I started to regret asking Emmanuelle to take me to the beach on his boda boda because we were faced with a massive flood through which I was sure we could not pass. He knew better though. I put my phone away in my bag, held and tight and hoped to God I didn’t fall off.
With his legs stuck out sideways to stop us sliding on the mud at the side of the flood, Emmanuelle coaxed the bike through and out of the flood onto Islamic Beach. I paid, thanked him and took his number.
The first thing I noticed about the beaches on this part of the coast is that there is nobody on them. There were fishing boats of course, but no bodies. There were no locals or the sort of day-trippers who go down Kimbiji or Kigamboni.
And there is no reason for this beach to be empty because it is stunning. Thankfully there was not too much rubbish. There was the predicable training shoes and plastic bottle on the high tide mark but not as bad as on other beaches in the area.
I walked south past half-built and abandoned beach properties and dhow boats resting under a tree. I noticed that along with the rubbish washed up on the beach was a large amount of dead bleached coral. I wondered why there was so much here and not on other beaches.
Soon after spotting the most beautiful starfish I had ever seen, I came across a group of women and children who were sitting in groups under trees. When I got close I could see that they were sorting shells from coral. The kids were picking tiny pieces of coral with their slender fingers and discarding them.
As I looked around the site I could see hundreds of old cement sacks stacked ready for collection. This seemed to be quite some operation. I wondered what these shells pieces were going to be sued for. I didn’t have the language to ask so I left none-the-wiser.
I decided to walk back to the main road to get the bus back to Kigamboni and had to take a detour through a charming little village to avoid a flood. Here I came across a small group of monkeys eating bright orange fruit which they had climbed the trees for.
The beach and the village on this part of the coast is really fantastic. I was pleased to find that it was difficult to get to because that will keep the tourists away and keep it clean and quiet – certainly until the beachside properties are completed anyway.
