The Spice Island (And The Fourth Test)...

We awoke from our overnight in Stonetown much refreshed. The combination of a long hot shower and a soft bed has wonderful healing properties. We had a late pickup scheduled - 10 am or so. The drive out to Matemwe was not that long (about 45 minutes), the spice tour would only take an hour or two, and we didn't want to arrive too long before check-in time. As usual, our driver was right on time, so we got the bags loaded and set out on our way.

As our taxi rolled down Creek Road, it afforded us another look at the market, but then it was on our way to the spice farm for our tour. It was pretty clear from the drive down the entrance road that this was not a high-tech operation.

The spice tour, though not really what I expected, was actually pretty interesting. We had two guides, one of whom appeared to be an apprentice. We wandered through what seemed like a cultivated forest, but were actually groves of spices planted at multiple levels. That is, a low plant would be planted under a large bush, which in turn was under a large tree. This allows the farmers to make optimal use of the land available to them. We saw how a lot of different spices are produced, including:

Lemongrass

Cloves

Pineapple

Bananas

Including a dissection of a banana flower, each of the little yellow flowers will produce a banana...

Lime

Papaya (BIG Papaya)

Soursop (also known as custard apple)

Cardamom

Iodine plant, which exudes a latex-like red sap with antiseptic properties. When spread on a wound, the sap dries into a protective film.

Jackfruit

Pepper

Cinnamon (the bark of a tree)

And last but not least, vanilla beans!














After our walk through the groves, we were taken to an outdoor shelter where we were offered various types of tea, and our hosts made us small gifts out of palm leaves. This was followed by a stop by the "gift shop" and a chance to purchase some of the spices we had been shown.The spice tour was really not what I expected - being an engineer I was expecting (ok, hoping) to see more of the processing end of things - how the spices are picked, dried, ground, etc. What we got was a demonstration of how they are grown, which was very interesting in its own right. I'm not at all disappointed by our tour, but still have great curiosity about the processing of the spices after they are harvested.

It was finally time for us to head for the resort at Matemwe and a couple of days of complete relaxation. It was not a long drive - perhaps twenty minutes on the paved road before we reached our turnoff. What followed, however, was another 15 minutes of really, really bad dirt road. Our driver was not quite sure where the hotel was, so we just kept going until we finally found a sign that looked right.

If by this time I had become used to Tanzania throwing me curveballs, the fifteen minute drive from the main road to the hotel was a nasty knuckleball that would taunt me for the next couple of days and haunt me for weeks after. The drive passed through a fairly populated but rural area that was dreadfully and depressingly poor. The people who lived here were some of the most destitute that I had yet seen in Tanzania. When we finally passed through the gate of the hotel, however, it was as if we had just travelled through a wormhole to a different universe. The grinding poverty of moments before was nowhere in evidence, thoroughly hidden behind an eight foot stone wall.

The resort itself was perhaps 750 meters of beachfront, and nowhere more than 75 meters or so wide. Our villa, of course, was one of the very farthest from the main desk, so we spent quite a bit of time walking back and forth along the length of the property. This meant that the wall separating our cocoon of luxury from the third world was often in sight just steps away. It was impossible for me, at least, to forget about what lay on the other side. I think that this was Africa's fourth test: would I go home thinking of the experience as a trip to Disneyland with nothing but pleasant memories, or would I be honest enough to experience and acknowledge the real Africa - the Africa where life is a struggle for most people, where basic necessities such as clean water and basic sanitation are rare or nonexistent, where great natural beauty and abundant wildlife are balanced by the desperate plight of so many of its people? How would I remember Africa, and what would that say about my character?

I don't want to give the impression that our stay at Matemwe was ruined by "The Wall". Not at all. It is a wonderful place to stay and the staff could not have been more gracious or the rooms and amenities nicer. It is the perfect way to end a trip to Tanzania. In typical African fashion, though, you sometimes get more than you expect.