swingaling

Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence, Maputo
Smoking Room

When I made this reservation, I specifically requested a Non-Smoking room because I'm not a smoker and the smell of cigarette smoke is revolting. So I was a bit surprised when I got to my room and found it was a smoking room. It was also a bit vexing that reception didn't disclose this to me during check-in.

Strangely, this hotel had a huge number of smoking rooms. From what I could tell, the floors alternated between smoking and non. Obviously, I wasn't thrilled but when I called down to reception they asked me to check back later for a room switch.

The room didn't smell terribly on its own, however when a neighboring room would smoke, the smoke would waft in through my room's A/C vents. Not cool. Eventually, I was able to get switched to another room. The only room available was an accessible room that was a bit smaller than this one. I didn't care in the slightest and eagerly took the slightly worse, but not smoke-filled room.

I had room service for dinner and went to bed early. I had another early day the following morning and didn't really fancy a walk about Maputo at night anyhow.

Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Radisson Blu Hotel + Residence, Maputo


Roast Chicken


Greek Salad


Fruit Plate



I slept very well and headed down to the breakfast buffet upon waking the next morning. The buffet had a pretty decent spread.

Breakfast Buffet


Breakfast Buffet


Breakfast Buffet


After breakfast, I checked out and caught a ride to the airport via the hotel shuttle bus. There was a dreadful traffic jam on the way, so it took around 40 minutes to cover the 3 mile distance to the airport.

swingaling

TAP Air Portugal
Business Class
TP282: MPM-LIS (Maputo to Lisbon)
13 Nov 2019
Airbus A330-900neo
CS-TUL
Seat 3A
Departure: 9:20AM
Arrival: 6:15PM


I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, so I retrieved my boarding pass before heading to security and immigration. As expected, English proficiency among airport staff was essentially nil, but I was able to get along without huge trouble. When it came to the security checkpoint, I got through fine and then a customs officer asked to see my passport and boarding pass.

He asked a few perfunctory questions and then asked me if I had anything for him to remember me by. In other words, he wanted a bribe. So handled the situation as I usually do. I simply pretended I didn't understand the subtext of his request, wished him a good say and went on my way. It did make me wonder how many people actually paid up.

I then headed to the very full lounge and waited a short while before boarding. Eventually it was time to board the plane. This flight was my first change to fly both TAP and the new A330-900neo. TAP was the launch operator and the largest single operator of the new type (for now). At the time of my flight, there were only 33 of the type in service. That said, the A330neo is not hugely different than its predecessor. Aside from new engines and updated aerodynamics, the plane is otherwise the same as the A330-300. It doesn't have the composite fuselage and higher cabin pressure/humidity of the A350, for example.

Prior to this flight, I'd heard mainly negative things about TAP. Specifically, I'd heard their cabin service could be fairly poor and on some flights the cabin crew would flat out refuse to provide any service whatsoever. Thankfully, I didn't experience anything like that. The service was great and the cabin crew were generally friendly and attentive.

CS-TUL



I could tell this plane was brand new. The business class hard product was quite good. Definitely not the best out there and not my favorite arrangement, but it's a solid product and I'd definitely fly them again in the future.

A330-900neo J Cabin


Recaro Seats


Apron



The J cabin was fairly full on this sector.

Seat 3A


Seat 3A


Seat 3A


Seat 3A


Seat 3A



Menus were handed out prior to take off. Thankfully, the meal service was lunch. Breakfast is usually the worst meal served in the air.

Menu


Menu


Menu



I really found the male cabin crew uniforms to be very confusing. The uniforms looked very much like pilot uniforms, so I kept getting confused when I saw the "pilot" serving drinks.


Cabin Crew


Goodbye Maputo


Meal Service


Meal Service



I ordered the chicken and biscuit dessert for lunch. Both were tasty. The dessert was a bit strange, but tasted good.

Meal Service


Biscuit Dessert



The flight was otherwise very uneventful. They did offer free wifi (slowest tier) for business class passengers, but it stopped working somewhere over southern DRC. It only began working again over Spain. Thankfully, I hadn't bought a paid wifi package. When we got close to Lisbon, the crew served a second meal. The second meal was not as good as the lunch. I'm not a huge fan of cold cuts.

Snack


Caught a great sunset over the Atlantic on final approach into Lisbon.

Sunset


Sunset


Sunset


Sunset


Sunset



We landed at LIS on time and I made it landside in no time. The line at immigration was quite minimal and moved quickly. From there, I purchased a metro ticket and headed into the city toward my hotel.

swingaling

NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade

Getting off the metro, I walked right past the hotel without even seeing the entrance. I found it after circling back. Check-in was quick and I given a room on the eighth floor. Unfortunately, the view from the room was of a wall. I'd chosen the hotel mainly for its location and reasonable price, so I didn't mind the boring view. As expected, the room was quite small (though not by European standards).

After settling in, I went downstairs and had some pizza for dinner. I didn't much care for the pizza and not wanting to mess around trying to find a place to eat I ended up getting room service instead.


NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade


NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade


NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade


NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade


The View


NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade


NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade


NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade


Pizza


Pasta


Soup



After dinner, I went to bed so I could be up at a reasonable hour the next day.

swingaling

Lisbon, Portugal


The following day, I got up and set off in search of breakfast. I decided to have an egg tart and espresso at Confeitaria Nacional. En route to my destination, I was approached by a gentleman who inquired if I'd like to buy some marijuana or hashish. Though it was a kind offer, I politely declined.


Lisbon, Portugal


Lisbon, Portugal


Lisbon, Portugal


Lisbon, Portugal


Lisbon, Portugal


Lisbon, Portugal


Lisbon, Portugal


Lisbon, Portugal


Lisbon, Portugal




Confeitaria Nacional
Pastel de nata and Espresso


Confeitaria Nacional


Santa Justa Lift


Santa Justa Lift


Santa Justa Lift


Santa Justa Lift


Santa Justa Lift


Lisbon, Portugal


Lisbon, Portugal



I swung by the Mercado da Ribeira before lunch time to check it out.

Mercado da Ribeira


Mercado da Ribeira


Mercado da Ribeira


Mercado da Ribeira


Mercado da Ribeira


Mercado da Ribeira


Time Out Market


Time Out Market


Time Out Market


Time Out Market


Time Out Market


Mercado da Ribeira


Cais do Sodre


Lisbon, Portugal



I grabbed a tram to Belem to check out some landmarks.

Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery



There was a bit of a line to get in, but entry was free.

Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Tomb of Vasco da Gama



Tomb of Vasco da Gama



Tomb of Vasco da Gama


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery

Jeronimos Monastery


Jeronimos Monastery


Belem


Belem


Belem


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Belem


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Padrao dos Descobrimentos


Antique Crane


Belem


Belem Tower


Belem Tower


Belem Tower


Belem Tower


Belem Tower


Belem Tower


Belem Tower


Belem Tower


I grabbed the tram and a metro back into Lisbon proper. I walked around for a while before heading back to the hotel.

Lisbon, Portugal


Lisbon, Portugal


Ascensor da Gloria


Ascensor da Gloria



For dinner, I grabbed some room service. A burger and a salad. The salad had a huge amount of chicken on it for some reason. After dinner, I relaxed a bit before packing up and heading to the airport for my next flight.

Burger


Garden Salad?

an_asker

Wanting to see more Africa photos, I came back and was flabbergasted to see that you were already in Portugal. Yup, that bridge in Maputo is exactly the one I had seen in the video (probably on one of the broadcast channels not more than a few months ago). Why did you get a guide for Maputo? Did they force you to get one or was that your workaround for the one-way car rental? I didn't get the specifics. Also, when did you sign off with the guide? The evening before you departed from Mozambique?

The vegetable and fruit market in Maputo looks really nice (I am referring to the actual fruits and vegetables, more than the decor of the market, which is not half bad!).

Too much graffiti on the tram/funicular in Portugal (Belem?).

BTW, nice planning that - former African colony Mozambique, followed by mother country Portugal, followed by former South American colony Brazil. Earlier this year, I was in Goa, India - formerly a colony of Portugal. So, between us, we've covered Portuguese colonies in South America, Africa and Asia!!

swingaling

TAP Air Portugal
Business Class
TP74: LIS-GIG (Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro)
14 Nov 2019
Airbus A330-900neo
CS-TUD
Seat 5A
Departure: 11:30PM
Arrival: 6:45AM+1


I arrived at the airport with some time to kill, but there's not a whole lot to do at LIS. So I proceeded to the check-in counters and the agent started searching my passport for my Brazil visa. Even after telling him that US citizens don't need a visa for Brazil, he didn't seem convinced. Luckily, he didn't press the issue and let me go. Heading to the security checkpoint is confusing at LIS. The terminal building layout is terribly confusing and a bit cramped. Lots of support columns and low ceilings make it difficult to tell which way you're supposed to go.

Eventually, I found the priority security lanes and made it airside pretty quickly. I headed to the TAP lounge, but it was overcrowded and very basic. Instead I backtracked and went to the ANA lounge (not to be confused with the airline ANA). I entered using Priority Pass and it was a lot less crowded and nicer. After killing time in the lounge, I headed to the gate. It was a surprisingly long way to the gate. I found it very strange that arriving and departing pax can freely intermix at LIS.

I was able to use the e-gates for departure immigration, though they still stamped my passport anyhow. The boarding process was a bit delayed by the policy, but I never did find out what had happened.

Pre-Book Your Meal LIS-GIG
Not a single option looks appealing...


CS-TUD



As with the previous flight, this was operated by a brand new A330-900neo.


Seat 5A


Menu


J Cabin


Seat 5A


Seat 5A


Seat 5A



The service was good, but the meal was really terrible. The three choices were all equally unappealing to me. This was the first time where I couldn't find a single menu option that I wanted. So I went with the ravioli and it was bad. Perhaps not hugely surprising given that I generally don't like mushrooms or goat cheese....

Pasta Dish



The soup and fruit were fine, but the bread was stale. The main inedible. After a few bites, I put the tray aside and went to sleep. I slept for a solid 6 hours and awoke refreshed and hungry. Thankfully, breakfast was significantly more edible than dinner had been.


Sunrise



Breakfast
Ugh, cold cuts again


Approaching GIG


Approaching GIG


Approaching GIG


Approaching GIG


GIG Graveyard


Strange Airport Layout



Upon arrival, I hustled to immigration as quickly as I could. It was a very long walk and at times felt like I was in an area of the airport that was off limits. We even walked through lines of passengers boarding other flights on the way out. The immigration line was already long and just got longer when a couple other heavies landed after us. Aside from the regular line, there were also two priority lines. One was for crew and the other was unclear.

No idea what the access conditions were, but two very entitled women from my flight (also in J) eventually showed up and decided to use the priority lane. Because reasons, I guess. The same entitled pair also attempted to jump the entire J queue during boarding instead of just waiting along with everyone else. It appeared that the priority lane was available for use by anyone self-important (or wealthy) enough to use it? This isn't the first time I've encountered this kind of entitled attitude. I've often seen similar behavior from the South Americans who ski at Vail.

I'll admit that several Americans did likewise, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the Russians in line behind me. They had some choice remarks for the line jumpers.

I later learned that everyone over age 60 is given boarding priority in Brazil for some unfathomable reason.

As a result, the regular line was severely slow and it took well over 30 minutes to get admitted. Once landside, I hustled to the G3 counters to check-in for my onward flight to CGH at 8:15AM. Unfortunately, I missed the check-in deadline by only a few minutes. The G3 ticket was 95% refundable and I'd booked a second flight on LA (to GRU), so I headed to the LA counters to get my boarding pass instead.

swingaling

LATAM Airlines
Economy Class
LA3578: GIG-GRU (Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo)
15 Nov 2019
Airbus A321
PT-MXB
Seat 2C
Departure: 9:10AM
Arrival: 10:25AM


I'll admit that I was quite annoyed that I'd so narrowly missed the G3 flight to CGH. Ultimately, it was a blessing. Apparently G3 1061 on that day flew all the way to CGH before diverting back to GIG. I'd much rather fly in to GRU and have to taxi into the city than deal with a diversion. I never did find out the reason for the diversion, though.




Once I had my LA boarding pass. I must mention that LA issues the absolute junkiest boarding passes I've ever seen. The pass was printed on a piece of receipt paper, of the type one gets when buying a pack of gum at 7-11. Anyway, I headed to the Priority Pass lounge to hand out before my flight. When it was time to board, the gate was empty and had moved without any English announcements. Airport screens also did not reflect the change.

Ultimately, I boarded the short hop to GRU. We were a bit delayed waiting for deadheading flight crew to arrive, but we still landed in GRU on time.

LATAM Airlines Economy Class: Rio de Janeiro - Sao Paulo


LATAM Airlines Economy Class: Rio de Janeiro - Sao Paulo

swingaling

The waterfall is a 20 minute walk from the lodge, though it could be heard easily. I didn't see it because I didn't have time, though it wasn't dry.

Yes, that's the bridge you're thinking of.



Yup. The "road" you see was about 100m from the start of the private road to lodge.


I got a guide because I couldn't feasibly drive myself from SA to Maputo and having a guide would help me be more efficient with my time. The guide was essentially a work around to a one-way car rental. I could have made the tour a round trip to/from SA for the same price. The other option was a bus ride from Nelspruit, but the schedule didn't work well with my itinerary.

Yes, I was with the guide for the day and we parted ways when he dropped me at the hotel.

swingaling

Hotel ibis Sao Paulo Paulista
Standard Room

I grabbed an Uber from the airport to the hotel and it took a little more than 30 minutes. I lucked out because I'd arrived on a national holiday, so there was no rush hour traffic. I chose the hotel solely due to its location and price. As expected, it's an extremely basic property, but the room was clean and it suited my needs for the short stay.

I checked in and dropped off my stuff before heading out to see the Brazil F1 practice session in the afternoon.

Hotel ibis Sao Paulo Paulista


Hotel ibis Sao Paulo Paulista


Hotel ibis Sao Paulo Paulista


Hotel ibis Sao Paulo Paulista


Avenida Paulista was closed to traffic due to the holiday. I think there was a road race perhaps, not exactly sure.

Hotel ibis Sao Paulo Paulista

swingaling

Sao Paulo, Brazil

I walked to the metro and made my way to Interlagos race track. It took about an hour, but the ride was totally fine. The only somewhat annoying thing that happened on the commuter rail is street peddlers would come aboard and shout about whatever junk they were selling. They were selling disposable ponchos and chocolate bars for around 2 BR ($0.50 US). I found the sales spiel a bit grating and annoying. Forceful annunciation is the best way I can describe the tone of voice used. After trying to sell their junk, railway police would get on the train and try to find them. The caught two hawkers that day, but the female junk dealer got away.

Once at the Autodromo station, I walked to the circuit along with other fans. There was a very heavy police presence in the area, which was a good thing, as the circuit is located in a somewhat unsafe neighborhood. At the circuit, I grabbed my tickets before heading in to see the practice session.

F1 Tickets


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session



There was a single crash, but otherwise a fairly uneventful session.

F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session






F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session



F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session


Cargo containers for air shipment of the race cars.

F1 Practice Session


F1 Practice Session




After the session, I retraced my steps and headed to the hotel. I was about a block from the hotel and looking down at my phone trying to find a place to eat. A guy on a bicycle came from behind and snatched my phone right out of my hands. Before I could react, he was down the street with a big enough lead that I'd never catch him. Setting aside my shock, I went directly back to the hotel and grabbed my iPad. I immediately put my phone in lost mode and erased it. I then called my cell provider in the US via Skype and had them suspend service to my SIM card. I then went about the annoying process of changing the passwords for my Apple ID and my password manager.

By the time I was done, I was thoroughly annoyed by the entire process and a bit soured on Brazil in general. Admittedly, I should have been more aware of my surroundings, but that doesn't lessen the annoyance of the entire situation. I was in a foul mood, so I grabbed some Burger King for dinner and went to bed.

The following morning, I awoke not feeling too great. As the day progressed, I felt less well and ultimately realized I had caught a norovirus infection. Excellent! So I spent the majority of the day in my hotel room resting before the flight. I didn't feel well enough to go the the F1 practice or qualifying sessions taking place that day.

When I arrived back home and got my new phone set-up, I received a few texts like the one below. These were sent by the phone thief in an attempt to gain access to my Apple ID and remove the activation lock that I'd placed on the stolen phone. I'm too savvy to fall for this type of phishing attempt, so the stolen phone will be a paperweight for them. I'll admit that fact does give me a small feeling of satisfaction.

Post-theft Phishing

swingaling

LATAM Airlines
Business Class
LA8164: GRU-BOS (Sao Paulo to Boston)
16 Nov 2019
Boeing 767-300ER
PT-MOD
Seat 3D
Departure: 11:20PM
Arrival: 8:00AM+1



I arrived at the airport with time to kill, so I had some dinner because I still wasn't feeling too bad at that point. Something felt a bit off, but I was functional. After a quick dinner I went to the lounge to lie down for a bit before the flight. After a while, the lounge announced the boarding call for my flight. At that point, I had just been seriously unwell from both ends, but I was hoping that I could make it to the plane without any further bathroom trips.

Once at the gate, I broke out in a cold full body sweat and I'm sure I looked terrible. It didn't help that we had to take a bus to the plane. Thankfully, I made it to the plane without issue and the ground staff didn't single me out as unfit to fly. Without going into too much detail, I'll say that the flight was not great for me. The order of the day was alternating bouts of vomiting and diarrhea every couple hours. I managed to get some sleep between visits to the lav.

Since my phone was stolen, I have no photos of the flight and I didn't even look at the menu to see what the meal service was. I slept for as much of the flight as possible. Once we were close to BOS, breakfast was served and I felt well enough to have a bit of fruit and some juice. Thankfully, the bug had mostly passed and I felt slightly less horrible.

Upon landing in BOS, I was through immigration quickly, but then subjected to secondary inspection from a brainless customs agent who couldn't fathom how I'd (1) travel alone and (2) only bring a single bag. After emptying the entire contents of my bag and rifling through every single item (including my dirty underwear), I was free to leave. Isn't it more likely for a smuggler to have a lot of luggage to make it that much easier to hide whatever they're smuggling?

Anyway, thankfully BOS has wifi, so I could use my iPad (and my wife's Uber account) to order an Uber home. The Uber was uneventful and I was relieved to be back home.

GetSetJetSet

So did you actually visit Maseru or just fly in, go to the hotel and fly out? Interested in going there, Swaziland and Malawi, would like to hear which you thought were worthwhile stops. Would go to Lilongwe, Cape Maclear and Blantyre in Malawi, open to a Swaziland itin. Did you go anywhere on the coast in Mozambique or just Maputo?

an_asker

You say "follow my travels on instagram" and when I click on the link, I see that your account is private and one needs to follow you - I am sorta Instagram (I did create an account but have not done much) agnostic, so would appreciate any tips! :-)

GetSetJetSet

I have no tips yet! I am interested in going to those places, was hoping the OP could provide some intel from his travels!

an_asker

I meant tips to use instagram. Do I need to a) be logged in AND b) follow you in order to see your trip photos on instagram? Or would either of the two work?