In 2006 whilst working in South Africa I was invited to go for a short holiday to Mozambique by a teacher at the school I was working at.

We set off from Giyani and picked up our fellow travel companions 2 Americans and a South African. We drove down to Neilspruit where we stayed the night through some stunning mountain scenery.

The next day we started our drive towards the Mozambique border and once there the queues were quite busy due to the fact that it was a holiday period. The border crossing was the worst I have ever had so far in Africa it was very people and the South Africans/Mozambique'scrossing into Mozambique did not understand how to queue so there was a lot of pushing in and fighting breaking out and it was all in a very crowded room which didn't help. Eventually when we got through the border crossing we were on our way to Maputo the capital of Mozambique.

Mozambique had recently had a civil war and was a country on the mend but still very poor and rubbish in the city was very common to see. We were staying in Fatimas backpackers in the city itself on the top floor which was not the best thing to do because Maputo is very hot and heat rises and we got the brunt of it so the room was like an oven so our nights sleep were not the best.

Whilst in Maputo we took a boat ride to Inhaca Island which is about 50 minutes outside of Maputo and a nice escape from the hustle and bustle. The island was quite tropical and we spent the day on the beaches swimming and lounging around.

The food in Maputo is also very good and it is renowned for its fish food. We spent a few nights trying the local sea food which is caught fresh that day and was very good. One thing we had heard of was the corrupt cops in Mozambique and how they will try and get money off tourists. We were stopped a few times for things like not indicting and not wearing seat belts but they were minor things and had to offer a small bribe to get out of trouble much like the rest of Africa its how things work.

Overall Mozambique was a very beautiful country with stunning beaches with a tropical feel. It is also quite a poor country but very much on the mend and definitely worth visiting.