Swaziland Cycling Culture

This weekend we went to The KingdomSwaziland and South Africa, two very beautiful countries close to Mozambique. In Swaziland I did not saw so many cyclists. I believe it is because the country is full of big mountains. Yet some people use it and here is a small exhibition of Swaziland Bike Culture. Did you know that this is one of the smallest countries in Africa?

I will post soon the pictures of South Africa.

A fabulous classical blue bicycle.

Full equipped mountain bikes to cycle in Milwane Natural Reserve. Cycle and see the zebras, impalas, crocodiles, gnus and hippos.

Taking the bicycle by the hand across the typical huts.

A parked cargo bicycle in Manzini.

Cycling by the sugar cane plantations.

Down the road.

Sometimes it is better to take the bicycle by the hand and enjoy the surroundings.

Bike Puzzle

There is always a solution

Rita was going to church and noticed that the tires of her Queen Bike were flat. She returned and used my bike.
On the floor, some small mango fruits. The big ones will be ready to eat in December.

Blue sky, never ending road...

And one bicycle.
So perfect. So simple.

The wonderful bicycles of Maputo

I am back after some time without posting here. Sorry to all the readers.

So I come back with some photos of people cycling in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. The city is noise, chaotic and the drivers are not like in Europe. Here you can see all kind of behaviors and overtaking from right or left. Mozambican drivers tend to be very impatient and don't like slow driving. So everything is allowed to get a bit further.

But Maputo has very quiet roads all across the city, usually parallel to the big avenues, that a cyclist can take to avoid the main roads packed with traffic.

You see not so many cyclists as in other small cities, but there are some courageous people. And not all are local people. You can see, from time to time, "molongos" (white people as they say in dialect). Unfortunately I still don't have a photo of that.

So... enjoy these photos of Maputo cyclists.

Cycle taxists in Mozambique

For the Portuguese readers I suggest the following article that tells about the bicycle taxis community in Quelimane, a city in Zambézia province. It says that the bicycle is the transport more used to carry passengers and merchandize. In a city without public transports the bicycle is the queen. Since 2002 the cycle taxists community has significantly increased and many families have a monthly contract/subscription for the use of this transport.

Moçambique para Todos Blog has published more about it. Read the entire article here and here and see other great photos.

The two photos above are not from the cycle taxists, but just show other examples of how people can manage over here. The first photo shows two boys coming from school and the second photo shows an adult (maybe the father) carrying two children also from school in Inhambane province.

Rastafari Festival in Xai-Xai

I have taken these photos some time ago, but just now remembered to post it. I was in Xai-Xai and the city was welcoming a Rastafari Festival. There was a good vibe with lots of reggae music, dance and vegetarian food. These two guys have traveled from Maputo to Xai-Xai (more or less 230km) with their gingas. Ginga is the name Mozambicans give to their bicycles. I believe the name is also used in Portugal. Can you confirm?