I have just read the article in Saturday Star Travel on Maputo (August 14). I have lived in Maputo for over four years and know it well.
I have lived in Turkey, Indonesia, Cameroon and Hungary - and it is in Maputo I plan to stop. None of the cities I have visited outside Europe have rivalled Maputo in terms of accessibility, friendliness and interest. I've got so hooked on the buildings here that I've started taking friends, expats living here and visitors to introduce them to the city in the last 12 months.
We have had only positive feedback on our tours. We take groups of 12 people (never more) on walking tours, using an architect and other local guides. We walk round the areas the article covers and, apart from a sprained ankle, we have had no mishaps.
We recently guided two tours for the children from the American School. The kids just loved it. They met local artists and climbed up to the roof of the cathedral and saw the bats in the Tunduro Gardens. We subsequently have had groups from the International School - again, happy teachers, parents who accompanied them, and excited and informed kids.
As well as our Sunday morning tours, I have recently been asked to entertain American visitors - not known as the most adventurous of tourists. Word has spread and mums, cousins, wives and children of the US mission have been entrusted to me.
We have had a lovely time riding the tuk-tuks among the ducks and chickens on the beach near Costa do Sol, in Casa Elephante, choosing capulanas opposite the Central Market (with none of the drama Jan de Beer described), trips by public ferry over to Ka Tembe - not a traumatised visitor among them.
We are working hard to encourage South Africans to use their passports. Yes, we are propped up by foreign donors, but Maputo and Mozambique would like to stand on their own two feet again - and one of our greatest resources is the wealth of culture we have.
We aren't all mad to love this city. If you are courteous and sensible, it is a very pleasant and authentic place. We may not have the polish of Cape Town, but there is something real and solid about it. As Jose Craveirinha, Mozambique's most famous poet, said: "Jose does not envy one single of Manhattan's skyscrapers".
Jane Flood, Maputo