Isle de Moyette...
This is part of a group of French Islands between the top tip of Madagascar and the coast of Tanzania. The population is predominantly Muslim. I picked up a brochure in the Tourist Information office. It was in French, but if it was in English one would think it was a tropical paradise. It shows the power of merchandising.Four of us took the tender in, it was muggy and overcast. There was sweat dripping from us as we waited for the tender to get a load of brave souls venturing ashore. Soon we were walking on the pier, no hawkers or friendly taxi drivers here. I could sense what I at first thought was the "French Reserve". We wandered about aimlessly for about 10 minutes, during that time we found out that Euros were the only currency accepted. The US dollar is not king here.
After Jim changed some money in a bank that looked more like a railway station in Dar Es Salaam than a bank. There had to be 200 Africans in there, mostly women all dressed in brilliant coloured wraps, sitting on the floor and in lines, I know not why. Most had their head covered or with a bandana type thing on their head. F and I waited outside when this transaction was taking place. Soon Jim had some Euros, off we went.
We of course ended up in the native market. I never felt uncomfortable there, but I never felt welcome either. F did buy a nice little skirt and that got a smile. Soon the atmosphere and the heat took it's toll on the ladies. We got them back on a tender to get back to "ms Airconditioning."We are not sure why the people we met were sullen, was it a French thing or are they mad at us for the cartoon thing or is it us? Probably a bit of all, plus other factors we do not know of.
Jim and I wandered about for an hour or so, ending up parched and in need of a beer. We met three fellow passengers in a French Cafe on the crest of the cliff overlooking the harbour and its mud foreshore. The smell was a bit strong up there, it is a smell that once you smell it you remember it forever, but the view of the neighbouring Islands was great.
We then decided it was time to eat something that we could recognise as edible and literally wandered back to the ship, stumbling through a residential area that the ladies would not want to have been in. It started to rain and Jim whipped out his fluorescent pink umbrella, that way the locals could not see we were infidels.
On board ship the air-conditioning quickly turned our drenched clothes into wearable refrigeration units, hit the showers and call it a day. We ordered room service for a club sandwich and hot tea. No photos worth inserting.
For us it was a nothing day, for some it was their best yet! I told you, it is a Forrest Gump thing.
One day at sea and then Zanzibar, then Mombasa for three days, a busy four days ahead. Who knows what adventures lay ahead.....
posted by Doug and Fellette @ 9:51 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home