Day 65: No Fracture. Taking the safer road to Alto Molocue
15:38.8S 37:40.8E Another restless night, I can’t see to find a comfortable sleeping position, and what is also worrying is that my right knee hurts like hell in the night….. Not sure what that is but at least I was going to the hospital today… Yeah, Quilimane State Hospital… Hmm, let’s see! Well certainly an interesting hospital experience: A long queue but ‘they’ insist I go to the front, I protest but it's clear there is no choice, and to be honest, I’m happy not to have to wait in the queue, But it soon became clear that for that privilege I’ll have to pay the grantor…and in grantor, it’s the individual, and this is essentially a not optional, ‘white man’ ‘bribe’! I eventually get to X-Ray waiting room, and I had the x-rays done and Yippee, it came back that I had no fractures. Thought so, but always good to get the professional confirmation…. Or was it professional, maybe the knew a ‘No fracture’ answer would earn them more backhander, in my elation! This outcome did help the pain, nor my ego, nor my worry about the road ahead, both the physical road, and my health road! Decided to treat myself to a ‘lavish breakfast on the 9th floor of the Hotel Chuabo. Great views across the city, and over the river mouth. It gave a good perspective of what this Portugues colony city used to be like and how it has now transformed itself in a typical confused African, growing city dump. I stayed overnight in Mocube, a dysfunctional town of two parts, one the older, colonial influenced one, and then the chaotic new section. Stayed in a very cheap, but surprisingly nice guest house. Headed out to a bar / restaurant I’d seen while coming in, up an a bank next to the road, it had an advert for the Impala beer, which is made from cassava, and I had to try that. Well what started out being a beer for one ended up being a very sociable outside, garden pub social experience, complete with great Mozambique music. I’d had more beers than I’d planned, and they . |