Mayotte…a “different” French Island. The Ups and Downs for Cruisers I

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Video of Mayotte Yacht Club Anchorage

I expected Mayotte to be more like ReUnion without the spectacular scenery. And it was in some ways. Same language anyways. (French) Same easy check in. same Jumbos supermarket, and Mr Bricolage.

But in many ways it just wasn’t like ReUnion at all. Different culture…different religion.Different look. A LOT of trash everywhere…almost like being back in Indonesia. Definitely does NOT feel First world. More like “second world” if there is such a thing!

ReUnion…The health care was top notch, more modern than the US. Like French is suppose to be. French is the best in the world for health care. And Reunion doesn’t fall short of that. Many doctors, many dentists, impeccable services and infrastructure are there. Lots of modern supermarkets, a real first world experience where people seem happy, satisfied, in passionate love with where they live. When in ReUnion, people speak about their country of France. You are considered to be hook line and sinker, IN France. When asked where they vacation, they name a beach on the other side of their island..in France. They ask why would we leave here…it’s paradise.

In Mayotte…it’s not like this. People talk about flying to France on their vacations, or other places, and how this is NOT France here. And they are quick to tell you what’s not so great about the place.

We planned on using some health care services here in Mayotte, but the hospital we walked in to closed to our anchorage resembled any third world hospital with long lines, 1940 looking examinations rooms and offices and instruments, and about 3 doctors and nurses staffing the entire operation. Lines of people slumped on benches waiting…sleeping they had been there so long. We found no signs for private dentists and doctors just this one loan hospital with trash in its yard, decaying benches, overgrown bushes. The one dentist is gone for 2 weeks.

There was one modern supermarket, but the rest of them, well…not so great. Not Reunion at least. There were a few chain stores, but they were small and woefully understocked. The expats we met were quick to explain about the immigration problems and why there were 75 students in every classroom rather than the prescribed 20. The teachers explained that not everyone went to school regularly so all students in a certain grade were at vastly different levels. When asked how much longer they will work here, they say they aren’t sure it will be good for them to stay much longer. There was a strike just 6 months ago where everything just got shut down, road blocks, riots…empty shelves at the grocery store. They say it’s becuase some are so u happy and are trying to show French that they all feel forgotten about…that there are immense problems here that France doesn’t see or doesn’t address.  There is a lot of discontentment, and resentment that France isn’t doing enough here. They are certainly not doing here what they do in ReUnion…that is clear to my outsider eye.

You see, the Comoros included Mayotte until several decades ago. Then there was a vote, and all of the islands except Mayotte voted for independence from France. So everyone lost their financial support and infrastructure improvements except for Mayotte. When people on the surrounding islands realized this, many tried to flee to Mayotte, on small boats or through claims that they were actually from Mayotte…trying to have the benefits of being part of France. People try to bare their children here to have a French passport. Many of them are uneducated and unemployable. When they arrive here they pick the fruit off the trees, and they steel from their neighbor…like where they are from…because it’s not steeling there…it’s sharing. The culture has grown to be quite different here from Comoros, but the Comoro people know no other way to live. Work…get a job and pay for fruits? Thievery is a big problem here, and it’s reportedly turning to violence more and more often. And the Comorans probably feel resentment that their ancestors, their very own people, don’t want to share the fruits they have been given. It’s probably dividing people more than we can see. I most definitely don’t have the whole story or both sides of the story…this is just what I have been told in more than one conversation with local expats from France who are here on extended work engagements.

They say that the schools and hospitals are so severely taxed by the extra population utilizing these services, that the remaining doctors, nurses, and teachers just can’t do a proper job. There isn’t enough medicine. There isn’t enough structure, there aren’t enough beds and professionals. The infrastructure can not support the people that are here. Not that it feels overcrowded…because it’s not. It’s just that France thinks they are supporting an infrastructure of X number of people while in reality it’s 5 or 10 times that number. I got practically offered a job teaching within 48 hours of arriving they are so desperate for help in the schools.

We are sad that the fantastic weather window we have tomorrow is forcing us to leave Mayotte earlier than expected. We haven’t seen the volcanic crater lake. We haven’t visited the anchorage with clear water, abundant turtles, lemurs in the baobab trees. We have so much to learn about this interesting place and the people who live here. Next time…I hope there is a next time when we have more time.

Would I recommend a cruiser to go to Mayotte? Well, I always feel that every country has its ups and downs for cruisers. Lucky for us we can partake in the good, and save other islands for what we can’t partake in here. Too bad for the people who live here. They don’t have that luxury.

Here are Mayotte’s ups and downs in my opinion…specifically for a cruiser.

UPS

FREE clearance in to country…just a $6 r/t taxi to the airport. No hassles with clearance. A one page form. No questions asked. 3 month stamp. No boat searches or health checks or BS.

Clear water, clean air except at the BBQ stands. You can likely make water while on a mooring or at anchor here, though maybe not at the marina on the mainland.

There is free drinkable tap water available in the restaurants that we drank with no ill effects.

Very few mosquitos.

Possibly a free mooring from the yacht club for your entire stay like we have been graciously lended by the yacht club

Cheap drinking at the yacht club…$1.50 per glass wine and it’s decent wine. $1.50 for a Licorice cocktail that is a “French” thing, and quite tasty and very strong. Nice comraderie at the club…many interesting people to chat with who own big boats here and very much sailing enthusiasts

Free internet throughout the anchorage whether from yacht club or other open signals which are of reasonable speed…(not great for videos or Skype most if the time however may be better right AT the yacht club)

Big modern grocery store to stock up on everything french and delicious.

Honest taxi drivers. You don’t even have to ask how much when you get in. It’s just a standard per person fare. They will chase you down to give you your change! And the fares are reasonable. Fairly long rides for €1.40 per person.

Protected anchorage in S and East winds. NE Winds get a little bumpy but still fine.

Free floating Dingy dock where no one seems to be having issues. Most boats and motors are unlocked.

$2.50 washing machines at yacht club.

Friendly welcoming people at yacht club with English spoken by charging degrees.

Unlimited consistent supply of water in the showers at the yacht club free for use.

ATM at the ferry/Dingy dock…

Nice people everywhere….colorful clothing, and beautiful smiles

Lots of nice anchorages that we unfortunately did not get to explore..many with free moorings

Great music on the radio

Excellent veggie market either across on ferry or after a longish walk at the anchorage.

water tap at yacht club that at high tide you can fill jugs in your Dingy. We think this is free, but we did not partake in it since we are still nearly full from Madagascar a few weeks ago.

smooth sailing inside a protected lagoon

large sailing community with many interesting people who speak a bit of English too!

DOWNS

If you can’t get a mooring, the anchoring is deep, and while we held steady in 15-20 knots of wind for 36 hours in 55 feet of water, we were happy to be offered a mooring by the yacht club, because I’m not sure we would have been ok when the winds piped up to 30+.

groceries, even veggies and bread…are very expensive..(outweighed by high quality and selection in my opinion!)

expensive bottled water if you must have it.

Eating out is very expensive so we only had a few meals ashore

Nothing but the yacht club and a few restaurants and the (very good) veggie market, are within walking distance of anchorage. If you are an avid walker, there is more…possibly walk in, taxi back.

Said to be unsafe on mainland in particular at night…so for us at least, little nightlife was partaken of, which is a shame because there is a lot on offer.

Fear of a Strike or shutdown at any time due to not understanding the French news channels. This may be over exaggerated in my head…I just did not know if what happened 6 months ago here could possibly effect us, so it didn’t feel carefree here.

French language…hard to really get to know people. But there ARE some English speakers. Some people really like practicing their English. The yacht club is the best place for this.

People don’t seem that happy…or at least not as happy and content as in ReUnion….they seem concerned…stressed. Exceptions to every rule of course.

By the time you read this…we will be sailing away…and won’t have internet for a while.

 

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Brick House gets a new headstay under the Profurl Roller Furling unit!

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Watch the Video

It was time to replace our headstay…but with a Profurl Roller Furler, how do we do this with the existing Furler in place? Patrick and a professional rigger did this together…Watch how here

 

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Borneo Malaysia 3 Years ago…Proboscis Monkey!

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As we approach Africa, I was today trying to remember when we last got to see animals in the wild…besides the lemurs of Madagascar.

It was in Borneo Malaysia where we went to find Proboscis Monkeys and Orangutans anywhere we could. It was joyful. As we approach Africa, I am getting so excited at the prospects of lots of animals again! Here is the post from our old website..it makes me smile!

 

Don’t call me a Monkey!

Don’t call me a Monkey!

 

At Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, one day I was talking to an American cargo ship officer. He was telling me about an incident which happened to him on his very first day of work as a deck officer on a large container ship. We initially got into the discussion as we were commenting on how many Philippinos work on ships around the world. In this situation, he had to jump in the middle of two squabbling Philippino deck hands who just pulled knives on each other. The source of the argument? One called the other a “monkey”! We had a good laugh over that. But now that Rebecca and I have spent months in the Philippines, 7 months in Indonesia and 4 months in Malaysia, we have seen what nasty little animals monkeys can be and that in these countries, to call a person a “monkey”, is derogatory enough to start a fight.
Visiting many national parks in Malaysia, we have had the privilege to see all kinds of monkeys. Macaque monkeys are everywhere. They are cute, especially the small ones, but in some areas they have developed little fear of the placid tourists, and this is where the monkeys can become aggressive. They are stealthy animals moving in as a casual group then quickly raiding the tables at the dining area of a park headquarters cafeteria. Most tourists just back off and let the little peeing, shitting, animals take what they want. There are only a few tourists who will swing a plastic chair at the teeth baring, snarling, animals to drive them away and save their lunch for themselves. But the raid and being ripped off by monkeys gives the tourists some fun stories to tell and makes for unique souvenir pictures.

The unusual proboscis monkey, with a very long nose, lives only on the island of Borneo. Their numbers are far fewer than the macaque making them very difficult to find and photograph. But still, rather than tramping all day on park trails, I got my best pictures of a proboscis, sitting in the late day shade, high on a tree branch, at the park headquarters. At 3:30 in the afternoon, it seems so many animals wake up from the forest and head to the central location as though it is some sort of scheduled feeding time. Every tourist is warned though, not to feed the animals. Even the hefty “bearded pigs” ramble in, single file, then spread out to see what might have been dropped on the ground. As the pigs wander through, the macaque monkeys move out of the way like parting waters.

Some of the most dangerous “monkeys” are actually the ape, orangutan . There is no “g” on the end, nor should it be pronounced with a “g” on the end. Orang means “person” and hutan means “wood” or “forest” but in the spelling and pronunciation the “h” is eliminated. Monkeys have tails, apes have no tail. To call someone an “ape” does not seem to have the impact of “monkey” but to further that experiment, I will leave for others. Orangutans only live in a few places on the large island of Borneo and on the Indonesian island of Sumatera. Their numbers have been greatly reduced due to hunting and human overpopulation. Males can grow to hundreds of pounds. But even small Orangutans are incredibly strong and need to be kept at a distance. At one park/orangutan rehab center, where there are twice daily feedings of the apes which come out of the forest. A bulletin board at the park headquarters displays pictures of tourists who were the mauled victims of an out of control orangutan. The orangutans trigger? No one knows for sure. There might have been food in the victims backpack or the orang might just have been in a bad mood that day. These animals have learned that humans are docile and nothing to fear. Those mauled tourists have permanent scars from deep teeth bites in their legs and arms and handicaps including missing fingers. But no one should carry food when there are monkeys or apes around. These animals will do what they can to steal it. But contrary to this, there are a few public parks in Indonesia where macaque monkeys are numerous and rely on tourists buying bananas and peanuts to feed to the monkeys. In these locations, there are numerous park employees who keep a close eye on the tourists to make sure they do not become too comfortable with these wild animals and might mistakenly treat them as a docile pet to touch.

In the Malaysian rain forest, there are all kinds of animals like deer, civet, bear cats (a small black bear), porcupine, clouded leopard, crocodiles, tigers and all sorts of snakes and colorful birds. The problem with hiking park trails, at the end of the day, you usually see only a lot of trees and some very nice waterfalls to cool off in. We visit the local zoos to see what we miss in the woods.

Hiking up and down the mountain trails, in the protected parks we visit, are some of the most impressive trees imaginable. The loggers would love to move into some of these areas. It is not unusual to see trees 5 feet, and more, in diameter and hundreds of feet straight up, like the mast on a large ship. Only near the top does it finally branch out into a bushy crown. There is no relative to these trees in North America but they do remind me of the cowry tree in New Zealand. The lumber from some of the species can easily be described as “iron wood” and is so incredibly dense it sinks as quickly as steel. Nails cannot be driven into the wood without first predrilling the holes. Of course this is a valuable wood so the forests, outside of established parks, of Borneo are quickly disappearing.

Since the tropical rain forest is near the equator, there are two seasons, rainy season and not so rainy season. The annual hot temperature varies little. The number of daylight hours is the same year round. Because of this, it is difficult to tell how old a large tree is. Since it grows at the same rate all year, there are no annual growth rings like trees in North America. But still, it has been determined some of the larger trees are easily a thousand years old.

The most rare flower in the world rarely blooms and the conditions must be exactly right for it to bloom as a parasite on the tetrastigma vine. The largest Rafflesia can be over 3′ across and weigh 22 pounds. The flower can stink like a dead animal and has the spongy texture like a mushroom. We had to go to several national parks where these flowers are known to bloom before we found one.

For more about our first eight years, stay tuned…

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