July 16, 1960 is a day Jane Goodall writes she "shall remember all my life. It was when I first set foot on the shingle and sand beach of Chimpaneze Land--that is, Gombe National Park. I was twenty-six years old."
July 16, 2016 is a day I also shall remember. It was the day I set foot on the white sands of Zanzibar Island, and then an hour later, via boat, on the small island of Chumbe.
Chumbe Island Coral Park is one of Jane Goodall's favorite places in Tanzania. She's visited many times, and when looking at her photo, and thank you note in the education/visitor center classroom, I knew I was one step closer.
One step further along the path of my career and my disposition towards environmental education and conservation/ sustainability. I was so giddy, to put my money where my mouth is, and spend two nights on this dreamy model of sustainability. All proceeds support environmental education and both marine and forest conservation, including research.
In the space of the main building, orginally built in 1906, was the visitor center. The open air German engineered design hosted a welcome area, kitchen, dining nooks, classroom, and main hall. Six guests gathered on the green sofas for an introduction to our stay. It was a bit like summer camp--the turtle shaped chalk board listed our activities and the times--snorkleing at 11:30, followed by lunch, then rest, then a forest walk at 3, then dinner, and then a crab walk at 8:30. As I listened to the education manager and the hospitality director outline the days, I also made note of the low coffee table. It was covered with field guides; neatly splayed books on birds of East Africa, mac-like-laminated-guides to corals, sponges, fish, and mollusks of the Western Indian Ocean; Small booklet of a specialized flora and fauna of Chumbe; special field guides compliled by a German family of all the underwater life they've documented in colored photographs in the 12 years of visits to the island (with scientific, German, English, and Kiswahili common names). I would paw through the books daily making notes of the worlds I new little about, and this island was designed to conserve. I was in heaven.
We followed Ulli, the Austrian education manager, to our bungalow #6. Each of the 7 bungalows is named for a marine critter, and we ended up in KASA--turtle. The poured concrete green smooth floor had a tile design of a green sea turtle! Kasa Kasa. Ulli explained the unique design of our accomondations--the reverse clam shell shaped thatched roof that collected rain from both short and long rain events to the filtration systems at the side of the bungalow. There, the rain water passes through layers of sand and gravel. The entire "foundation", if you will, was a sistern. Water is then pumped with a hand pump by the maintence staff to be used (in the showers and sinks) and futher filtered for drinking water (removing the tanins of the coconut palm frond roofs). The toilet is composting. Zanzibar is known as the spice island, and hanging beside the toilet paper was a small wreath of cloves and cardamon. Of course, with specially designed ventilation systems, the composting toilet didn't smell. Ulli went on to explain the partnership with a women's cooperative for the organic soaps and shampoos provided, and reminded us that conventional (my word choice) products can harm the environment. In fact, we were cautioned about sunscreen in our packing list--and a printed note about laundry was hung in the bathroom, asking us not to do any. Solar pannels on the roof provided power for small LED lights above sitting spaces, the stairs, and the bathroom. The electrical cords were wrapped in coconut twine. In the loft, our bed--drapped in a billowing mosquito net, and larger than the tent we shared on Kili so we could share without a problem.
We quickly changed into swim gear to go snorkling! A quick briefing about what to expect, and how to help preserve the coral, and we flip flopped our fins into the little boat. The waters were an unbelievable color. 50 shades of blue. The entire west side of Chumbe Island is a marine coral park--special bouys ask boats to stay away, and fishing is not allowed. As a result, the coral was the finest I've ever seen. Brain, Mushroom, Knob, Staghorn (in many colors--blue my favorite), Grape. And then the fish! Orbicular bat fish swimming so close we could have touched them; Moorish Idols with the long white whisp; trumpet fish (and you know I tada-ed into my snorkel like a kazoo when they passed!); blue spotted ribbon tail sting ray; zebra humbugs; chocolate dipped; wrasse with yellow spots; powder blue surgeon fish; blue star fish; more more more!
I loved the bouyancy, and free floating spirit of snorkeling here. It was so peaceful, and plus, I was practicing a new trick. Matteus taught me to dive below the surface of the water, and forcely blow out the snorkel; I hadn't done that before. Past snorkleing experiences were in choppier waters, that left me tired and disoriented, often with poor quality gear, and less bright and alive life below the surface!
In fact, days later I would snorkel again off a wooden dhow sailing boat in Nungwi, the northern tip of Zanzibar and that experience was more typical.
After an hour or so, we returned back on Chumbe. We were treated to a marvelous lunch. The place began to feel, to me like Islandwood-- a school in the woods environmental education center on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, with not only a similar mission, but also with exceptional food. The buffet was set up with warm dishes in clay pots on small coal fires. Dinners light by candlelight. My first taste of the octopus coconut curry, and this became the go-to dish for the rest of my days in Zanzibar. Pewza mchuzi wanaze. Mzuri sana.
In a post food coma, I wandered to a shade bed to take a nap. I missed the scheduled 3 pm forest walk. When I woke, I wandered around the area between my bungalow and the visitor center. I sat on the launch jetty stairs with Hussein and talked in Kiswahili and English about education, and environment. I was asking about, and dreaming of whales, and then he points out two black tipped reef sharks, swimming in the shallows near us. I walked down three more stairs to be closer and saw them brake the surface, black tips from dorsal fin and tail. I was beaming. So good.
Before dinner I caught back up with Matteus. He'd wandered the coral rag forest, checking out the adaptive strategies of the unique forest that exists on such thin soils. The entire island is fosilized coral that emerged from the ocean when the water levels dropped some billion years ago. Enormous clam shells frozen in time and rock, so to speak, line the trails on the East side of the island. Trees store water in their stems, and avoid significant evapotranspiration with waxy leaves. Thin shallow roots help take advantage of both short and long rains. In a tidal lagoon pool in the middle of the island mangrove forests grow. Sally light foot crabs scurry around the knees of the magroves. Conservation of mangrove forests is another area of study here--they protect the coast lines from erosion, but humans, of course, in an effort to build, develop, and access the beaches on the main Zanzibar island (and other mangrove ecosystems wordwide) have removed them. The forest is now home to an introduced collection of dikdik, a small antelope. Five were brought to Chumbe in the 1990's for protection, and now there are seven. On the paths at dusk we spot moving shells. Hermit crabs! They criss- cross the sandy paths, leaving little tracks I traced with my finger when I crouched down to observe them more closely. At night, the forest also hosts a protected species of crab--the coconut crab. With a carapace like a lobster, they need no shell, and wouldn't fit into anyone elses anyway. They are huge--measuring up to 60 cm across. We could hear them skittereing in the leaf littler before we saw them. Two varieties--a red and a blue. So strong, they can crack a coconut shell.
After some warm spiced tea, we read by solar lantern, and then drifted off to sleep. Nearly a full moon, and moonlight shadows. Crashing waves a lullaby, the music of the ocean.
The morning music was made by the pigeons. Like doves, cooing. Long long da dut da da; long long da dut da da; long long da dut da da. It reminded me of the intro to Paul Simon's African skies. Try it. Sing along. Long Long, da dut da da; Long Long da dut da da; Long long da dut da du; Long long da dut da du. Joseph's face was as black as the night, and the pale yellow moon shown in his eyes. His path was marked by the stars in the southern hemisphere, and he walked the length of his days under African skies.
The skies swirled with welcomed clouds. From the top of the 133 stairs on the 1906 stacked square light house, I feel closer to the them. The wind whips through my salted curls. It chills my wet skin and rash guard after another day of snorkeling. It brings change. Be the change you wish to see in the world--Ghandi said. There is a quote in my classroom by Jane Goodall that reads: Every choice you make has an impact on the environment. What you do makes a difference, and you need to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
Today, July 21, I begin the next leg of my path, my adventure in Tanzania. My traveling companion and dear friend Matteus left already for home, and I leave this Zanzibar for Gombe. From the East coast shores to the Western banks of Lake Tanganyika. Go West, young woman, go west. A familiar journey for me, as I seek (and maybe bring) change, conservation, education, and inspiration.
