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| the requisite touristy picture from a Spice Plantation |
Yes it was touristy ... but being a gardener, I had to take a tour of one of the famous spice plantations of Zanzibar. Actually we toured a community demonstration garden instead of a large plantation. Grown and maintained by a local village, I liked the fact that the community benefits directly from its tourism income.
Though technically not a spice plant, this lipstick plant is used for its red henna dye.
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| Our tour guide Sisso gave me a henna tattoo |
I think we are now engaged!
He also made me an palm frond origami frog necklace ...
... and adorned my earrings with chili peppers.
Finally we got to the spices! Like cinnamon.
Turmeric.
Cloves, Zanzibar's most famous export.
Pepper vines.
Vanilla.
Cacao.
After our tour, one of the local teenagers climbed a tree to get us some fresh coconuts.
To serve us up some fresh coconut water.
Refreshing!
We found out that all of the spices grown on the large plantations are bought up by foreign spice companies and shipped overseas. None of the local spices they produce are sold on the island! So chances are that the chili salt on the mango slices served at breakfast on the island is from India!
Small community demonstration gardens like the one we toured are one of the few places you can actually buy spices grown on the island. So we did!
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