The bustling capital of Mozambique is on the road to recovery following the country's brutal civil war (1977-1992) and its economically devastating brush with Communism. Visitors are rediscovering Maputo, which offers a lively if incongruent tapestry of wide avenues lined by crumbling Portuguese-colonial architecture, unsightly Soviet-style apartment blocks, and rising luxury office towers and condos (as foreign investment in the East African nation's untapped natural resources pours in). Linger-worthy sidewalk cafés, colorful marketplaces, lush vegetation, and tourism curiosities — including elephant fetuses and iron houses — warrant exploration during a day spent in this pleasantly shabby Indian Ocean port city.