Sunday, August 30, 2009

Zanzibar (Saturday, August 8)

This morning we drove out to Paje village on the east coast of Zanzibar to visit the seaweed farms that are run by the women of the village. The village has a few tourist hotels that are really nice and perfect for the tropical setting.

Paje by Night, one of the hotels and restaurants in Paje

The ocean was like nothing I'd ever seen before. The tidal flats extended as far as the eye could see, just a few inches of water over white sand, and boats tethered there looking like they'd never make it out to sea.

Me in the Indian Ocean

Flower, from IMS, introduced us to one of the women planting seaweed. About half way through Flower's talk, it started pouring and we all huddled up until the shower passed.

We were this far from shore and the water was still only a few inches deep

The local woman showed us her technique for tying the seaweed onto lines that she tethers between stakes in about a foot of water. In about three weeks, she'll come back and collect the mature seaweed and sell it to international companies that extract the carrageenan for use as a thickener in everything from toothpaste to ice cream to shoe polish to pharmaceuticals. They also collect some for making seaweed soap and other cosmetics that they sell locally in markets and at the Paje hotels. I bought some to bring back as souvenirs for my housemates. Tanzanians don't really eat the seaweed, but we suggested that they start serving it as salads in the Paje tourist restaurants, since it actually tastes pretty good.

Flower demonstrating seaweed tied on lines

We ate lunch in one of the hotel restaurants in Paje, and they served us a specially made seaweed salad from their seaweed farms. After lunch we got back in the vans and drove back towards the middle of the island to Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park and Forest. Here we walked around through the tropical forest, mangrove forest, and through groups of habituated endemic Zanzibar Red Colobus monkeys.

Endemic Zanzibar Red Colobus monkeys, found only on Zanzibar

In the mangroves we actually got to walk off the raised platform and into the mangroves, over their raised roots and low-hanging branches.

Mangroves in Jozani-Chwaka National Park


Stephen, Mike, Helen, and I climbing on the mangroves

Back in Stonetown, we had dinner at Mercury's Restaurant, named for Freddie Mercury of Queen fame, who was actually born on Zanzibar.

Mercury's Restaurant, from the beach side

We went back to the Africa House after dinner to hang out and relax before bed.

Lounging at the Africa House hookah bar
(from L to R: Dee, Stephen, Fidy, Me, Mike, Reti, Vanessa, Boris, Jenny)



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