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Safari Diary from Maputo - August 28

We left Inhambane and set off for the 450 kms drive to Maputo. the capital of Mozambique on the coast. On the drive we passed piri piri and cashew nut vendors who line the road with makeshift displays, and entered the city as rush-hour was beginning.

Take away the gridlocked streets, the ramshackle tenament flats and office blocks that look as if they were last given a coat of paint in the 1950s and the look is just like a film set from "Black Hawk Down" of downtown Mogadishu. A big contrast to the anything we have seen before.

Arriving at the Polana Hotel however is very different. Down on the waterside, the collonades, everything is very different, it's old-Colonial, palm trees line the promenade, and the hotel facing the ocean looks more like something from Casablanca, or, the Montevideo water-front scene from the film, The Battle of the River Plate. The hotel is a step back in time, all mahogony, big armchairs, marble floors, supported by rapid service and extensive menus.

It's a day off today so a chance to fettle the cars in the car park, or walk round the corner to the market.

David and Jo Roberts arrived here with their Triumph TR5 on the back of a truck. The truck was small so the second truck-driver had to sit inside the Triumph on the back, which caused consternation at the police checkpoints. Today they hope a wrestling match with local customs officials can unlock parcels sent from the UK to rebuild the rear axle. There is a differential in one, and a wheel-bearing in another, without these items the Triumph surely won't be going much further.

The only other incident yesterday was the fettling of an electrical lead which fell off the starter motor of the Bentley S2 of Andreas Pohl, due to the corrugations on patches of dirt roads, repaired by Rob Kitchen. The rest of the rally all had a good run and most cars arrived at Maputo early.

Our photos of the roadside stalls include battery acid in ordinary water bottles - it makes you think.... you have to hope the labels never come off in the rain.

Overall Results at Maputo - August 28th