Travels in Zanzibar and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: visiting the Zanzibar humpback whale research team, seeing women make tourist crafts from coconut husks, Birthday celebration in Dar!
After spending three days relaxing and diving in Pemba, Mozambique (see previous post) I flew to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, stayed one night there and then took the ferry to Stonetown, Zanzibar the following day. From Stonetown I hired a taxi to take me to Kizimkazi-Dimbani, a village on the southwest of the island. I was going to meet the Zanzibar Humpback Whale and Dolphin Research Project. I had been in contact with Per Berggren, the project's Principal Investigator based at Newcastle University in the UK, since 2007 when I finished working with GVI Kenya. I had been looking for other ways to pursue my desire to do more marine mammal research in Africa and at last, after 3 years, I was finally seeing what the project was about!
I arrived in the afternoon my first day on Zanzibar so the following morning would be my first opportunity to go on survey with team. Unfortunately, we couldn't go on the boat due to poor weather...it was windy and rainy all day! Additionally, one of the dolphin watching boat captains had died from decompression sickness from scuba diving so all the community members, including the captains working on the project, had to got to the funeral. Very sad!
In the end we spent most of that day taking it easy at the project house which is behind a couple houses just off the main beach in Kizimkazi-Dimbani. I tried to work online at one of the resort restaurants near the house but shortly after I got online the power cut and was off all day. It seems such is life in Zanzibar...power cuts are nearly a daily occurrence in Zanzibar! I did a little work on my computer until the battery died and then spent the rest of the morning reading.
En route to Dar Es Salaam from Pemba, Mozambique
Flying over Dar Es Salaam...also known as it's shortened name, Dar
Following two photos: view of the beach at Kizimkazi-Dimbani
In the afternoon the project lead, Kristin, and the two research assistants, Stephanie and Jo, and I ventured around the village to look for a chicken farm the village established. We ended up running into one of the school teachers, Haji, and he led us the way to the community's small chicken farm and Haji also gave us a tour and history of the Kizimkazi-Dimbani school. It was great to see that this small community has come together to run this chicken farm to raise funds!
A typical Swahili Kitchen in one of the local houses in the village
The community chicken farm
Local professor, Haji, giving us a tour of the chicken co-op and other parts of the village
Walking along the main road through Kizimkazi-Dimbani
Following two photos: heading for a soda on the beach at local resort, Karamba
The following day the seas had come down so I was finally able to join the team for a boat survey. We were on the water from 9 am to 4:30 pm and it was a long and hot day but really nice to be on the water again. Unfortunately, despite using sun cream, I got very sunburned which I believe was due to the type of malaria prescription, doxycyclene, I was taking as it is known for making people photo-sensitive. I had to hide behind the sail most of the way home because I felt like I was burning up!
Kristin, the project lead and the two captains Foum and Khamis on survey
Kristin, Jo and Steph taking in some of the much appreciated shade while we sail on survey ...a great way to save fuel!
My view from the shade of the sail as we travel along the shore of the south coast of Zanzibar
Though we didn't see any whales we had a nice encounter with a group of about 25 Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). Initially we had the group of dolphins to ourselves but soon after we started collecting photo-ID data a tourist boat joined us and we watched them attempting to snorkel with the group. Unfortunately, the dolphin's behavior appeared to change significantly when the tourists began to jump in the water with them. The dolphins would swim away and the boat consistently pursued and re-pursued the dolphins so the tourists could swim with them. The dolphins' behaviour changed from travelling slowly as a nice tight group, likely resting, to traveling faster and elusively, in smaller groups.
At the end of the day I had observed what In fact, research from previous years of data collected on this project had shown, with statistical significance, that the dolphins do change their behavior when the tourists swim with them (download article here, popular media article here) and these changes in behavior could impact on their ability to pursue natural activities of traveling, feeding, breeding and socializing. The research project has provided information, for communities conducting dolphin tourism, on ways to better manage dolphin tourism in Zanzibar but, although many boat captains try to adhere to these rules, it seems there is a long to go both with educating the captains and the tourists visiting these dolphins.
At the end of the day I took 250 photos...it was such a nice encounter before the tourist boat arrived and I was observing first hand how poorly managed tourism activity changed the behavior of the animals that I couldn't help myself but take many photos!
Following photos: Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins observed during a photo-ID survey off the south coast of Zanzibar
This female has a distinctly shaped dorsal fin and is called Sharky
The differences in dorsal fin shapes can clearly be seen in this photo - it is these features that are used to identify individual bottlenose dolphins
Following photos: tourists swimming with the dolphins
After a great day on the water I was fortunate enough to be part of the humpback and dolphin research team's season end meal. The research team were going home in a couple days and to finish the season they had a meal with the local staff and their families. It was a nice way to finish my visit with the research team and to meet the local staff. This visit definitely gave me a good idea of the research project and who is involved and from that visit I decided I would indeed be very interested in returning next year to work as a research assistant!
The 2010 Zanzibar Humpback and Dolphin Research team!
Dyed coconut rope used to weave the mats, baskets and other products
The women working on their weaving...the colours of them sitting wearing the Kangas, the sarong like wraps and scarves, were amazing!
Dying the coconut rope
Pounding the coconut husks to separate the strands and twist them into the rope
The building in Makunduchi where we met with the group
Making our way through the village
The kids are so much fun and love to play when you take photos of them!
Can you spot the boy hiding?
A beautiful beach off the East coast of Zanzibar...looking out over the Indian Ocean
En route to Stonetown we passed the Red Colobus Monkeys at the Jozani Forest
In addition to meeting with the women making coconut products Nell had a different meeting in Paje on the east coast; Nell was meeting with one of their partners to organize a beach clean that would involve 10 villages on the island. It just happened the man she was meeting with also had a restaurant and we had an amazing lunch of curry made from fresh spices from the island...delicious!
When all her meetings were completed we went back to Nell's home which was just outside the centre of Stonetown. It was a beautiful apartment on the top floor of a big beautiful house. It just happened that my visit to Zanzibar coincided with a very important time of year in Zanzibar and the entire Mulim world, Ramadhan. Fortunately for me we were invited to eat futari (the evening meal breaking the daytime fast) with Nell's landlord's family. It was deelicious...chapatis, mandazis, sweet plantain, pasta, samosas and chai tea! It was so fascinating to be sitting on the ground on mats with the ~30 people in the family. They were all dressed up in their Ramadhan best. After we ate dinner we were absolutely stuffed and could barely move so we took time out for about 20 minutes and then walked to a beach restaurant near Nell's house for a drink. At the restaurant we sat at the end of a dock that extended just beyond the mangroves, watched the stars and fireflies and drank some wine. Very nice!
The next morning Nell and I went to Stonetown to try some local spiced coffee and gelati and bought some local textiles, kangas and scarves. That part of town is very Arabic and I loved the winding streets and interesting old buildings. Stonetown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and I could certainly understand why this amazing place should be admired and protected after I got lost in the fascinating and winding streets of the old part of Stonetown!
After shopping we went back to Nell's and sat on her balcony and drank wine, ate the freshest dates I'd ever had (caramelly and creamy!) and watched the sunset. Fortunately for me today was the day the research team was leaving Kizimkazi before heading home to Sweden and the UK so I had one more evening to hang out with them. Nell was very gracious in having us all stay with her until they went home and I continued to the north of the island.
That evening we went to the night market at Fodhorani Park right on the water in Stonetown. We ate Stonetown pizzas (fried bread with egg and meat or veggies and cheese fried inside...delicious!) and chapatis and sugar cane juice with ginger and lime. We then went to Livingstons, a beach bar near the market, and met up with some other expats living and working in Zanzibar. One guy, who has been organizing tours and safaris in Zanzibar for years, was working on organizing a visit by the King of Qatar who would be coming for the next few days. We could see his yacht anchored just off Stonetown!
In addition to enjoying the delicacies of Stonetown I explored the market and haggled to get great prices on locally grown spices including cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin, went to Christ Church Cathedral, which occupies the location of the original slave market, did a spice farm tour and went scuba diving and celebrated the end of Ramadhan at Kendwa Rocks in the north.
Local transport, a dalla dalla, loaded with passengers and goods
Got a new fridge? Why not take it home by cattle cart?
Fan palm outside Nell's place
Nell on her huge patio area...this is where we ate Futari with her landlord's family
The night market at Forodhani, Stonetown
Palm sunset!
Spices to buy in the Stonetown market...be sure to haggle!
The King of Quatar's yacht
My little buddy...wee orange kitten at the coffe and gelato shop, so cute!
Jo and Steph eating their last lunch, delicious Indian food, before flying back to the UK
Kristin and I at lunch
Lunch! Yum!
View of the sea from the restaurant window
Jo, myself and Steph demonstrating how the slaves were kept for the slave market before Christ Church was built on the site...with a Canadian Tire snow tire chain!
How the slaves would really have been kept...not nice!
Columns inside the Christ Church in Stonetown...they were constructed upside down as you can see by the square base at the TOP of the column, woops!
Following two pictures: Livingston's cross
I was treated like a queen on the spice tour!
The Persian Baths we visited after the spice farm tour
Kendwa Rocks beach bar...where I spent Eid and enjoyed the diving of the northern beaches, beautiful!
Amazing waters...dive site number 2
Surface interval snacks...chapatis and Nutella! Two of my favourite things!
Christ Church Cathedral the original site of the slave trade market before the church was built
On my last day in Zanzibar, my birthday, I went to Dar Es Salaam with an interesting woman, Alyssa, who I met through Nell and dove with in Kendwa. Alyssa worked for the Jane Goodall Institute in Dar and invited me to spend the night with her before I was to bus to Arusha to do a 3 day safari. It ends up she lived at Jane Goodall's house and the room I stayed in was Jane Goodall's! Jane herself was on tour doing presentations about Chimpanzees and the conservation work with JGI. What a great way to spend my birthday...seeing the hub of this amazing research and conservation activity! To top it off we went for a delicious Ethiopian dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Dar called Addis in Dar! My experiences in Zanzibar and Dar were amazing and I will definitely be back!
My birthday with JGI Chimpanzee ladies :)
The perfect way to end a delicious meal...Ethiopian coffee, yum!
