Mnemba Lodge

The lodge, and for that matter the entire island, can be booked. Rumor has it that Bill Gates visits every once and a while and books the entire island. 12 lodges at $1200/person/night. Amazing! We didn’t make it on the island, but we sampled along the coastline. Spectacular! Soft corals galore and tonnes of fish. I’ve never seen so many in my 16 years of diving. The picture only graps a handful of fish that can be seen swimming around and between us. Mnemba Lodge. A lovely place with a breathtaking sandy shoreline. Visit if you can!

 

African Fish Eagle

This fellow sat quite calmly on the bush until I got too close. Then, his wings opened and with one good push he was airborne. He soared back and forth between two points of land, both on top of coral outcrops that are fully exposed during low tide. I was surprised by how small he appears up close. But, in the air, African Fish Eagles have a wing span of approximately 2.5 metres. It’s a beautiful bird. Calm, composed, and always on the lookout for a good meal.

 

Whale Song

Okay. I had been jealous of my colleagues for several days. They were seeing humpback whales off the shore of the northwest coast of Chumbe Island. Each time there was a siting, I missed it! So, when we returned to Chumbe on Thursday I was determined to see whales. But, this kind of siting only happens if you’re lucky. As fate and probability would have it, I didn’t see whales. Though the cresting waves did make my heart skip a beat once and a while. Thinking that I was unlikely to ever see the majestic mammal, my luck changed. On a late afternoon we were out snorkeling along the reef crest. Diving down 2-3 metres to place a line of sea urchins on the seafloor. This is part of a study to look at what eats the urchins and why they are simply not being eaten as quickly as their population numbers are growing. After placing a line and letting my snorkel fill with water, I heard whale songs. It was spectacular! The song sounded as you would imagine it. Low, long notes, repeated over and over. Sometimes the song can go on for hours or days. For me, the song was there for as long as I could hold my breath. I kept returning to the seafloor, again and again, holding my breath, kicking hard to fight the buoyancy of my suit, listening. Another truly majestic experience on Chumbe Island.

 

Safari Blue

A day trip. Safari Blue took us from Fumba to sand spits, to 600 year old Baobab’s, and out on the ocean to see humpback dolphins. This trip is best described through some photos.

 

The Spell of the Winds

The Dhow. An absolutely mesmerizing vessel. Once used as a trading vessel, traveling to foreign ports in the winter and back home in the summer, the dhow is still used for transport of people and goods along the coast of Zanzibar. The triangular sail is truly eye-catching. And, when the wind blows, the sail stretches towards the water, never getting wet. My goal: to travel on a dhow someday.

 

Reaching Across Continents

I have a phone. Oddly, it connects me to people here. Both literally and metaphorically. I am now one of 100 million people (out of 906 million) living in Africa connected to the network. And, like in many parts of Canada, having a cell phone makes me more important.

What I find interesting is actually HOW the cell phones are used here. In Kenya, researchers have put cell phones in plastic bags and tied them around the necks of elephants. A single cell phone is programmed to turn on every hour and send a message, which includes information from an onboard gps, to a second phone. By this method, researchers can track the location of elephants, and many other game animals. Fishermen use cell phones to track the price of fish in different countries. Where the price is high, they weigh the cost of transporting their catch to that region. Through the Serengeti and along the path to Mount Kilimanjaro, access to the cell network is possible. Tourists can call home from 5,895 m high!

For me, in Africa, the cell phone is a more valuable than many of the goodies I brought with me across the ocean. Although I consider the phone a bit of a nuisance, it allows me to share some of my most memorable experiences with you. Perhaps, one day, while I’m I’m watching an elephant disappear into the sunset, your phone will ring. Smile.

 

Chumbe Island

One week in Zanzibar. It’s enough time to taste the local food, visit a coral reef, and have my pockets fill with dust and sand. It’s also enough time to capture some of the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen. Thank you Nikon.

I spent the last two days on Chumbe Island, an island nestled between Zanzibar and the mainland, Tanzania. It boasts 7 eco-lodges, which truly measure up to the name. Solar power, collected rainwater, and compost toilets. To me, though, the attraction is not so much the lodges, rather its the crystal blue waters and the hermits crabs running between the waves, trying to keep their many feet dry. Chumbe Island is a quiet place. There are no dogs, no cats. No roosters whose internal clock has them crowing at all hours of the day and night. Chumbe Island is no typical island. There is only one resort, nothing else. It is maintained by a staff of approximately 15 people who serve up to 14 guests and 4 researchers at a time. Guests visit almost daily. They snorkel in the morning and walk through the forest in the afternoon. Chumbe Island is a place where you can spend a day in silence, swinging in hammock, reading a book, and listening to the waves crash on the shore. There is no need to even exchange a word. At night, the stars are piercing. The wind blows, the palm trees rustle. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? This serenity, however, comes at a price. Too pricey to mention here. So, if you wish to visit, my suggestion is to volunteer for one of the many ongoing research projects or choose Chumbe Island as your study site. Otherwise, consider a few nights on Chumbe Island as a retirement gift.