Weekend Trip

Hujambo!

I hope everyone had a fantastic long weekend at home!  I, on the other hand, had my first 'adventure' of my trip - a little overdue, I think.
Ben and I started off by going to Jozani Forest.  That was an adventure in and of itself.  We chose to take the cheapest means of travel - daladala.  However, when the dala's go out to the villages they are not usually the small van/bus type that you find more in the city, but these trucks.  So it's a truck with a long back on it, covered. So you climb in and have to duck, and there are benches around the perimeter of the truck.  However, people travelling have things to take back and forth, and when your only means to get around is the daladala you have to have somewhere to put it all.  Alas, the roof of the covered truckbed is also a "shelf" - people put bicycles up there, stacks of wood, harvested seaweed - Ben and I saw a dala drive by with a fridge on the top! (amongst other things).  It's ridiculous how many people they pack into this form of transport.
So, this is what we used to get to Jozani - and the ride was a little longer then we anticipated, but we arrived safely.
We got to Jozani, paid our fee, met our guide Mwiny, grabbed some bikes and took off.  Bikes!  It was great to ride around a bit on the bikes, relaxing and definitely cooler.
So there are three parts to Jozani - the mangrove boardwalk trail that is the only one of it's kind in Zanzibar, the smaller forest section where the black monkies and Red Colobus Monkeys (and Blue) are, and the HUGE forest in the opposite direction that you feel so inconsequential because of the beauty and enormity of it all.
We did all three.
It was low tide when we were there so there was hardly any water to walk through on the boardwalk, however there was a lot of mud underneath us and crabs everywhere! They were so cute, scooting along sideways.  But when it's high tide the water rises about 2m and even covers some of the forest we walked into after.  The Mangrove trees are beautiful - the vines all twisting and coming out almost like a Menorah at times.
After that we biked back to almost where we started and just walked into the forest. There wasn't really a path that we were following, then BAM!
monkeys.
They were right above us.  Some snoozing, some grooming, a couple just looking at us.  Adorable.  Their tails are so long - longer then the length of my leg.  I know I was mesmerized - I wasn't expecting to be so close to them, and it didn't bother them one bit.  We moved on to another path and the monkeys we encountered here were even closer - so close that I could have touched them.  We kept inching closer to get some good pictures, and almost to see if we could touch them, and they just kept eating, or hanging out - we did not phase them in the least.  They are SO beautiful! After we hung out with the monkeys for awhile, we headed back to the main lodge/restaurant to go to the big forest.
You can walk for hours in it, but we chose a shorter path to follow just for a little taste.  Mwiny told us that at night it isn't safe in the big forest because VooDoos come in and collect plants for their magic, and they are unsafe to be around at night.  Good thing it was about 2pm!
The forest was so quiet and so beautiful - so immense.  I could have hung out there the whole day.  You could have filmed Indiana Jones in there.  There were all kinds of trees, and some eucalyptus trees as well, which as smooth and beautiful.  If you stood still and stared at the forest roof you could see the tops of the trees swaying with the rhythm of the wind.  Breathtaking.
After we grabbed some grub and started the 1km hike to the Zanzibar Butterfly Center.  It doesn't sound so exciting, I know.  BUT the ZBC is a community project.  Because people who live in the more rural villages do not have means to an affordable income, they resort to activities that will make them some money, but degrade the forest - like making charcoal, which kills trees essential to the diversity and survival of the forest.  So, this ZBC started.  What they did was teach those in the community who were willing, how to collect and harvest caterpillars into cocoons.  The ZBC then buys the cocoons off of the butterfly farmers, providing them with a steady and decent income.  The ZBC sells the cocoons to butterfly sanctuaries all over the world, and it is non-for profit, where the income from visitors at the sanctuary is the money used to pay the farmers in the village.
Not all of the cocoons are sold though, they are placed in the sanctuary where the butterflies eventually emerge.  It is a big enclosure in the forest surrounded by a net - protecting the butterflies from harm and allowing them to live.  It is beautiful.  So peaceful.  I just sat on the bench for awhile and watched the butterflies fly around me.  A little slice of heaven really.
They have about 20 different kinds of butterflies, and Alfred (the expert who was working there Saturday) can identify them from their cocoons.  So many colours and shapes.  I got some great shots! (despite not having my fancy camera, pole sana).
After the ZBC we sat by the road and waiting for the daladala to come back - there are many running at the same time, but because we were far from town the last one goes about around 5.  It was just before 4 when we went to wait for the dala, and we finally got on one around 4:30.  And packed-in we were.  Like squished s'mores.
We got back to StoneTown, grabbed our overnight bags, dinner at the Green Garden (yuuummm! I had a whole avocado to myself and it was heaven), and then called by taxi friend Modi to take us to Jambiani.
We stayed at the Kimte Beach Resort and it was wonderful.  It is run by a bunch of Rastas who are the chillest, nicest people every - plus we were the only two at the hotel since it is low season right now.  We only arrived after dark so we couldn't see the beach - we went to walk down and discovered it was low tide.  (I didn't realize until morning how low low-tide is!!) But the stars were out and they were so bright I could have slept on the beach..... bus alas, I don't get along well with the mosquitos!
Sunday morning was a relaxing one, to say the least.  We had breakfast at the restaurant (part of Kimte) on the beach, tried to walk out to the water but it was too far (that's how LOW), so walked to a dhow that was chillen on the sand.
There were a lot of people sprinkled over the beach - some even as far out as the ocean.  They are seaweed harvesters.  They get up about 1 or 2am and harvest seaweed until about noon when the tide comes in.  And boy did it come in fast! Unfortunately, we were leaving as the tide came in, so no swimming happened.  However, on our walk to the dhow I did get my feet wet with the Indian Ocean and it was fabulous!! Haha.
Our ride back on the daladala was just as adventurous as it was the day before, and it took a long time because we were a lot farther then Jozani.  And so, I was late for my first meeting, almost ever.  As in 45 minutes late.  I've learned from last year being in Morogoro and this year being in Zanzibar that when you say the meeting is at 3, people come for 3:30 or 4.  However, I am still on time, it's something that I just can't stand - when I'm late.
I ran to the office and (a little surprisingly) most people were there.  The meeting went well.  Women's Leadership Training starts on Thursday and so now we are kind of rushing to make sure the attendees are attending.  Which is started to stress me out a little bit.  Plus some of the people I work with are trying to marry me off (I'm pretty sure it's all in good fun, so I just laugh, but I keep telling them the door is shut and locked and they can't marry me off, just in case).
Monday brought with it lots of preparations and content finalizing, NGO contacts, and confirmations.
Today is more of the same thing and WLT is going to be upon me before I know it - literally!! Yikes!


It was a great weekend!  Apart from the little things to do in StoneTown, I plan on going to the Mbweni Ruins, Mtoni Ruins, Safari Blue, and Prison Island.  Lots to do in the next 2 and a half weeks - plus three reports!! Yaaaaay!
I hope everyone at home has a happy return to work today after a great long weekend!

Sending lots of upendo <3

Jamie

mangrove boardwalk

mangrove trees

bikeride

monkey!

again!

HUGE forest. Gorgeous.

Butterflies coming out of their cocoons

eating some fruit

low tide.

low tide and seaweed harvesters

feet in the ocean!

ps, if you click on the pictures they'll get bigger :)