Sunday 24 May 2015

Sushi, anyone?

What more could you ask for during the 'joy' of exam season than home delivered sushi. That's right. Home delivered. 
I have always been a huge fan of sushi and even when becoming a vegetarian meant I couldn't eat fish, that wasn't going to take the wonderful world of sushi away from me. Vegetables, fruit and tofu make fantastic fish replacements.

Since I'm living in Canterbury because of uni I had to hunt out the closest (and best) sushi restaurant I could find. Sushi craving are a real thing. I spend ages googling trying to find somewhere that could satisfy my needs but the only place Google reported back was Wagamama's, which I love but doesn't have sushi. I had given up hope until one day a boy was handing out flyers for the restaurant he works at, and since I can't say no to flyers I took one and low and behold, they sold sushi! And ramen! And other beautiful Japanese dishes.
I went as soon as I could, and it was fantastic. Although small and in a bit of a odd location, the service and food are amazing.
It was only a few months ago that this restaurant decided to open a new, only sushi, sister restaurant right next to it. This meant that sushi was no longer going to be served in the normal restaurant, but rather a new one. Although it is minuscule, the sushi is still amazing and you can see it being made in front of you! I have to admit that I was a bit heartbroken about this sushi-ramen divorce, but then they eased my pain by adding home delivery to the sushi options. And it cheaper to get it at home because of VAT, so I am definitely not complaining anymore.

If anyone in Canterbury doesn't know what I'm talking about:
http://www.mistermiyagi.co.uk/




Friday 1 May 2015

The Island of Mozambique







I'm back in Maputo after a short but sweet holiday with my mum in the Island of Mozambique.


What an amazing place! It is a completely dream like location. Its crystal-clear water makes you feel like you're snorkeling even when you're not, the never ending heat, and vibrant colours every where! Women dressed in capolana (traditional Mozambican fabric) rule the streets, followed by hundreds of ever-smiling children.




















Historically, you can't get any richer than this small, 3km long island in the Indian ocean.  Indians, Arabs, Portuguese and Mozambicans have periodically inhabited the island, leaving it with a cultural explosion! It used to be the capital of Mozambique when it was part of the Portuguese empire (hence the fantastic architecture), and there are around 12 mosques on the island (the vast majority of the population is Muslim), 7 churches and a Hindu temple. The locals are accepting of cultures and religion, I even met a few people who were Christian and Muslim at the same time!

        
The island is split in two: stone city and Macuti city. The stone city all in Portuguese architecture, everywhere you go there are grand house, a palace or two and the magnificent hospital. All the buildings are completely falling apart, but there is still such a romantic and beautiful air about it. Macuti city is on a different level (literally), since it was built in the dug-up ground from which the stones for the stone city were taken from. Macuti is where two thirds of the population live, in typical housing of the area, made of palm tree leaves, sticks and mud. Some of the houses are also made out of cement, but they don't let the heat out as well, so I'm not sure is was a great idea...




I fear for the bad development which may happen in the island. Its so small and so delicate in terms of its ecosystem, that if there is any excessive construction, tourism, cruises it'll all go down the drain. Its such a hard problem to face in such a poor country, but they really have to invest in long term plans which will allow for the country to get richer, without losing its natural richness.

Enough chit-chat, here are some pictures I took.