Paje and Stone Town

Dec. 20, 2010

The tide was way out this morning so we walked out to see the ladies harvesting the sea weed and other activities taking place.

We saw 3 little boys looking under the big anchor rocks close to shore so we went over to see what they were catching. Would you believe they had 2 tiny dacillus fish and 1 tiny clown fish - perfect aquarium size! We spent several minutes discussing if we could/ should try and purchase them for our aquarium. While still under discussion, we watched 3 older boys working to catch small fish with a throw net.
If you read our marine aquarium entry you know David has researched various styles of fishing nets and associated collection methods. These boys had a long net only 1 meter tall and the floats at the top were all brightly colored pieces of flip flop sandals. They shaped the net into a "V" and then one boy was out in front facing the net and slapping the water to try and scare the fish into the net. They then closed the net into a circle and removed the fish they caught.
We saw a mark in the sand that looked like a potential cardium pseudolima so David starts rolling up his sleaves to pick it up with his hand. I advise him to kick it with his shoe first. Good thing as it was a huge blue crab! We pointed it out to the older boys and chased it into their net. It does not appear that they eat them here as they let him go.

We walked on to further investigate the sea weed collection activities that were occurring all around us. Wood stakes are put in the sand about knee high. Seaweed is collected and then tied on in small clumps along the string. Once the string is full of these seed clumps it is attached to the stakes. Daily the ladies come out at low tide to harvest the sea weed by gathering the lose bits around the strings. Once the seaweed is collected it is dried for five days and then sold for 300 shillings a kilo ($0.27). The sea weed is sold by the government abroad used for use as food and in cosmetics. The papasi advised that this "was a very slow way to make money" so I guess hounding tourists to take trips to spice farm, Stone Town, snorkling, fishing must pay off better.

Kite boarding was a tourist activity that was interesting to watch. We decided it was not for us as we never even got our wind surfer going to well.
Amin drove us back to Town with only a shake down by the traffic police. On all the roads around Zanzibar there are check points by the traffic police probably 4 for the 1 hour road trip. They said that Amin did not stop at a check point when signaled to do so. His license was taken and he has a ticket and notice to report on Wednesday. We asked what was happened and he just muttered corruption and pay-offs. We arranged for him to take us to the airport tomorrow.

We are now in the  Tembo hotel with promised sea view room for $120. Had lunch at our favorite Archipeligo restaurant with excellent food, view and breeze. There was a short burst of rain while we ate and that dropped the temperature slightly for a brief time.

We toured the museum palace, found the old customs house and the Dispensary which are near the port and big tree. Leslie had black henna done by a lady at the old fort. The design is on a much smaller scale and she says more "Indian" influenced. We looked around at souvenir shops but made no purchases other than trading some books in for other novels for the flight home.

We went back to the Dhow Palace hotel to see if David's favorite Ex-officio brand shirt had been found at the Chumbe resort and returned. Bless them it was there so he was a happy camper and willing to continue the hunt for Richard's house 551. After looking around different corridors and asking various people we actually stumbled across it. Just as I sent a picture of the door and house number to Richard we had an email from him indicating that "we could look down on the back patio of the Zanzibar Hotel and watch guest dining and dancing". We would have found it for sure with that description.