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I woke due to the rustling of locals. Seemed to be all getting up and ready, so I did the same then woke Tom since he had the few meticals we owned. Ticket office wasn't open and after 1 and half hours we asked someone for the time ad eventually found out it was only 0230!!! Couldn't get back to sleep so waited up. Another hour an half went by and Tom queued for ticket. He came baring bad news, no 2nd class tickets left, the guide book said 'make sure you don't go 3rd class'.... We were soon to find out why. The journey I'd about 150km but by train. We finally set off about 5, 10am came and went, 12am, 2pm ect... This train was filthy, we managed to get a seat facing another 3 passengers and having to interlock feet, the seats were made if solid, flat wood. Everyone managed to get a seat on this mammoth train to start. Every village along the way people were getting on, more and more, eventually people were standing wherever there was a place to put a foot. People leaning on me from the isle. Very overweight and extremely sweaty and smelly lady sat to my left who I was pushed onto from the people standing kept grunting at me!!
Along the way as well as people getting on at every village, people were hanging out the train windows. This can only be done of course by people leaning, sweating, standing on you in order to reach out for a massive bag of tomatoes, cabbage, fish, bananas or plumbs which would inevitably fall from the window and smack, scrape and leave remnants on you. Yuk!!
11 and a half hours later we arrived in Nampula!!! And I thought the pickup rude was bad! Aaaahhhh literally wanted to scream and push everyone leaning on me off at some points! I gave up avoiding peoples contact after a while and my tshirt at the end of the day absorbed my own and about 20 others lovely perspiration! Smelly is not the word. Plus we hadn't eaten since Friday night!! It's Sunday afternoon now!
Things can only get better surely. As we walked into town we were being stared at by EVERYONE! The first place we went to look at was shut down, the second cheap option was also shut down, the last cheap option was about 1km away. We started walking in the hope of finding anywhere else that wasn't horrifically priced. Monte Carlo was a average looking place on the way but was £12 each a night, cheapest of hotels in guide book. We bit the bullet and carried on in search of £6 place, finally finding it after umpteen steps and floors behind a supermarket and through several dodgy alleys. No longer £6 but £12. We decided to go Monte Carlos. What a welcome to Mozambique, the worst two journeys of my life, language issues (speak portuguese almost refuse to speak English!), hostels all closed or very expensive. I can't wait to get to the sea..
Best shower ever, one meal and bed.
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