet wireless now have huge billboards advertising the arrival of 3G internet, "browse from your laptop wherever you are", we got a modem and an activated line.

To start positive: it works. Just about. Most of the time. But if this is "3G" then I hope our landline comes back online soon. I can, just about, receive and send emails. From 2 rooms in one corner of the house. I would call that 0.5G or something. Slower than dial-up by far.

Econet are doing their usual thing: First we advertise, launch and oversubscribe. THEN we get the necessary equipment to deal with the traffic it has created.

And, also as usual, Harare is worst hit. Others living in smaller cities are quite satisfied.

As always: patience is a virtue...

Back from Namibia

Just returned from a week in Windhoek, Namibia. Well, it was more like a week in Safari Hotel and Conference Centre, Windhoek. Got out of there Friday afternoon after a very hectic and ambitious program during the INK4DEV week.

Small is one impression of the City Centre (and that was all I managed) and squeaky clean. Quite a nice place but nothing for the "big city lovers" I think.

Limped around with bad pains in right leg the whole week. Turns out that I have an inflamed sciatic nerve so now on medications since yesterday. Let's hope that is all there is to it and not related to some more serious back problem.

It is raining in Harare (most of Zimbabwe actually) and we are NOT complaining. Nice that things cool down a bit and well needed for gardens and farmers.

Home

Boy does it feel good to be home in Harare... in serious need of "recharging batteries" for next trip. That will be to Windhoek, Namibia, a place I have never visited.

So trying to relax but have tons of things to do.. so not so easy. For me the big news is a new release of Kubuntu, version 9.10, that looks good enough for me to upgrade my own (and other) computer from the 8.04 version I use now. Check it out at Kubuntu

And of course the new Windows 7 is also something I look forward to trying out. From what I hear it is way better than Vista (not difficult...) and might be the version that will make many users to finally abandon XP. And of course then Microsoft does NOT make it possible to upgrade from XP to W7 direct... well not my headache.

Otherwise it is HOT and we are waiting for the rains to start.

Third time lucky

It took 3 attempts... to enter into Mozambique, Niassa province via the Chiponde (Malawi) - Mandimba (Mozambique) borderpost.

Having driven to Lilongwe I managed to get visa with no other problems than the ATMs going on strike in the morning (it had rained...) and the Consulate not opening at 8 am as scheduled. "The man with the keys" had not arrived and staff + visitors patiently waited. After an hour the lady in charge of visas kindly accepted envelopes with applications, passports, money and so on outside the door.

Next day spent a little time in the Malawi SCC office before heading off towards Lake Malawi and the border to Mozambique. Arrived there around 1 pm. No problem on the Malawi side.

Come to the Moz side and enter a very empty border post. Same guy that had so much fun refusing me 2 days ago. "Welcome, you are back. But today is voting day". Yes, and so what? "No crossing the border on voting day".

I have to admit that it was difficult to maintain calm and not start shouting. I stated (truthfully) that I had checked with the consulate in Lilongwe, that my organisation in Lichinga had checked with Immigration and even this borderpost that the border should be business as usual during election day. "No, not for foreigners, only Mozambiquans".

I asked if he seriously thought that the international airport in Maputo was closed to foreigners on this day, he admitted that it was not very likely. But Mandimba was.

What to do? In the age of cellphones: call the office in Lichinga. A flurry of phonecalls to them, to Immigration, to the head of the borderpost and so on. No, the border was closed to foreigners. A couple hours later we had negotiated a compromise. I would get a TIP for the car (import permit) and could sleep in Mandimba next to the border, come at 6 am and get the entry stamp and then continue. The office was making arrangements for accommodation (dodgy guesthouse style).

So I go to the car and ask the soldier manning the boom to open it. "Where is passport stamp?" I tried to explain. No - no stamp no lifting of boom. The Immigration man tried to explain. To no avail. More phone calls - no the army guys are under the Customs authority and there was noone from Customs around. Now what?

It is quite a walk to the "town" and with a suitcase? Or leave suitcase in car at the border? Colleagues now trying to arrange transport from Mandimba to come pick me up.

I had tried to plead with the newly arrived station manager who was now so "irritated" with me that he considered withdrawing his "kind offer".

I asked if I could try the Malawi side again to see if maybe they would allow me back so I could drive the 50 km back to Mangochi and sleep there? Without being refused the "kind offer" if they refused? "Yes, no problem".

Back at Chiponde I hit luck - manning Immigration was an "old friend" I normally chat with when I cross. He shook his head, crossed out the exit stamp. I got my old TIP back and headed for Mangochi. I was angry enough to drive in that manner you hardly remember how you got from A to B.

Now my favorite hotel/lodge was, of course, full. So was the next. At which time I pictured myself driving around looking for lodging the whole evening. Third time lucky, found lodging at Club Makokola. Nice but overpriced.

Slept like a dead person. Up early and back to border... Border very busy and the little round man I have learnt to really despise had no excuse this time, all he could do was to be as slooooow as possible.

Finally arrived Lichinga 4 days later than scheduled...

Mozambique borders revisited

Crossing borders in Africa can be an adventure - and really tiresome. Started Sunday morning from Harare heading for Mangochi, Lake Malawi. Had not bothered with applying for visa at Mozambique embassy due to various reasons.

Mistake. BIG mistake. For starters I think Mozambique Immigration are on a go-slow as it took the guy at Nyamapanda over 1 hour to process my visa. That included starting by counting the various currencies for over 10 minutes. Then looking for the right form, finding the correct receipt book etc etc.

The Malawi border was not much more fun and I arrived late to Lake Malawi, rather tired after 770 km on the road alone.

The following day when I come to Mandimba, Mozambique border to Niassa province, at around 9.30 am or so I am told they can not issue me with a visa at the border... why now, I try to find out. After much deliberating in poor English (my Portuguese is extremely basic), calling in Amisse (one driver from SCC who happened to be nearby), discussing with Andreas (Finance Manger in Lichinga) and on and on it is finally explained that if you have 2 single-entry visas issued at borders you must have the next from an Embassy. A rule noone had heard of. The station Manager is the only guy who can overrule this, albeit at an extra cost. And he is in Malawi... hurrah. So I turn back to start driving to Lilongwe instead in order to get said visa.

Now when I get to the Malawi borderpost I have recently left they refuse to let me back in "as I had not really been anywhere"... they seriously suggested I spend 24 hours in no-mans land! Refused to believe noone on Moz side would issue a visa and so on. After much begging and wringing of hands it took a beer and promise of drinks on the return leg to get back in. By then mentally rather hammered.

Arrived dog tired in Lilongwe last night, slept like a log. This morning start visa process. The ATMs went on strike after a short rain... and the Mozambique Consulate that is supposed to open at 8 am was not open by 9 am. The "man with the keys" had not arrived and staff plus other applicants patiently waited outside the door. Finally the lady in charge of visa applications accepted our forms, photos, passports and money outside the door.

I now finally have a visa (multiple entry...) and ATMs are working so I could pay back the cash I borrowed to pay for it.

Question is: dare I try tomorrow or is Karma and whatever destiny, fate and Gods not on my side this time?