A Visit to Maputo, Mozambique

With its waterside setting, Mediterranean-style architecture, and wide avenues lined with flame trees and jacaranda, Maputo is one of the most attractive capitals. Also, it is Mozambique’s most developed place, with a wide variety of restaurants and hotels, a lively cultural scene, shady sidewalk cafes, and well-stocked supermarkets. Some acquaintances of mine who own Sherwood Park Carpet Cleaning took a recent vacation to check out the city and according to them, these are the top must-see attractions in the city.

Chissano Gallery
Works of Alberto Chissano, a renowned sculptor, and his remains are exhibited in his residence at the gallery. From central Maputo, taxis charge from $7.5 return, plus waiting time.

National Art Museum
The National Art Museum half a block of Avenida Karl Marx has a superb collection of sculptures and paintings by the finest contemporary artists in Mozambique, including Alberto Chissano and Malangatana.

Centro Cultural Franco-Mocambicano
A superb cultural hub with a café, a craft shop, theatre, films, dance and music performances, art exhibitions, and more.

Train Station
This landmark train station in Maputo is one of the most imposing buildings in the city. This dome was designed by Alexandre Gustav Eiffel associate. Other highlights include wrought-iron verandas, pillars, and latticework adorning the dark-green exterior. The Kulungwana Espaco Artistico is inside with an exhibition of works by visiting and local artists, as well as paintings and sculptures for sale.

Praca dos Herois Mocambicanos
This large plaza near the airport is famous for its 95 meters long mural in honor of the revolution. The white-marble structure in its center holds the remains of the post-independence and revolutionary heroes of Mozambique, including Samora Machel and Eduardo Mondlane, as well as that of Jose Craveirinha, a national poet. Photography is not allowed at this place and the public can only visit on Mozambican Heroes’ Day.

City Hall
The large, neoclassical City Hall sits atop the Baixa area from a hill at Avenida Samora Machel’s peak. Completed in 1947, the building is still in use today, so you can’t visit it unless you have a business in one of its offices.

Fort
This fort was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century by the Portuguese close to an earlier fort site. Inside are a small museum and a garden with remains from the early Portuguese forays era to this area. The carved and sealed wooden coffin of Ngungunhane – the final ruler of the Gaza kingdom – is exhibited in one of the rooms.

President’s Residence
The presidential complex of Mozambique is an impressive and beautiful structure just overlooking Maputo Bay. Also, photographs are prohibited here. You can’t also walk on the front complex sidewalk.

Okinawa, Japan Travel Guide

The island of Okinawa sits between Taiwan to the south and the rest of Japan to the north. About 1.5 million people call this island home. Here are the top must-see attractions in Okinawa, Japan.

Gangala Valley

Visit the spectacular Gangala Valley to learn about the origins of the Okinawan people. It is located in a “forest” of limestone caves dating back at least 3,000 years. Nature lovers will love the incredible wonder of countless caves and rock formations. There is also a guided tour that is said to be a bit frightening and unforgettable – it is known as the “Journey of Mystery”. If you are not into adventures, you can just look at the different limestone formations while enjoying a delicious meal at the Café cave which is located at the valley’s entry point.

Cape Manzamo

The work “manzamo” in the local dialect means an open field that accommodates 10,000 people. That is not an exaggeration. In fact, if you visit at sunrise or sunset, this breathtaking spot on the island’s western side is the perfect spot to sit and take in nature’s beauty. You will directly be looking into the East China Sea and you can listen as the ocean waves crash into the monumental cliffs. This spot is a favorite for residents and visitors alike.

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

This is a great place to visit for those people who enjoy aquariums. Even if you never snorkeled or scuba dived before, this aquarium will make you feel like you are 10,000 feet below the surface of the sea. The sea tanks in this massive place allow you to see the largest whale shark in the world. If that isn’t enough, the thousands of tropical fish, manta rays, and the coral will have your camera working overtime.

Katsuren Castle Ruins

This site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is a reminder of this island’s ancient past. It allows you to explore when Okinawa was a kingdom and its people lived in isolated existence largely unknown to other parts of the world. This is perhaps the best location in Okinawa to view the rest of the island. The castle is illuminated at night by an array of lights so visitors will never miss this amazing, educational, and unique piece of local history.

Kokusai Street

Kokusai Street is in the heart of the city and it is Okinawa’s center for entertainment. This avenue was once a place where the locals shop but it is now a vibrant site packed with restaurants, art galleries, and shops. Kokusai street is the place to be if you want to view exceptional artworks, buy traditional clothing, or try some of this island’s authentic food.

How To Stay Motivated To Travel

One thing that gives people the power to achieve anything that they set their mind to is motivation. While it can be pretty hard to find a good source of motivation sometimes, staying motivated is actually much harder. How can you possibly stay motivated when you are busy working and living life while both your family and friends laugh at your ideas?

Or how can you possibly stay motivated if you are overwhelmed planning your next trip, or if you are just exhausted from all the traveling that you have been doing for the past ten days? It is pretty hard, isn’t it? Of course it is! After all, motivation is like a battery that has to be fully charged in order to stay in one piece. It is no secret that the idea of traveling the world is always both interesting and very inspiring. But sometimes life gets in the way and then suddenly, your focus is no longer on your goals – whether it be to travel the world or anything else. Travel can be a very frustrating thing sometimes.

The reason for all of this is because when you plan your trips, you probably don’t think about all the little details, do you? What we are trying to say here is that you probably don’t think about spending a whole day on a plane, the traffic, the delays, or pretty much any other thing that will suck the joy out of your experience. All you think about is how fun the trip itself is going to be, right? In order to stay in one piece (both physically and mentally), you need to recharge your batteries. How can you do this? It is actually quite simple – you just need to lay down, turn on your TV, and watch a few movies. Regardless of what you do in life, finding ways to stay motivated is very important. With this in mind, here are some tips that should help you stay motivated to travel!

Hold Yourself Accountable
Holding yourself accountable is one of the best things that you can do to stay motivated to travel. Socializing with people who have the same interests as you will keep you focused on your goals. Accountability will force you to follow through on your plans even when you don’t feel like doing anything.

Read Travel Blogs
Reading about other people’s travel adventures can show you that traveling isn’t as hard as you may think. By reading travel blogs, you can learn a whole lot of things about travel in general. One day, you will get sick and tired of living vicariously through other travelers, and you will leave your home to pursue your own travel goals.

Devote Time
Stuff always seems to come up when you least expect it, doesn’t it? But here’s the solution! Pick a day and time when you normally don’t do anything too significant and devote all that time to planning your next trip.

Why Travel Is the Ultimate Personal Development Tool

With the recent explosions of podcasts, conferences, and websites telling you how to improve different areas of your life, it is crystal clear that many of us want to become a better version of ourselves, right? It is very important to note that it is completely okay to feel this way. Actually, everyone should strive to become a better person in general. More often than not, people go through life without thinking about where they are heading. They just live, and that’s it! It seems like some people simply don’t have any goals that they want to achieve, and that is just sad if you ask us. We all go through some hard times, you know? However, if you really want to change your life for the better, you can’t just sit around and do nothing. The situation will not resolve itself if you don’t do something about it.

You need to put a lot of work and effort into your life in order to make a positive change to it. This is not us trying to make you angry or anything like that – this is us trying to motivate you to follow your dreams and make a positive impact on your life. It is pretty much safe to say that no one has the mental energy or time to make a hundred changes to their life, which is exactly why you should focus on just one or two changes at a time. But what does travel have to do with any of this? Did you know that travel is actually considered to be one of the best personal development tools in the world?

Expanding Your Knowledge
When you travel the world, you get to visit beautiful places, learn new cultures, and find out how other people live. Having knowledge of life in general is very important for you because it is actually the key to your personal growth. So, try to expand your knowledge as much as possible while you are on the road.

Organizing Your Life
Organization is one of the most important life skills that every person should posses. Keeping your schedule in order can be a pretty daunting task when you have a busy life. Travel gives you an opportunity to work on this important life skill. So, be sure to use this opportunity to do just that!

How To Pack Light For a Short Trip

Not every trip has to be an epic, unforgettable adventure. The reason why we said this is because there are many people out there who enjoy going on short, but relaxing journeys rather than long, adventure-filled, epic ones. Simply put, there are some people out there who usually travel for less than seven days at a time. And while it may be very tempting for you to reach for your usual travel suitcase to pack for a week-long trip, be sure to do whatever you can to resist that feeling. Packing for a short trip is not really the same as packing for a week-long trip. In other words, packing for a short trips is usually much easier, as well as much less frustrating than packing for a long trip. The reason for this is because short trips don’t involve a whole lot of exploration, which means that you don’t have to bring a whole lot of hiking equipment with you.

And because you don’t need to bring a lot of stuff with you, forgetting something is not as big of a deal as it is when going on a long trip. Another reason why short trips are so good is because you have a pretty accurate idea of whether or not you need to bring your umbrella or hiking shoes with you. This makes it much easier for you to put a limit on your travel backpack’s weight. With this in mind, whether you are a rookie explorer trying to get your bearings straight, or an experienced world-traveler looking for smarter ways to pack, here are some things that you need to know in order to pack well for a short trip!

Check Your Itinerary
A few days before you hit the road, double-check your itinerary. This will help you cut out unnecessary things, which means that your travel backpack will stay light. Also, don’t forget to check the weather in your destination. You don’t want to get caught in the middle of an unexpected shower, do you?

Use a Small Backpack
You should try to get some sort of a small carry-on travel backpack. Be sure to use something smaller than what you usually use when traveling. The reason why you should not use a large bag is because it might tempt you to fill up all that extra space with more staff than you actually need.

 

Things That You Should Never Forget
Whether you are going on a short trip or a long one, there are some things that you should always bring with you. This includes things like your mobile phone, passport, identification card, food, and water. Kep these things on you at all times and everything should be okay!

The Guide To Staying Safe While Traveling

When it comes to traveling the world, it is always an unforgettable experience that is filled with all sorts of fun memories. This is almost always the case with travel, whether you do it alone or with your loved ones. Travel is all about meeting new people, exploring new places, trying new food and drinks, experiencing new cultures, and just having fun in general. But there is so much more to travel than that. For example, traveling the world is a great way to get rid of your personal problems, even if it is just for a few days or something like that. Those few days might be exactly what you need to get your mind back on the right track. And while it is true that traveling the world is an awesome thing to do, you need to know that it probably won’t be all fun and games once you hit the road (even though it mostly is). The main reason why we said this is because travelers are usually the main targets of crime.

While it is true that crime can occur pretty much anywhere, the best chance for it to happen to you is when you are in a crowded area. This is because these places are usually filled with all types of people. This includes both thieves and criminals. In order to protect yourself from all the dangers that lurk out there, you need to educate yourself about all the crimes that tend to occur on the streets these days. That being said, here are some simple things that you can do to protect both yourself and your loved ones from the dangers that lurk out there!

 

Bring Printed Copies of Your Documents

Having printed copies of your documents in your backpack is very important for your safety. While digital copies are good too, physical copies don’t hurt either. In fact, it is good to have them on you just in case something unexpected happens during the ride, and you need to show them to the authority figures.

Bring Your Safety Gadgets With You

Having a couple of safety gadgets in your travel backpack is never a bad idea. And if you don’t own any, spending a few dollars on them is never a waste of money. These gadgets are usually pretty cheap, and they can help you avoid some really uncomfortable situations.

 

Keep Valuable Items On You At All Times

Be sure to put the most valuable items in a separate backpack. This simple step will make the whole trip so much easier for you. Using a fake phone is a great way to trick thieves and criminals when in crowded areas.