A seriously hot day in Mayotte

After cruising the Mozambique Channel for 2 days, we arrived this morning at Mayotte, French Comoros. I’m not sure I had even heard of Mayotte before coming here! Mayotte is located in the northern part of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Southeastern Africa, between Northwestern Madagascar and Northeastern Mozambique. It is a small archipelago made up of two main islands, Grande-Terre (Maore) and Petite-Terre (Pamanzi). It’s the most prosperous territory in the Mozambique Channel which makes it a major destination for immigration. 

 

here we are

view from ship

frangipani (Plumeria) just off dock - one of several fragrant plants that grows here

 

An overseas territory of France since 1947, French is the official language although the most spoken language is Shimaore. There are several lesser languages spoken as well. Mayotte was populated from neighboring East African and later with Arabs who brought Islam. The vast majority (97%) of the population is Suni Muslim, as you might guess from some of the photos below.

 

spice vendors

clothing and shoes sold here

taking a break on a very hot day

 

Although Mayotte is considered one of the world’s poorest countries, I must say that the limited part of the island we saw today didn’t look nearly as bad as some of the places we’ve visited along Africa’s west coast. This article gives a lot of good information about the island and its people. https://www.britannica.com/place/Comoros/Government-and-society

We tendered in for a look around. My main memory of this place will be how HOT it was!  Having been warned about personal safety, we paid special attention to our surroundings. We walked through a huge building that was full of individual booths, mostly run by women dressed in colorful clothing. Many of them had some type of white chalk looking product on their faces. We later learned that it was Multani Mati, a clay-like product that absorbs oil, prevents acne and is often used to lighten the skin. Side note: when we were in Indonesia, we saw skin lightening salons. How ironic that we Caucasians often want to darken our skin!

 

may offer sun protection as well

vendor thought Ronnie wanted to buy some

 

women wear colorful clothing

produce, herbs and spices

One side of the building was only food vendors. There were colorful fruits and vegetables and lots of different spices. I would have liked to buy some vanilla beans but unfortunately the small vendors don’t take credit card or US dollars (only euros). Almost every single person was using cell a phone.

 

cinnamon bark and other spices

anything and everything sold here

despite widespread poverty, it seems most if not all have cell phones

one of the few not scrolling a phone

Quran and other teachings

men's hats

 

Outside we asked a couple of police officers where we might find post cards. They understood what we were asking and rather than try to give us directions, they actually walked us over a few blocks and took us in the store! The locals (like most of us, probably) don’t like having their photos taken so one needs to be as discreet as possible when doing so (thus most photos were taken from behind). I did ask permission to take a photo of a baby and the lady (grandmother?) holding it allowed me to. It’s been a good (though hot) day. Tonight we sail to Nosy Be, Madagascar. 

cutie pie

ferry that runs between the islands

What I will remember most about Mayotte is how hot it was. Ship personnel welcomed up back to the tender with cold water and cold washcloths that were most appreciated!