Maracuja Caipirinha.  A lovely passion fruit drink, gifted from the Portugese.  Or would that be Brazil?

Cappuccino at the Polana Hotel.  I sat here for three hours catching up on The Goldfinch, for my book club.

Yes, I am working too.  But on the weekends, when I’m away from my family and am restless with what to do with myself, it’s nice to be in city after a year in the wild bush of Zambia.  Maputo is a nice place!  Note to self:  If I’m going to live in Africa again for several years, choose a country with connections to the French, Belgians, or Portugese.  The food and coffee are so much better than in countries settled by the English.

These are Meat Pies.  England’s gift to Zambia.

Sort of like beef stew, only wrapped in dough.

On the subject of business trips, this is the most perfect cappuccino ever from the Addis Ababa airport:

Business trips are not so bad.  I get to earn frequent flyer miles, I usually get to use a cloth napkin at breakfast, and I always appreciate a few hours to be alone with my own head.  But there are things about Business Travel in Africa that I dread:

– Being away from my boys

– My bags getting lost (never check your bags in West Africa.  Never).

– Security checks. You can tell who the Americans are because they are the only ones who still remove their laptops, belts, and shoes in airports.

– Paying fines.  Surprise!  Oh, you already paid?  Here’s another one.  And another security check too.  Over and over again.

– Why are there Dreamliners flying between Nairobi and Kinshasa?  Am I the only person on the plane that’s not Chinese?

But I will always love airports.  Scents, sounds, watching people who are oblivious to being watched and seeing a microcosm of every street market and central park in the world.

One could say that some business trips are better than others.  Like, send me back to Lisbon please!

or Bangkok…

Or Istanbul!

Fortunately, I have a little Jake and Eli to travel with.

And Mike makes sure I’m well equipped with the things that matter.

Although next time, I need to remember to bring zip-loc bags.  I had to borrow some from work to use for my cheese in the hotel room.  With all this Ebola business going on, this are probably not the best thing for the maid to find in the refrigerator…