Mayotte

[Kyle]After a night’s rest, we were up early for the twenty-minute ride to the dinghy dock at Dzaoudzi, a small island connected to Mayotte’s second largest island Petite Terre via a causeway. Since our printer was on the fritz, we had to go to the Port Captain’s office to get the completed form that we would then take to be stamped by Customs at the airport. From there, the next order of business was to go to the phone store to get sims so that we could have internet for the first time in months.

Dzaoudzi was quite a shock to the system after being in the isolated Chagos Archipelago. There was noise and traffic and the bustle of people everywhere. More than once, we each had to snatch the other one back to keep them from stepping in front of a car or motor scooter that was speeding by. To make matters worse, they drive on the right here. We’re not used to that anymore, so we always started off looking in the wrong direction.

We soon found cash (Euros), officially cleared in, and found a very nice restaurant to get our first taste of Mayotte before turning to the chores

After a day of trudging around in the heat, we popped into a beachside restaurant for a rest. It’s always a surprise ordering in another language. I’m great with the menu, but as soon as the server starts asking what sides I want with that and how do I want it cooked, I catch the first three words and then I’m lost. Whatever it was, it was good. The one thing I did find, which I haven’t seen on a menu for thirteen years, is ti' punch (a cocktail/Apéritif). They got that one right. We made a note to look for some proper Rum Agricole in the shops.

For our next excursion, we took the ferry over to Mamoudzou, the main city on the main island of Grande Terre. Our first stop was the tourist information office by the ferry landing. There, we learned about all of the great trails and viewpoints on the island. Since we had heard there may be some security issues, we asked if the areas were safe.

”Oh, no! Not safe, NOT safe!” came the reply in unison. I’m glad we asked. Why wouldn’t you lead with that information?

A visit to the capital: Mamoudzou on the island of Grand Terre (the main island) via the Ferry to get a taste of Mayotte life

Next, we did a lap of what our town map called the “Tourist Circuit.” We were expecting viewpoints and other areas of interest. What we got was a very hilly walk through what may or may not have been some of the less dodgy areas of town. We saw a couple of sidewalk vendors but not much else. It was as if someone had traced a random circuit with the goal of making it around 5k. Weird.

Having decided we weren’t going to find the perfect restaurant with a perfect balcony view, we walked out of town to the rent-a-car district to see about getting one to go further afield. Noteworthy on the walk was that we seemed to be going about twice the speed of the cars and trucks on the road next to us. After a prolonged rental procedure which included a two-hour break in the middle for siesta. (Time to look for a place for lunch), we were finally given our car. Naïvely thinking we would do a short circuit of the middle of Grande Terre, we headed for the hills.

By the time we had made it about five blocks, we realized our mistake and turned around to go back to the ferry terminal. The two-kilometer drive took us two-and-a-half HOURS. Why, oh why do so many people on this island want so many cars?

We were on an early ferry the next day and managed to make it out of Mamoudzou before the traffic mayhem started. We saw lots of hills and high views and lots of traffic going the other way. Occasionally, Maryanne directed me off the main road so that we could see a particular beach or village or both. A few of the roads were barely wider than the car and STEEP. I was really worried we would encounter someone going the other way and we would have to back up a winding 20% grade to get out of there, but we managed to have all of our conflicts at intersections that offered a quick escape route.

More tastes of Mayotte - we took the ferry across and drove a circuit of southerly Grand Terre stopping at any possible point of interest or beauty. It was a holiday so many of the local ladies were dressed beautifully.

The highlight of our day was at the resort at N’Gouja Beach. We had a delicious lunch at le Jardin Maore, On the way out, we found some of Mayotte’s Brown Lemurs.

Maryanne had packed some bananas, which they LOVED. As soon as they realized we had them, they scurried down the trees to where we were standing and then happily jumped onto our shoulders. They bickered amongst themselves, but were gentle with us. At one point, while I was trying to peel the next banana, the two lemurs on my shoulders each grabbed an end and started pulling as hard as they could to get the banana from the other. They each had their back feet on my shoulder blades and were pulling with all of their might. This was going to be an interesting one for Maryanne at the police station. “He was strangled with a banana by two lemurs. I had nothing to do with it.”

Lemurs live all over the island (including the towns), but N'Gouja Beach is a near guaranteed spot to see them. Feeding them is on the tourist list of things to do. They were very gentle with me, but kind-a forgot Kyle was inbetween them and a banana... oops!

Eventually I was saved when the banana gave way and the victor went off to try to eat her prize away from the others, who were now half giving chase, half waiting to see if we would produce any more fruit.

After two more stints in Mamoudzou’s traffic, we were back the next day for a shorter loop of the northern end of Grande Terre. This part of the island is prettier than the south and seems to be more thinly populated. We broke up the drive with regular stops at cafes and boulangeries. That turned out to be a good idea until we got back to Mamoudzou. Traffic all but stopped again. Then it started raining really, really hard and it slowed down even more. Neither of our bladders had been expecting us to be in a three-hour traffic jam. That was the longest, slowest ride I can remember back to the rent-a-car place.

Large Baobab Trees are scatted all throughout Mayotte

A circuit of northern Grand Terre had us diving for shelter (tea, coffee, snacks) with passing rain showers but we managed a grand loop AND to return the car on time.

Fully relieved and also relieved of our car. We easily beat the traffic back to the ferry terminal on foot. We decided that, while the setting in the hillside is a nice one, Mamoudzou is not our favorite. It was nice to get the ferry back home to the relative calm of Dzaoudzi, which is still way too crowded.

Having had enough of “city life,” we weighed anchor and headed to the free public mooring at uninhabited Ilot Pouhou, where we got to spend a relaxed afternoon snorkeling along its impressive coral shelf. From there, we moved to Ile Bandrele and then Ile M’bouzi for more of the same, but with enough different varieties of coral and fishes to make each one distinctive.

Visiting some of the park mooring scattered around the Atoll was very much enjoyed. We did lots of unexpectedly good snorkelling (but our cameras had all broken so no pictures!)

The best thing about using moorings is that there is no need to start an engine to provide electrical power for the anchor windlass. Departing is as easy and quiet as raising the sails and then releasing the pendant. Arriving is a bit more difficult with the requirement to coast to a stop right at the mooring, but it’s a good skill to cultivate and there’s a feeling of accomplishment at getting from place to place without the need of an engine. When we got back to Dzaoudzi to clear out, we even dropped the anchor manually to keep the engines nice and cold.

A last stop back at Dzaoudzi to officially depart and spend the last of our Euros. There wasn't a lot of selection on the vegetable front, but what they had was HUGE (this is a zucchini/courgette)

After clearing out and then splitting the last of our cash between the market, the boulangerie and the sailing club, we returned to Ilot Pouhou for one last snorkel before an engine-free departure for South Africa the next morning.

Maryanne: I wanted to add a little bit of basic info. Mayotte is a French 'department' which puts it closer to being 'properly French' than even Tahiti. We were expecting good things and I dreamed of shopping again in a Carrefour. We certainly squeezed in some great stuff, but the general reality was all a little grubby unfortunately. Lots of trash in the streets, very limited fresh provisioning, and lots of econommic imigrants (many homeless), some resorting to the crime of easy muggings which forced us to cancel any plans we had to walk the great volcanic craters. Hopefully soon, Mayotte will catch up on those fronts and become the Tahiti of the Mozambique Channel. Geting around was easy (via the 'taxi' system), and entry/exit process was relatively slick, and the yacht club was a great help on many fronts. Getting out to the moorings around the Atoll was very much worth the effort and we wish we'd spent more time doing that than searching for impossible (basic, fresh) provisions.

Local beauty masks made from a sandlewood paste (variously called msindanu, msindzano, or masonjoany/masonjaony depending on the language/source). I didn't get any great pictures but here are some from elsewhere to give you an idea (from wiki commons, and from a French Budget Car rental site).