MSC Sinfonia: Portuguese Islands

On day 3 of our cruise, we were anchored in the middle of the ocean and were transported via a massive rubber duck type boat to the Portuguese Islands.

You can see the Sinfonia far in the background

We went to Inhaca Islands which is situated across the bay of Maputo, just 40km from the capital city of Mozambique. It has a population of about 6000 and they survive mainly on agriculture and fishing in the communities. Again, the people here are incredibly poor. We had 2 little local boys trailing behind us as we were taking pictures and when we gave them each a R10 note, it was as if they'd won the lottery. Very humbling experience.

On our way to Inhaca

We stopped for lunch at one of the few restaurants on the island and because I was hanging like a wet sock as a result of the previous late nights, the heat and humidity were seriously starting to take its toll. All you want to do is drink liquids and soon you realise you haven't eaten much in a day.

A menu to compare prices (Check the price of crayfish)

Very "sorry my dear" market

The bottle store :D

Delicious prawns

Swimming in this water was amazing. 

I had a wonderful experience on these islands. It was definitely a worthwhile adventure and even G had to be coaxed out of the water so that we could go back to the ship.