Sur les terres oubliées des Petites Iles de la Sonde
Sur les terres oubliées des Petites Iles de la Sonde
July 29
This morning we are quietly visiting the Muslim fishing village on Marisa Island. There is a strong swell and the boat is rocking. Berthing with the zodiac is a bit difficult because there are a lot of waves.
We see algae cultures for agar-agar , put to dry on rectangular nets. They are thick, green and branched. Edible, we will make it in a salad with green papaya: little taste, but an interesting consistency. The local specialty seems to be roasted-crushed corn. This requires a fine dexterity: the expert woman must toast the grains to the point, with one hand throw the grain and give the other hand a blow of large stone to crush it in the heavy mortar of very dense black stone.
There are quite a few goats that eat everything including trunks, chickens, but no pigs. Wash water is drawn from wells in the center of the village, but drinking water is brought on horseback. The men are mainly fishermen but they are also builders: a large mosque is under construction and some large and beautiful houses (tiled, probably Portuguese heritage). There is an artisanal sawmill which contains teak wood from around 30 to 40 years old.