I have to admit when I agreed to go to Ilha de Moçambique I knew nothing about it and I was just expecting a relaxing trip vegging on the beach. What I wasn't expecting was a) a crazy journey there and back or b) such an incredibly rich and beautiful history. Yes we had beautiful beaches, but we also did some sightseeing and ended up at what is considered the oldest European building in the southern hemisphere! The entire southern hemisphere!
Ilha de Moçambique is a small island (3km long) that is connected to the mainland of Mozambique by a bridge (that is also 3km long). Initially inhabited by Arab traders, Vasco da Gama visited the island for the first time in 1498 during his voyage around the Cape of Good Horn to the Indian Ocean. The island became an important port for the Portuguese as they traded slaves, spices, and gold en route to India and back.
It seemed to be essential an essential part of Portuguese trade and they fended off invasions from both the Dutch and the French in the early 17th century. It honestly felt like one day, many moons ago, it was one of the most important posts in the world. Not only was it the capital of Mozambique but it had been instrumental in helping Portugal enter into the world of trade in the Indian Ocean. However, in 1869 the Suez canal opened and by1898 the capital had been relocated to Maputo. Ilha de Moçambique was no longer the golden child! With that said, there were a number of very interesting sights on the island. Unfortunately, we didn't even get to see them all due to our lost day on the road.
You all know I'm not much of a history buff but even I thought this stuff was cool..... plus I was an extremely
Before I get into the photos, I'll introduce the cast of characters -
F. Portuguese. Loves the words "Amazing" and "NICE!". 
J. Malawian. A natural when posing for photographs. Doesn't like seafood....at all!
N. My roommate. Canadian. Says "eh". A lot. Loves hockey. Is growing a playoff beard.And you guys know me...so, onward!
Day 1 - Beach day. The island has become quite dilapidated in the last several years (some locals even said, "And you should have seen it before independence", suggesting it was much nicer prior to1975.....). As such there weren't too many nice beaches ON the island so we took a nice relaxing boat ride back to the mainland to get in a nice day in the sun!
The water was amazing!
Channeling his inner Vasco da Gama
Happy not to be in a car anymore....
The entire boat was amazing and completely homemade. Honestly I wish I had more photos because it was seriously impressive the way this thing was constructed....
J enjoying scenes of the most gorgeous water!
The guy in the background is clearly not as amused as we are....
Ahhhh this water!
So happy. So so happy!
Coconut, anyone?
The beach
And we never wanted to leave
Taking a walk along the waterUnfortunately we were told to leave the island by 3:00 because it would take longer to get back to the Island as the winds would be against us. Obviously we did NOT listen because we were trying to soak up every ounce of sun that we could.....and so by the time we got back, it was definitely dark. Thankfully the crew did a great job getting us where we needed to go in complete darkness but perhaps next time we'll listen because it definitely got a little eerie out there in the pitch black!
Day 2: After getting a little bit of vitamin D the day before, we decided to walk through town and see the sights on the second day. If I had more time and if it weren't a thousand degrees, I would have thought it was a photographer's paradise. So many amazing images burned into my mind but only a few that made it into our cameras....
I think this was some command post for government (but now I can't remember and I can't read what it says on the building)
Check 0ut those roots on the side of the building
Old old old...
The children in the front were jumping and giggling as they ran past us. The ones in the back were much more tame and just carried on with their business
Leave it to Portugal to protect us....
Palace and Chapel of São Paulo - built in 1610 and now a museum 
Beer? Yes, please!
from a different angle...
old glass buoys
Taking in the scenery out in front of the palace/chapel 
The famous Portuguese explorer.....and Vasco da Gama
I spy a lizard....Next we walked to the Fort of São Sebastião. According to wikipedia, it is the "oldest complete fort still standing in sub-Sahara Africa". It was completed in 1605 after 50 years of construction and at one point, it house 2,000 soldiers! It was also the location where the slave trade took place and where any and all impostors were executed.
This diorama was in poor shape. The fort didn't come under UNESCO protection until the last several years. Prior to that, many people came in and played with (and damaged) this diorama and many other parts of the fort as well.
The kitchen
Just walking around on the rooftop!
What a gorgeous view from the fort!
Now that's more like it...
A gorgeous view****This is actually very near to where the slaves were marched out and sold. Hard to believe something so horrid could happen in such a beautiful spot.
On one side - slaves. On the other side - soldiers. 
Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte was built in 1522 = oldest European building in the southern hemisphere
The locals got word that there was hidden treasure inside so they destroyed it (also before UNESCO came into the picture). Alas, nothing was in there
One side of the execution area
Also eerie. I think there were 14 soldiers and only one had a loaded gun so that the prisoner didn't know from which direction to expect the bullet and the soldiers never knew who actually fired the bullet that killed the prisoner.
Once dead, they threw the body over the edge into the ocean to get swept out to sea
An indoor swimming pool (that was pitch black inside - I had no clue the water was this color until I saw this photo)After our day of traipsing around in the hot hot heat, we decided to go get some food and take a swim. We went to a local restaurant where the options were fairly limited (squid or....chicken). Then we saw someone walking up with a freshly caught fish. F went up and asked if I could have that instead. It took about an hour and a half for our food to come, but that fish was downright one of the most delicious meals I've had in a looong time!
Then we walked to the nearby beach...a ton of locals were out playing soccer, swimming, and just enjoying the last few moments of daylight. It was a perfect ending to the day!
Watching these children try to get up these stairs was pretty entertaining. The one on the left ended up jumping off and running up the hill instead
Thanks for an amazing visit, Ilha de Moçambique!
