HANGING OUT With A Gangster in Mozambique

Posted on January 20, 2020January 20, 2020 by dev

I went to Mozambique in late 2018 and traveled around the country and it was as wild as it could possibly get. I went clubbing with an ex gangster and hanged out with him for 3 out of 7 days!

With an ex gangster and car hijacker in Maputo, Mozambique

My trip to Mozambique started as crazy as possible, when I met my local friend Henry in the city center of Maputo. I had walked around the city all day, and then Henry called me to pick me up at the beach side. Henry is a business owner with a big solar power company in Maputo, Mozambique. We had some Mozambican dinner and the best local Mozambican beer ever, and then we went straight to a night out in Maputo. Henry introduced me to his newest employee and friend in his transport company, an ex gangster and ex car hijacker, who now tried to change his life after a long time in prison, and was trying to get out on the right side. Pretty crazy to go out with a guy with that history, but I believe in the best in human, and if someone is nice to me, I’ll be nice to them! Period!

Crazy Time With Henry And His Friend

I had a crazy and good time with Henry and his gangster friend, but I must admit I wasn’t feeling totally relaxed at all times, because of the saying once a criminal, always a criminal! I let the guy take pictures with my phone and even hold some of my belongings and I was honestly a nerve wreck most of the time!

Stopped By Corrupt Police A Lot In Maputo

I was stopped 5 times by the corrupt police in Maputo on my solo walk around the city on my 1st day, and because I didn’t want to pay for anything, I wasted some time where they had to look in my bag and do some checks ups on me etc. Really annoying to be looked at like a money object from the police, when you just want to chill and hangout with the nice population here! It was crazy to see how my gangster friend handled these situation with the police. All the time he just gave them a little something, and then he was allowed to go. I found out it wasn’t only me who had to deal with situations like that with the police here in Mozambique, especially when the police fined my gangster friend, because they claimed he didn’t come when they ask him to come, even though I was there and saw it wasn’t true AT ALL what the police said! Henry told me the police make around $200 a month in salary, but a lot more with this hustling mentality!

Leaving Maputo To Explore Mozambique

Henry and I left Maputo and we left his gangster friend, and even though I liked him, it was a kind of a relieve to just be with Henry and to escape the corrupt police a bit in Maputo. We enjoyed the beach a lot and I especially loved to chill out in Macaneta and see some extremely beautiful beaches up on the coast!

Mozambique has a coastline stretching roughly 1,535 miles along the Indian Ocean and some very beautiful beaches! It was great to see another side of this country!

Would I Hang Out With A Gangster Again?

I learned a lot from hanging out for 3 days with a gangster in Mozambique. First of all I learned to not be too judgemental about other people with a certain past, because he was actually a nice guy, who had just made a lot of wrong decisions is his ‘previous life.’ I always have a certain skepticism about new people in new places until I get to know them, and I think it’s a good thing to have a bit of skepticism, because then you can only get a positive surprise. I surely had a really positive experience in Mozambique with Henry, with this ex-gangster and with the local population, and I learned that crime won’t benefit you in the long run and I hope this ex-gangster has learned the same thing. All the good people will want to do good, rather than do bad in the end. That’s the moral of the story and I have no problem with hanging out with people who have taken their punishment and who is now willing to change their life for the better.

What a Week In Mozambique

What a life lesson it was for me to come to Mozambique to meet the people I met here. I surely learned a lot and I hope to come back to Mozambique one day.

Gustav

gus1thego.com

10 Weird Facts About GREECE (My 8th Visit To The Country!)

Posted on January 18, 2020January 18, 2020 by dev

Greece is one of my favorite countries in Europe and I’ve been there 8 times. There’s nothing like taking a week to explore some of the 6,000 islands in Greece and I have done that plenty of times with a lot of enjoyment. These are 10 Fun Facts about Greece!

1. Greek Gods were the Superheroes of the Universe

The Greeks have wonderful stories (myths) to tell about their many gods and goddesses, heroes, monsters, adventures and battles. Each Greek god had one or more magical powers that they used for a variety of things. The most important god in Greek mythology was Zeus, the god of the sky and the ruler of the Olympian gods. His weapon of choice was the thunderbolt. Others included Poseidon (God of the sea) and Artemis (Goddess of the hunt).

2. Name Days are more widely celebrated than Birthdays

Most common Greek names are based on religious saints. On the days that a saint is celebrated in the church, anyone named after that saint celebrates his or her “Name Day.” For example, on May 21 Constantin and Helen are celebrated. All Constantines (or variations such as Costa, Gus, Dino) and Helens (Ellen, Eleni, Lena) are wished a Happy Name Day by family and friends.

3. The Olympic Games originated in Ancient Greece.

The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC in Olympia near Greece’s southwest coast. They were held every four years and lasted five days. The Olympic Games were in honor of Zeus – god of the sky and leader of the Greek gods. Events included running, wrestling, chariot races, boxing, horse races, and the pentathlon. Winners were presented with crowns of olive made from the branches of the sacred olive tree.

4. Beware of the Evil Eye!

Evil eye is believed to be a curse that is given by a glare that has negative intentions. Anger, envy, jealousy can cause the evil eye curse. The curse can cause bad things to happen to the person who received the curse, such as a string of bad luck or illness. Wearing a special charm called a mati (meaning “eye” in Greek) is believed to help prevent the curse from ever happening. They are found in homes and offices, on jewelry and keychains, and often over a baby’s crib. I’m not superstitious at all, but this is a thing in Greece for some!

5. Don’t Take a Boat (unless it’s seaworthy)

Greece is known for their beautiful islands, and you can go for a great sail around Santorini or Mykonos.But the country actually has no navigable rivers, because of the heavily mountainous terrain: 80% of the country, in fact. So no “on-a-boat” parodies here, folks. Sorry.

No rivers, but a lot of sea. Greece is wonderful!

6. You Literally Can’t Get Away from the Sea

The longest point anywhere in the country is only 85 miles from the coast, and that coastline is 9,000 miles long — one of the 10 longest in the world. You literally can’t get away from the Sea, so don’t be afraid of water in Greece.

7. Grandma NEVER Moves Out

That’s right. Children live with their families until they get married, and then grandma and grandpa usually stay with that family until death. Retirement communities are rare in this country, and the Greek people has a lot of love and compassion for the elderly people in their family, which deserves some respect.

8: Greek People Like Sex The Most

And they’ve won this title for the past 10 years! Even the Brazilians ranked below them, only having it 145 times per year, in comparison with the Greeks’ 164. There’s a reason why Greek kids usually have a lot of siblings, and the relaxed islands vibes surely does something to the sex drive for the Greek people! They have a drive like no other nationality, according to the statistics.

9: There are 2 Tourists per 1 Greek

But here is 1 tourist with 4 Greek girls in Naxos. Good job, harh?

Greece is the only country in the world that has double the number of tourists in respect to its actual population that come to visit annually. Tourists love Greece and why shouldn’t they love a country with more than 250 sunny days a year and amazing food.

10: Greece Is In Fact Old

Athens has been continuously inhabited for more than 7,000 years. This makes it one of the oldest European cities ever, and definitely one worth visiting. Ancient Greek alphabet is still the oldest written language still in use today. That’s pretty impressive, if you ask me.

China seems to beg to differ, but all current archaeological discoveries continue to support Greece’s claim to this honor. Greece is indeed OLD.

A young guy in an OLD country. Greece is so nice!

I love the green lush landscapes, the food, the turquoise seas, the unique terrain and the incredible islands. Greece still has so much to offer, even after 8 visits for me. Some fun facts about a beautiful country!

Gustav

gus1thego.com

Follow me on Instagram @gustavrosted