Blogs from Comoros, Africa

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Africa » Comoros » Grande Comore May 9th 2015

The Comoros In the Comoros, I reached the lowest ebb of my trip around East Africa. Perhaps it was to do with the lack of sleep or maybe the fact I’d had enough of the heat and humidity of Africa. Or perhaps I simply missed home. The rain didn’t help much either. Thick, dark clouds had covered the entire country on our approach and, as the Kenya Airways jet descended below them, the beaches looked black and angry, pounded mercilessly by ferocious waves Thirty minutes before landing on Grand Comoros, it had been a different story. My flight had taken a scheduled stopover in Mayotte, the French dependency that had once been part of the Comoros. The ocean surrounding it was a mesmerizing palette of tropical blues. But then we’d taken off and flown ... read more
On approach to Mayotte
Tropical
Mosque on the airport road

Africa » Comoros April 21st 2012

Yesterday we started shooting our last episode of Fema TV Talk Show. Our 15th in the series. The topic is HIV/AIDS and youth... Here, like at home, there is a belief among the youth, that AIDS is no longer a concern. With the availability of Anti-RetoVirals and other medications, the virus is no longer fatal but rather a chronic condition. As a result, safe sex is being ignored because they believe that if they are infected, they can take medications for the rest of their lives. In their minds, HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence. It is the mandate of one of our partners, PSI (a division of USAIDS), is to get the message out there that HIV/AIDS is still a reality and the best prevention is condom use. The youth here, as I mentioned ... read more
Patricia Making A Dress
Patricia's Shop
A Tanzanian Strip Mall

Africa » Comoros » Grande Comore July 21st 2008

Ei stund har gaatt sidan sist og av den grunn vert dei ei kjapp oppsummering av hendingar verdt aa faa med seg. Dei er det vel heller faa av. Paa Komorene er det no drivstoffkrise, noko vi har faat merke. Prisane paa transport ryk i vaeret, dersom transporten eksisterar. Dagen etter Karthala tenkte vi oss til austkysten, naerare bestemt ein landsby kalla Chomoni. Den skulle ha fine strender og eit hotell. I ti tida var vi i gang med aa leite etter transport, og byrja med aa spoerje paa pris paa taxi. Prisane dei prenseterte ville sprenge budsjettet, saa vi leita etter andre alternativ. Etter aa ha traska ei stund traff vi ein som jobba paa hotellet i Chomoni, og han kunne faa oss dit for ein svaert rimeleg penge. VI beit paa og lot han ... read more

Africa » Comoros » Grande Comore July 18th 2008

Som avtala vart vi litt uventa henta kvart over fem onsdag morgon. I bilen sat ein eller anna kviting aa sov, og han kvakk til daa vi sett oss inn i bilen. Han var i fraa Polen, og snakka kun polsk og fransk. Vi tok avgarde og det tok ikkje lange tida foer han jabba i veg paa fransk. Eg forstod kanskje 40 prosent av det han sa og gjetta meg til dei neste 30, og som alle med sans fior tal forstaar forstod eg ikkje halvparten. Lyden i stemmmen var dog hyggeleg. Etter ein kort biltur var vi framme, og byra aa gaa 0550. Til aa byrje med saag vi lite og det var litt kaldt. Dette varte ikkj lenge og etter at sola stod opp fakk vi sjaa frodig regnskog og kjenne den klamme ... read more

Africa » Comoros » Grande Comore July 16th 2008

Heilt sidan 2004 har eg hatt lyst til aa reise til Komorene. No er eg her! Martin, Tonje og eg ankom paa mandag og inntrykka lot ikkje vente paa seg. Foert gjekk eg nesten i bakke av prisen paa visum; 500 kroner! Etter aa ha svelgt det viste det seg at folk snakka ingenting, og daa meiner eg ingenting engelsk. Min stotrete fransk gjorde ikkje det heile betre. Eg skal laere meg fransk skikkeleg ein dag. Langskapet her er unikt, sterkt perga av at det er ei vulkansk oey. Der det ikkje er groent er det svart, vukanske stein. Samstundes som at dette er vakkert, staar det i sterk kontrast til alt som er av bebyggelse. Alt er nedsluppe, i enda stoerre grad enn eg har sett ellers i afrika. Ein kan sjaa at dette skulle ... read more

Africa » Comoros » Mayotte March 3rd 2006

March 2nd, 2006, Day 56 of our cruise of 105 En mer, après une autre journee francaise a Mamoudzou en Mayotte. 16326.8 nautical miles from Ft- Lauderdale Il fait tres chaud. 8º Sud de l’equateur et 43ºEst du meredien de Greenwich I tried to take a picture of the daily schedule, it is half the page Enjoy Hello my children, hello granny. Ttys, love to all we are arriving in zanzibar!... read more
wash day
daily schedule
captain's dinner

Africa » Comoros » Grande Comore July 1st 1999

June/July 1999 Back to Grande Comore Once again it was a sad goodbye to our friends. Living in such close proximity, even though they gave us our own 'space' so to speak, we still spent a lot of time together, chatting and getting to know each other even more. On a boat there is not much space to go to be by yourself if you wanted to get away from anyone, but we all seemed to get along well and it was great bonding time for us and our sons. Our taxi stopped at the airport, but it didn't look much like an airport with no planes in sight and the building a bit run down. No neon lights guiding you to the right desk. We walked in not sure where to go, but soon we ... read more
Fomboni
Our Plane!
Fomboni airport

Africa » Comoros June 23rd 1999

June/July 1999 Bonjour Madame…welcome to our island! Moheli was a sight for sore eyes after my unpleasant experience of seasickness and nearly losing my husband. We were approaching calmer waters, far better for my constitution. Having sailed from Grand Comore throughout the night, as dawn broke we decided to trawl for some fish before we got close to the island, for our dinner that night. Shortly after that we heard the familiar zing and Jacques was the lucky one to catch a Wahoo of generous proportions. Not bad for a morning’s work! We anchored at Sambadjou beach near Miremani and it felt like there was a welcoming committee waiting for us. We were soon approached by the ‘Gendarme’, wanting to see our passports and giving us instructions where we had to have them stamped – right ... read more
Miremani
Sambadjou beach
Moheli

Africa » Comoros » Grande Comore June 20th 1999

June/July 1999 Grande Comore Arrival. Our flight arrived fairly late at night, on the main island, Grande Comore. It was great to see three familiar smiling faces greeting us at the airport: Willem, Elize & Lomé. We all took a taxi to the harbour at Moroni, where Bossi was moored. No sight of her, only other larger boats. Eventually we spotted her attached to another boat next to the quay, dwarfed by comparison by the larger boats. Our trusty familiar home for the next 10 days. To get to her we had to negotiate our way over rails and obstacles of the larger boat in the dark of night, with very limited lighting. Luckily none of us landed in the harbour water, filled with diesel and other unexpected particles. Because it was quite late already, we ... read more
Moroni
Moroni
Moroni

Africa » Comoros June 18th 1999

June/July 1999 It was the following year after our trip to Madagascar. What we needed was another family holiday. By now the travel bug was nibbling away steadily at all of us. Where would we go? We just didn't seem to have the energy to do a usual trip through a foreign country, using bus, car or train, traipsing around sightseeing. At a destination with a beach of course! Does there seems to be a pattern here? Where to go? Paul was keen to do the exact same trip to Madagascar and contacted Willem & Elize to quote us for another trip on Bossi, sailing around some of Madagascar again. But friends of ours had gone to Comoros earlier in the year and thoroughly enjoyed themselves,. They had spent a week at the Le Galawa hotel ... read more
Grand Comore
Anjouan
1st injury




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