Cashew--Gesundheit! Also, South Africa!

A cashew fruit and nut

 

Or in Swahili you say, 'maisha marefu' ('long life') when someone sneezes. Our last stop in Tanzania was Mtwara. We busied ourselves with our final fueling, provisioning, and other preparations to leave for South Africa (including the usual multi-step process of checking out of the country). While in line for the ATM, Matt met Maria, the co-owner of a cashew factory. She generously invited us to tour the factory.

Cashews from the farms, drying in the sun

We love both cashews and factory tours, so we jumped at the chance. We now have a much greater appreciation for cashews, which we already loved because they're delicious.

The ebullient Maria met us at Mama Cashew, which she had just opened a few weeks prior with George, her partner and husband. Maria is originally from Holland and George is from Tanzania. Together they have opened a factory that is projected to process 130,000 kilograms of cashews this year. In addition to turning out a great product, it provides much-needed employment to hundreds of Tanzanians in the area, mostly women. Many of the women are essentially* single-mothers that previously had no consistent way to support their children.

*Some were married and divorced (or not divorced, but not supported) by their husbands, who commonly take multiple wives.

One of the cashew processing stations

The amount of work that goes into getting a cashew from the tree to your mixed cocktail nut tin is mind-boggling. I had read that cashews were expensive because the delicate nut had to be extracted by hand. But seeing all the steps that go into the process and the speed of the nimble fingers that extract the nut was a revelation. 

Cashew cutting and shelling

 

I won't describe the whole process (though Maria spent a lot of time showing and detailing to us all the stations and steps) but there is a lot more involved than just cracking a nut. First of all, cashew shells contain urushiol, which is the same stuff that makes poison ivy so toxic. The workers coat their hands with oil for protection but have to remember not to touch other parts of their body. The shells are heated to make them easier to open. One set of workers cuts the shell (there are also machines that can do this part, but the machines are more prone to breaking the nut) and removes the cashew from the shell. The workers' speed and dexterity are truly impressive.

One of the boilers that powers the steam for the ovens

 

Down the line, another set of workers peels the skin from the cashews. This is also intricate work that doesn't even look easy. In between the various processes, the cashews are carried, dried, steamed, and heated. The ovens and steamers are powered by boilers that use the discarded shells. In the end, the cashews are sorted, packaged and exported.

Steamers to soften the cashew shells

Tanzania is the second largest supplier of cashews in Africa and 60% of the world's cashews come from Africa. Unfortunately, there aren't enough processing facilities like Mama Cashew in Tanzania, so a lot of cashews (and profits) go from the farms in Tanzania to processors in India and Vietnam. Even beyond the Fair Trade designation of Mama Cashew, Maria and George seem to be focused on good working conditions and improving the lives and livelihood of the workers. Her enthusiasm was contagious and we left the tour really rooting for its success. I will certainly never take cashews for granted again.

 

I hope the home-schooling thing is working because cashew processing is not in this kid's future. The factory would go out of business.

Once we wrapped up all the chores and preparations in Mtwara (Perry was actually anchored in nearby Mikindani), we left for Richards Bay, South Africa on a favorable weather forecast. A few kilometers outside of Tanzania waters, a big Tanzanian Navy RIB with a deck-mounted machine gun pulled up and started yelling for us to stop the boat so they could pull alongside. As we struggled to bring in the sails and slow the boat, the Navy boat bounced against us and threw their lines around our cleats. They didn't seem to understand that sailboats under sail can't just stop on a dime. The cranky yelling continued until they had gotten the documents they wanted (which took a few tries because of the windy and wavy conditions and a little vagueness--we want to see 'all your boat papers').

As it turned out, they just wanted to ask a few questions (like 'are we carrying contraband') and see our exit documents, but their aggressive tactics left a bad taste (and a couple of small gouges on the side of the boat).

 

An underway (in underwear) repair of our mainsail batten.

Our trip to Richards Bay was relatively fast and eventful. This seven-day passage was not the slow, flat downwind spinnaker-fueled run to Puerto Rico. We reached record speeds going downwind with the combination of current and wind (20+ knots surfing down a wave), despite having our sails reefed to the size of a handkerchief. Heavy winds make for challenging gybes, and during one of them, our mainsail top batten broke.  Matt replaced it, but the new one was a hollow batten instead of a solid one (which we were assured was just as strong). It too broke a couple of days later as the winds hit 40 knots and we were taking the sail down.

Luckily, we did not have to stop in Mozambique to wait out the weather as is common for this passage. We did have to motor a bit through some lulls to get into Richards Bay ahead of the next front, as well as to dodge some intense lightning storms as we closed on the coast of South Africa. There were also many more sail changes than usual. But we had favorable currents (4+ knots at one point) almost the entire way. The casualty list: mainsail batten (x2), engine room bilge pump, battery charger (we have two), laptop (we have a backup), leaky galley faucet. Also, the cutlass bearing on one of our engines started whining at us, letting us know that we should replace it soon.

We were very happy to see Richards Bay when we pulled up to the mouth of the harbor around 7 p.m. We had to wait a couple hours for shipping traffic before we were allowed to head in, so we had some dinner in the relatively calm waters outside the harbor and waited. With radio support from our cruising friends already in Richards Bay and tie-up help from Austin on Enchantress and Jenny and Natasha (the OSASA reps that have been helping to smooth the way for cruisers), we safely tucked onto the concrete quarantine dock around 11 p.m. After PCR tests and a day and a half of waiting for our clearance from the various officials, we were free to move about the country.

Richards Bay is a refreshing change for us after being away from civilization for so long. The grocery stores have just about everything (especially meat) at a cheap (for us) price and the people are friendly. We are docked at the Zululand Yacht Club, which is a lovely and welcoming place. We don't normally stay at marinas, but the price is very reasonable and the anchorage options are limited. Many of our cruising friends are here and the club has a braai several times a week.

We are ticking away our boat maintenance and repair list. The laptop is fixed and better than before, we have a new batten, the charger has been repaired (Matt replaced a couple of fuses that we didn't know existed), the galley faucet is fixed, and the bilge pump has been replaced. Having water at the dock also means that Perry has gotten the first proper wash down in almost a year.  Meanwhile we are also watching the forecasts closely to find a good weather window to make our way to Cape Town, where we hope to spend the holidays.

The Many Faces of Tanzania

Tanga anchorage

We met a Tanzanian woman named Happy (isn't that a great name?). She visited Europe for the first time a couple years ago and although she enjoyed it, she explained why she wouldn't want to live there. In Tanzania, even though people don't have much, they will help as much as they can you if you are in need. Contrast this with Europe, where people expect themselves and others to be self-sufficient. If someone needs help, the government might help, but the culture is not one of widely sharing.

Mohammed of Koma - fisherman, teacher, community activist

Those weren't Happy's exact words, but it's the gist of what she was saying. I wonder if that sentiment--that Tanzanians believe that more fortunate people should share what they have--is the basis for one of the more annoying aspects of visiting Tanzania for Western-minded foreigners. Does Tanzanian culture spawn the idea that foreigners (who in the minds of many Tanzanians are all rich; relatively speaking, they are not totally wrong when it comes to most visitors) should share what they have with less fortunate Tanzanians?

A house on Kilwa Kilindoni. Guard goats.

 

Particularly in areas visited by a lot of tourists, like Zanzibar and Arusha (the starting point for most safaris and near Mt. Kilimanjaro), the touts and beggars can be overwhelming. There are more ways for people to make money off tourists than you can shake a stick at--from selling tours and knickknacks to steering people to a specific store, bus or restaurant. Saying 'no, thank you' seems to be akin to an invitation for the hard press. And when it becomes clear that you mean 'no', it can transition to just plain begging for a 'gift' or 'help'. Like many countries that rely heavily on tourism, Tanzania's tourist industry (despite its lack of restrictions during Covid) has suffered mightily and the desperation in some people is palpable.

Kids having a laugh on Koma Island

Even in the less tourist-ridden spots, if the price isn't marked, foreigners can expect to be charged much more than locals for produce at the local market, clothes or for a taxi ride. Although this isn't uncommon throughout the world, the magnitude of the overcharging can be much bigger. Some of these guys are really shooting for the stars. Whereas in Southeast Asia, you might be asked for two or three times the local amount, in Tanzania it is common for the starting salvo to be ten times the local amount. On the other hand, in Mtwara, which seems to have very few foreign visitors, there don't seem to be Mzungu (literally 'white') mark-ups. A police officer in Mtwara that Matt was chatting with did ask whether we were rich though.

Mosque ruins in Kilwa Kisiwani

 

My attitude towards these tiny 'injustices' has evolved during our time here. Mainly, this is because the strength of the dollar makes everything really cheap, especially compared to the crazily expensive Seychelles. Negotiating beyond a certain point often means quibbling over pennies. I used to feel that the fleecing of foreigners translated to a lack of respect for us suckers (and I still feel like some places and people do get a measure of joy from it), but really most people are just trying to make as much many as they can and it's not all about me.

More mosque

It took us a couple of weeks of day-hops to move from Tanga to Mikindani/Mtwara. After returning to Stone Town and spending a couple of days in Dar es Salaam, we visited a small island called Koma. We had heard about it from other cruisers and friends. The highlight of the visit was Mohammed, a fisherman who has started the equivalent of a Head Start program for pre-school aged children. Although he has no formal training, he has taken it upon himself to teach the young children of Koma until they start Primary School (there is a government school on the island) at the age of seven or so. We were able to donate our globe and some books and spent some time with the many children and seeing the villages.

Inside the Gereza/Fortress ruins at Kilwa Kisiwani with Jemila, our guide

We also made a stop to see the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We hired our required guide, who purchased our permits, and took a boat to the ruins, some of which date back to the 13th century. We saw a lot of incredible historical places and ruins in India and Cambodia, but it was still an interesting visit.

Teaching the kids the card game Uno

Frisbee anyone?

As I write this, we are in Mikindani doing our final fuel and food provisioning and boat projects and taking care of formalities in Mtwara. As soon as the weather forecast is favorable, we will start making our way to Richard's Bay, South Africa. By the time this post is published, we should be on our way to Richard's Bay. The journey can take a little over a week or as long as a few weeks, depending on the weather and whether or not you have to stop along the coast to wait for weather. I just said some form of 'weather' three times in a row, so it's time to go.

Mohammed with some items bought with money donated by Steel Sapphire

Safari in Tanzania

 

Mara River crossing. The number of animals was mind-boggling

 

As I was going through the pictures for this post, it occurred me that it will be more like a boring vacation slideshow than most of our posts (which are already pretty close). Not only are there a lot of pictures--because I had a hard time choosing, but who hasn't seen almost the same stuff in the zoo or when watching a nature documentary?

 

Two male lions in the Northern Serengeti (there were three males in this group)

So, I'm sorry if all these pictures seem a touch familiar. But much like the Grand Canyon, Eluru, and any full moon, some things are just much more impressive in person (and in blog posts, obviously). And nature and wildlife is our favorite.

African blood lilies

Here's a shot of our safari car in the Northern Serengeti. Note the low sides and lack of windows. If anything wanted to eat us, we would be easy pickings. Fortunately, the lions and other animals don't seem to see the people inside the vehicles as separate. Our guide said that they do sometimes jump on the hood or roof to get a better view of their prey.

Matt and I were in Tanzania in 2004, so we had been on safari here before. But this trip offered lots of new experiences: several river crossings with hordes of wildebeest and zebra, many more babies of every type, leopards galore, and kills. On our last trip (and this one too), we pretty much wouldn't shut up about wanting to see a kill. If you believe every guide we have ever talked to, it is very rare to see a hunt that results in a kill. So we felt very lucky this trip to see four (3 croc v wildebeest and one cheetah v. gazelle*).

The first set of lions we saw eating in Ngorongoro Crater. We missed this kill by a few hours but got a great view of the big pride eating their fill.

The jackals got their share.

The hyena also got his.

We saw three wildebeest babies taken by crocodiles during one of the river crossings. As one of our guides said, 'Wildebeest are not clever.' They took forever to work up the herd mentality to actually start crossing the river. But once they started, they kept crossing, even as their young were being taken out. It was fascinating, but after getting to know the wildebeest we felt kind of bad for them. When you've seen them nursing, playing and even chasing a butterfly around a field, it's hard not to become fond of the strange-looking creatures.

Wildebeest speeding across the river

Their nemesis: the crocodile

A crocodile surveying the all-you-can-eat buffet

Lots of splashing but no blood as the crocodile drowns its prey and shoves it underneath a rock

Just so you don't think we were just out for blood the whole time, here are a few other pictures of the wildlife. Tanzania does an incredible job of protecting its wildlife and the result is an unrivaled number of animals.

This is big excitement in lion watching. 2 of them actually have their heads up and AREN'T sleeping.

Baby water buck

Warthogs actually have warts (OK, not really--it's just mud)

Impala

Baby leopards

Kingfisher

Lion love

Baby cheetah and mom

Love the hippos

Hungry, hungry hippo

There were just so many animals

The fourth and final kill may need an asterisk, because a local bus pulled in front of us just as the kill happened. It was all the more annoying because half the bus's occupants were looking at us tourists and not the cheetah killing the gazelle, probably wondering what we were so annoyed about.

Locked and loaded

The kill (happening behind this *&%#! bus)

Gotcha--the gazelle was still wriggling

By the time of our visit, towards the end of the safari season, the predators were pretty well-fed. The lions and crocodiles were living the life but still didn't really make a dent in the huge prey populations. We were very fortunate to be able to see everything we saw. It was worth the 9-hour bus ride from Tanga to Arusha (and back) and do the kids really need to go to college anyway?