November 7 – Changuu Island, market, and tanzanite shopping
This morning we explored Changuu island, also called Prison Island, Tortoise Island, Quarantine Island, or Kibandiko Island. This island has served multiple purposes over the years including a fishing destination for the locals, an intended prison (no prisoners ever stayed on the island, although a prison was built), a quarantine station before people travelled overseas, and now a tourist destination.
To get to the island we took a 30 minutes dhow boat ride. Dhows are a traditional wooden boat, typically with a sail, that have been used for centuries for trading and fishing. Although these small boats share the water with cargo ships, they are remarkably sturdy.
The island has a small museum dedicated to the history of the island as well as a small museum dedicated to the history of gemstones that are found in Tanzania, primarily Tanzanite. After learning some history and gemology we headed outside for a visit with tortoises, peacocks, and dik diks.
One of the most famous parts of Changuu Island is their Aldabra tortoises. These are native to the Seychelles and in 1919 the British Governer for the Seychelles gifted Zanzibar with four tortoises. Since then, their number has greatly fluctuated as they have bred but numerous have also been stolen to sell for food or as exotic pets.
The oldest tortoise is estimated to be 201 years old! These giant reptiles moved very slowly and didn’t seem to care who or what was in their way. They climbed over obstacles, including each other, and nearly ran into multiple people.
The island also hosts peacocks and dik diks (a small antelope). I saw one dik dik amongst the tortoises, but it unfortunately ran away too quickly for me to get a photo.
We were hoping to get some snorkelling in at Changuu Island as it is known to have great corals that attract a variety of sea life; however, it was low tide so we opted to head back.
In search of some fresh fruit and veggies for the next few days, we stopped at a local market in Stonetown. Mom and I purchased some local spices and coffee and we picked up produce. I normally hate mangoes, but we tried two different types and both of them were delicious. Much sweeter than at home, juicier, and a less mangoe-y flavour. The thing that seemed to astonish all of us was the avocados. They were massive!
Greg was on the hunt for a Tanzanite gemstone for his wife so we also stopped at a few jewelry stores. Tanzanite is a rare gemstone that is only found in a small area near Mount Kilimanjaro and it is allegedly 1000x rarer than diamonds! It’s a brilliant sparkly blue.
After getting back to the air Bnb, mom and I hung out around the pool and watched the sunset.
I hear that Edmonton is getting snow! I’ll think of everyone while we enjoy +30 and the ocean 😊
Thanks for wandering with me,
Julie
J Cork Photography 