My second long-haul flight in August was supposed to be a flight to Recife. But a last minute change set a new heading towards Africa. I already knew Recife very well and Maputo would be a new destination for me so I was rather happy with this swap.
The second good news was that the outbound flight would be operated by the A340 with reg. nr. CS-TOB so all 4 aircraft of this type would now be part of my "logbook" either as a passenger or as an operating crew member.
The flight was almost empty due to the announced pilot's strike that made many passengers to avoid flying that day.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6N7hvQMhA5vKJHeSOiV5o08x4avcDXiQqn6aJSbGpUPE9493w4GDfY_gHsOo2p0m0jSk-o2G4xIVQchgLwdskXIKCQ55QSxJaC_ZhduD2HgCoAZgoJ1A7pKdieDNzigPMC98ZMQe1eQvY/s1600/mpm1.jpg) |
A340 CS-TOB "D. João de Castro" @ MPM |
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Girassol Indy Congress Hotel & Spa
This was our nice hotel with its cosy villas.
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Mercado Municipal
Mercado Municipal is the main market in Maputo where you can find a little bit of everything!
That includes fresh fish and colorful spices!
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Mercado do Peixe
On the last day some of the crew members went to the fish market where we bought giant tiger prawns for lunch.
And they were so tasty!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcUCgjy8FySTMzAQj6S2tA38zrdv7ohbtPy1WSkkH2fqWM9f-TJ6_iwPOMNZlNmTPxHd4EkGapzlpBug8PZH49V-I2B8V936zH2FCLN-x_E0k0Ihei63DFp9nc0l8IxnP9dmDR8ZgE6Ih/s1600/mpm8.jpg) |
Tiger prawns |
And after the delicious lunch it was time to return to the hotel for a rest before the red-eye flight back to Lisboa.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRSpeo8oc-NPXu7f7lx458JYOI1Of-MQ88kug3lE4aU8c6zesc4hY-6h3zuJQud-hlZZfDVwD2wJ4jMS4gw92Tb68qHh2aHZx_ke9-sHwj0kVLs8N_AmfBC3nTLT2Ck3oDNJ2RkQQxzoP/s1600/mpm9.jpg) |
Avenida da Marginal |
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TP282
The assigned aircraft was CS-TOK "Padre António Vieira" - an ex-Austrian.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmG-B8o9dz2A2qNgWB-6fc_3TRk5eBGRqst3vD6V32SxJfvVu6cO1usCJ9yr_2atcFa9F4EyfKRSw67BCK2GLV3-uqYI4Iz7fqQ2JBl7DUNJwO1nXymw2Ykt0hW0ZRCR0BWqJPsQ4kAFq/s1600/mpm10.jpg) |
CS-TOK @ MPM |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2u_7ZY0fMJa6vVduPOW8wzZLHGVZ9-mSReKVhBe4t8hqK9wY4E_ajhpXrSUttbw6CAGtuPr_dBiz6cH_ILJsI-4CRtFxXCPIFuwDp107nCxNfXGWn_1uwja2oIkGeEXshCh1vgrJt0wNQ/s1600/mpm11.jpg) |
Winglet view just before sunrise |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTht_2QZVqrgoHhNs3VI_ho5Zi9OrTYV6YDFEZRzPeLjO0m4gujHJMJajkmjC-LwIVpNHrmfdAlrGDSUvmBbrDb1EtKv9DEdYyrUgMN_VZuvUGYXICgrOyr2Swqn7YSOKOUm0WbsdP7Kio/s1600/mpm12.jpg) |
Mid galley |
And finally at Lisboa...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhercDp76VAJ7Od8Oxa-5TcLa3Npzb5RcTXZ46psesSKax0poCcrFpWjZ1OIb-kmqvPEp4As6rHBFhKFpZ0BQGs09QNWtgHxuJ2KpDJSSCI_QUavwa9CV-u1LZPzv30Qt0_1lmTROjcO3PQ/s1600/mpm16.jpg) |
euroAtlantic 767-300ER |
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First Impression of Maputo
Since it was my first time here and the political situation is still not stable and there are some dangers for the tourists, I avoided taking photographs. In some way, I expected a different Maputo from what I witnessed. I always had the idea of Maputo being different from Luanda. I expected people to be more welcoming, the town to be more organized and more beautiful. But I didn't find any of these things. The town itself I found dirty and with many degraded buildings. I was also a little bit frightened to see many railings installed in the windows and balconies - at least until the fifth floor of the highest buildings - creating a feeling of insecurity. Anyway, I liked this first experience in Maputo and I would love to come back soon!