Day 8 Chilling and Chole Island

The food here is variable but on the whole pretty good. No choice but lots of variety and no meals have been repeated. Every so often we have an astoundingly good meal and last night was a case in point. Thai fish soup (spicy but not too, lots of subtle flavours), grilled lobster and calamari – so fresh and perfectly cooked followed by a totally delicious lemon posset. There was interesting dinner conversation and I slept well. Probably my best night – maybe as it was a little cooler.

The view was that the weather would not be good today and that whale shark spotting would not be possible. I keep my options open and wait to see what the weather is like at breakfast

I therefore eat breakfast and head to the bar. No-one is doing anything this morning. So we compare photos and holiday experiences. Hans and Nicole from Holland are very experienced divers and have done a number of live aboard diving holidays around the world. They have given me lots of ideas and it sounds like a great way to dive, particularly if you are a solo traveller.

I have not finished this holiday yet and am already planning my next trip! It is 11.00 and the weather is improving. I have ordered a beer and am heading down to the pool shortly as it is getting quite hot again.

After a lovely refreshing swim I take a stroll along the beach to the eco hotel next door – Pole Pole which is meant to be very high end.

All very pristine but the rooms are set amongst quite dense vegetation and it seems quite dark and gloomy. Glad I opted for Kinasi Lodge. I take a few photos of the mangroves and some tiny fiddler crabs, then head up for lunch.

Everyone else is diving this afternoon. I am heading across the bay to see Chole Island. We set off in the multi-purpose dive/snorkel/tour boat. I am the only person on the trip – VIP treatment again.

Chole Island was settled by the Arabs in the 15th century. It was on an important trading route. We stroll up from the beach past a small cafe and head for the Customs House, jail and slave market. The Customs House is a very large building but it looks to me as though very little of the original structure remains. Most of the walls look newly repaired. Next we visit the jail. The roof is long gone but it is still dark and forboding inside. I would not have wanted to be locked up here.

The site of the slave market is close to the shore so it was conveniently placed for merchants. Terribly dark times and I am pleased to leave this area and move on to more positive experiences.

We first visit the primary school. There is a large grassy central area and the children are playing football. The buildings in front of me are living accommodation for the teachers and the classrooms are to my right.

We stroll on and behind the school is a small plot growing sweet potatoes and another plot growing cassava.

As we stroll towards the main village we pass assorted fruit trees; banana, mango, orange, baobab, coconut. The vegetation is lush and aloe plants are growing everywhere. Chickens roam amongst the foliage and cows and goats are tethered alongside the homes. Houses are made from stones and mud on a wooden frame. Not dissimilar to wattle and daub.

I am impressed at how clean everywhere is. There is no rubbish to be seen, washing hangs on lines and women are sweeping there courtyards. Apparently the government has introduced a law that people must burn their rubbish. If they do not they receive a fine.

As we approach the centre of the village we stop at a well.

There are two steps up to it and it is probably 6ft wide at the top and very deep. I try to see the water at the bottom but leaning over is making me feel giddy. I hold my camera over the edge and take a picture. If you fell in I do not think you would survive. As the top is completely open, I am sure many children must have lost there lives here over the years. This was the only source of water for the island until 3 years ago when a pipeline was built across the bay to Mafia. There are now 2 freshwater taps in the village but they are locked much of the time and can only be used at certain hours.

There is no electricity on the Chole. The general store has a solar panel and is full of mobile phones charging. The store owner is very enterprising and people must pay for this facility.

We stroll on – two ladies are sitting outside their home with manual sewing machines. They are embroidering squares of cloth and their children are beautifully dressed in brightly coloured fabrics.

I hear squeaking above me. I see there is a huge tree in front of me and it is full of fruit bats. They are large and occasionally take flight and fly around our heads. I wish I had a tripod to rest my camera on – I doubt that any of my shots will be particularly great.

As we move on I see seaweed laid out to dry in the sun and this would be what I saw being harvested yesterday.

We head down to the shore where a wooden boat is being repaired. Personally I should have thought it was past renovation. Pretty well all the ribs have been replaced.

There is a new dhow being built in a shed. If the materials are available it takes 4 men about 4 months to build a dhow. Everything is done by hand, there are no machines. It must be very hard work in this heat and I am impressed that such a large vessel can be built so quickly.

We finish by seeing the hospital. I cannot believe that this is a working hospital. It is so very basic with a few solar panels pitched precariously on one of the shed roofs. They only deal with minor illnesses here or malaria. For anything serious people will travel to Mafia though I cannot believe the facilities there are much better.

There is so much we take for granted in the west. Travel changes your perspective for sure.

We sit and chat before dinner, re-arrange the dining tables so we are closer together and have an enjoyable evening. Dinner is tasty with fresh prawn cocktail and a sweet and sour stir fry.