Mayotte

An even lazier day than yesterday and by far the laziest of the Christmas break. Despite being in a tropical paradise I have a cold so I held off on my planned adventure to the north tip of Grand Comore, which is apparently very scenic. I will attempt it tomorrow, armed with tissues.

I lounged around at the Airbnb on the very relaxing and spacious terrace, and then took a long and hot stroll to a café for lunch. I then reversed my tracks and this amounted to the main activity of the day.

I saw this sign, declaring that the island of Mayotte is Comorian, et le restera a jamais (and will forever remain). This relates to the French overseas département of Mayotte, part of the Comoros Islands grouping and recently in the news due to a powerful cyclone. In the 1974 pre-independence referendum, Mayotte was the only island in the archipelago that voted to maintain its ties to France, and Comoros has been critical of France ever since, whilst polls show the citizens of Mayotte overwhelmingly prefer the idea of remaining under French control. Even though Mayotte is one of the very poorest regions recognised in the European Union, this loyalty is likely for economic reasons.