It was another of those late nights in Maputo. I was chaperoning some colleagues from Johannesburg who wanted to experience some of the Maputo night life, and were eager to get in as many places as possible - before the daybreak. We had just called for the last round at Mundo's Restaurant, they quickly brought us our drinks and the bill, and continued to clean down and lock up the place for the night.
Where to next I wondered. The faint sounds of laughter and percussion made their way down the street to where were were sitting on the veranda. Sign of a place that still had the magic of the night in close proximity - we had to go and investigate. Putting down our empty glasses, we lifted ourselves out of the bar stools and began to walk on (somewhat) rubbery legs in the direction of where these sounds came. Walking briskly over cracked concrete pavements, meandering tree roots and the odd water puddle, we managed to locate the source of the sound and discovered a vibrant bar called
Dolce Vita.
This place oozed with coolness. Its many patrons sat at neat white square table deep in conversation, gesticulation and laughter. The house music was playing loudly whilst this scene spilled over onto the street. We decided to head for the bar, when, sitting there before me, a most unexpected sight, stood a red Vespa 150 LX! I had finally seen a modern Vespa in Mozambique.
Okay okay, it was NOT the elusive Mozambican Vespa, but it was a beautiful Vespa none-the-less. I quickly checked the speedo and discovered that she had all of 44.7km on her clock. I'm willing to take a bet that many an inebriated patron, in a moment of weakness, has attempted to drive such a beautiful ride home!
(Posted by Paulo)
Dolce Vita
Café, Sushi Restaurant, Jazz Club, Free Wi-Fi
Avenida Julius Nyerere, 822, Maputo, Mozambique
