pictures from Kiwengwa

Kiwengwa is just one of the many white sandy beaches of Zanzibar. Just about 40 kilometers northeast of Stonetown, the island’s capital, Kiwengwa is popular to the tourists – the village has at least 7 resorts – but more importantly to me, it also harbors a healthy concentration of seaweed farms.


a coconut tree that stoops so low it is almost horizontal


the beach of Kiwengwa



another postcard shot of Kiwengwa

It was high tide during my visit so instead, we just took in the view. Most notable in Kiwengwa are the tall and regal coconut trees. It seems that these trees are not harvested for their lumber as they now reach 50 feet, even more. The pictures, here, show how picturesque Kiwengwa can be.



fishing boats docked in Kiwengwa's natural harbor



a couple of women in Kiwengwa



a desolate beach



resort staff lugging some bananas

the Friday mosque of Kiponda

The Ijamaa mosque is large by the standards of Stonetown. There are at least 30 mosques in this old quarters of Zanzibar and this is one of the oldest.


the Ijumaa Mosque sits in the narrow alleys of Kiponda, Stonetown, Zanzibar, Tanzania



façade of the Ijumaa Mosque



the elaborately carved wooden door of Ijumaa Mosque


Known in Kiswahili as Msikiti Ya Ijumaa Mizingani, it was originally built by Sunni immigrants from Faza in 1831. Like most of the mosques in Zanzibar, it was simple and unpretentious. It underwent several renovations and expansions notably in the 1850s and the 1950s. In 1994, the Ijumaa Mosque was refurbished in a more modern arabesque style with geometric arches and ramparts with funds from Arabic states. A marker in the mosque proclaims it as the burial place of famous Muslim scholars in Zanzibar.


an old gas lamp converted to electric



a small cube of a building right across the mosque



Arabic markers in marble



rampart shadows of the mosque

quick stop: Paje Ndame

quick stop: Paje Ndame

Religiously, I pushed the pin right on the spot where Cebu lies in the world map that is spread over the cork board. I see that I am the 3rd Filipino who took the time to mark the map. I know there are lot more of us who actually have passed by this restaurant of Paje Ndame Village, as it is right where the seaweed farms are.


a standard bungalow at Paje Ndame



beachside huts


For one hot afternoon last month, Paje Ndame was where we grabbed a rather late lunch after visiting the seaweed farms. The menu selection is spare and simple - just a few continental dishes here and there with some Kiswahili favorites and seafood basics. We ended up with kingfish in coconut sauce which turned out to be fresh, delectable and with just the right spiciness.


like an open invitation to the sun and sea



our order: kingfish in coconut sauce


Fancy is not what you would associate this boutique hotel. The accommodations may not be deluxe but the bungalows boast of a beach view and are definitely cozy and comfortable. Prices start at under $100 too and in a renowned beach such as Paje no less. Now if they’d only offer internet!


beachview of Paje


To go: Paje Ndame Village is located in Paje, which is 50 km southeast of Stonetown, Zanzibar or about an hour by road.

Stalking the woman in red in Uzi

Photographing landscapes is hard enough. But taking portraits of strangers poses a special challenge. You just wouldn't know how people would react being photographed. Others feel that it is an invasion of privacy which it really can be, getting annoyed if not downright angry. Some are too shy and would walk away from the lens.


an aerial view of Ng’ambwe, Uzi which I eventually visited on-site



3 women of Ng’ambwe



the woman in red was working with several ladies when I first approached her


On occasions, I can be lucky. Take this woman in a blazing red dress in Ng’ambwe, Uzi. She was at first nonchalant and then became engaging. It helped that I lingered in the location for awhile and that must have made them more comfortable with me. I was interested in what they were doing – they were planting seaweed – and they probably recognize too some of my companions who they might have worked with in the past.


holding some seaweed planting material



an engaging smiling


As a subject, I could not ask for anything more. Her red dress is fiery and catches the light glaringly. And her generous personality showed in the shots that I took.


unbridled laughter



her easygoing work demeanor shows here



a final take

To go: Uzi is about 25 km southeast of Stonetown, Zanzibar, accessible by road only during low tide via a causeway at Unguja Ukuu.

Pemba from above, part 3

This is the third installment of my aerial photographs of Pemba island which lies north of the Zanzibari archipelago. It is considered the “green appendage” of Zanzibar, known for its lush forests of cloves, coconuts and mangoes.


surreal seascape in Northwest Pemba



an isolated beach in Ngagu



Ngagu is still devoid of mass tourism



the reef between Mjini Kiuyu and Kiwani


Pemba’s development has long been associated with the dhow, the traditional wooden sail boats that were the connection between Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Utterly dependent on strong tradewinds, dhows brought cloves to mainland Aisa and in return, sent back cargoes such as wood and silver. Even today, dhows continue to connect Pemba and the rest of its East African neighbors like Kenya and Mozambique.


aerial of the farms of Mjini Kiuyu



Maziwa Ngombe shelters thick plantations of seaweed



another view of the seaweed farms in Maziwa Ngombe



breathtaking shifting dunes in the South Channel, Pemba



a eutrophic tributary at West Pemba near Fondu island


To go: Pemba is a large island north of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago that is part of Tanzania, East Africa. There are regular fast crafts and flights between Zanzibar and Pemba. Air charters can be arranged from various operators like the one we made with Tropical Air at +255 24 223 2511.

the Pemba aerial series:
(part 1 in colloidfarl.blogspot.com
part 2 in colloidfarl.blogspot.com
part 3 in colloidfarl.blogspot.com

crossing Uzi

Uzi sounds exotic - reminds you of the gun, doesn’t it? –but for the regular visitor of Zanzibar, there isn’t much to see there. Sure, it has thick forests and the accompanying wildlife (mostly monkeys), lush mangroves and lonely beaches. There are also about 6000 people spread over three villages that are largely romanticized as Zanzibar before the age of mass tourism, which goes to say that things are spare if not backward in the island. Anthropology enthusiasts might visit Uzi. Or as in my case, people may just be looking for seaweed farms.


the “highway” to Uzi island



the causeway is carved through a mangrove forest


This second largest of the islands around Unguja holds a unique distinction though. By land, it can only be accessed via a causeway that is accessible during low tide. When the water comes up, the road disappears and you might as well travel by boat.


the channel water rising with the tide


Largely a project of the aid agencies, the causeway is a semi-paved clearing through the mangrove forest that separates Uzi and Unguja Ukuu of the main island of Unguju.


our reliable 4x4 ride



a bicycle crossing the causeway


In crossing the island several times I often worry if the wheels of our car will hold up. There are certainly no auto shops in the island and the only other way is to cross the rocky road would be by foot. The people of Uzi are used to these rough conditions; but what is mundane to them is still kind of exciting to me.

To go: Uzi is about 25 km southeast of Stonetown, Zanzibar, accessible by road only during low tide via a causeway at Unguja Ukuu.

Octopus for sale at Paje, Zanzibar

One and a half US dollars. That’s the approximate beach price of a kilo of octopus in Zanzibar. I asked. The sale was done right on the blindingly white sandy shores of Paje, a district that is now crowded with tourist resorts and villas. I saw several fishermen with their prized catches of the day. Some chose to ignore the man with the bicycle and spring scale. Perhaps they have some other interested buyers in the village. I could not imagine them going to the big market in Stonetown which is about 50 kilometers away, not with just an octopus or two in tow.


fisherman with octopus, Paje, Zanzibar, Tanzania



fisherman haggling with the buyer at the beach of Paje



buyer weighs the octopus using a handheld spring scale



the sale is sealed with a smile



the buyer bags the octopus


Subsistence fishing is real in Zanzibar. With tidal surges of 3 meters, waters in the area are hospitable only a few hours certain day, half of the time in a month. Come full moon time, water recedes and the reef flat extends kilometers, allowing menfolk to fish with spears and nets. Otherwise, when the sea is high, men need boats which are capital-prohibitive.


the wide sandy expanse of Paje as seen from the shore



Paje, in another perspective, as seen from the reef



a fisherman dragging his catch



fisherman with spear

So others say that there’s always agriculture or city work but to a lot of these Zanzibaris, choices are slim. And the sea beckons.


man hopping around the beach looking for the best price



end of the day: going home