The journey to Pemba - at stop over on Zanzibar
on Kev in Tanzania (Tanzania), 15/Nov/2009 07:10, 34 days ago
So Internet is slow here and I cann't always get on - but we di have an old fashioned modem at home so I am updating today using that.Here is the update for travelling from Dar to Zanzibar.Saturday 31st OctoberToday Liz, Juanito, Elgen and I caught the boat to Zanzibar. VSO bought us the tickets and they only cost tsh 10,000 (flying horse) a bargain! We were meant to be seating in economy but as we boarded we were ushered into first class– got the mzungu treatment! The trip was fine and there was a tacky badly dubbed Spanish TV show called ‘Second Chance’ – it was really really bad but helped to pass some of the time on the journey…Got through immigration fine at Zanzibar, showed them my residents permit for the mainland and we then got a cab to The Shangani and nice hotel in the heart of Stonetown. I had my backpack, blue case, laptop and small day bag and it all travelled with me from Mpwapwa and managed to stay in one piece! The Shangani wanted $47 per night but I showed them my residents permit and the price was lowered to tsh 36,000 much more like it! After settling down and leaving bags Liz tried to get herself a ticket to Pemba but was unable so she would be staying with me that night.We went to Al-Johari to meet Liz (Rose, another volunteer on Zanzibar) Marius and 2 of his friends. Al-Johari is a great place, it is a roof top bar which has happy‘hour’ from 3pm to 8pm and drinks are tsh 1,600 – a good price for Zanzibar! We played some Monopoly (South African version) and smoked some Banana flavoured Sheesha which was actually pretty good. The monopoly ended with Marius and I vs the 2 Lizzes but we were defeated…We were hungry so we went to Forodhani food gardens which had just reopened down by the house of wonders and old fort. It was great to be able to enjoy tasty, fresh fish kebabs and sweet potatoes! There were the usual guys selling Zanzibari pizza, sugar cane juice and other treats.After eating we had a post dinner beer at Sunrise bar before heading back to the Shangani for a well earned sleep! I was getting closer to my new destination and did not mind the stop over on Zanzibar.Sunday 1st NovemberGot up around 9am, had breakfast up on the roof top restaurant at Shangani and then went with Liz to buy her boat ticket down at the port. It was much quieter at the port compared to Easter and Christmas, the last times I was there. We were only hassled by a few touts rather than the usual crowd.After getting the ticket we went to meet Marius at the dala dala stand near the market. We went out to Dungu in the middle of the island where Marius works at a teachers college. It was pretty rural and reminded me a little of Mpwapwa (just the rural feel not the vegetation!) It was quite surreal getting water from a old well.For lunch Marius cooked us some daal which was gorgeous and we ate it with rice and chapattis. As he cooked he put on some BBC radio comedies and listening to QI made me think of Dad.In the afternoon we went to the Army mess for some beers which was nice and good to see Marius’ local. He was infatuated with one of the barmaids which was funny. After 3 beers Liz and I caught a dala back to Stonetown.In the evening Liz and I had a date and went for dinner at the‘Silk Route’ a very nice Indian in Stonetown, we had cocktails with our curry and it was nice to have a little treat while on Zanzibar.Monday 2nd NovemberLiz was going back to Pemba this morning and she took my blue case for me and also swapped her back pack for my day bag and laptop so I could double up my stuff and then only have 2 bags to take on the boat on my trip to Pemba later in the week. We took Liz to the port and then went to pick up Liz Rose who was coming with Juanito and I to the NTRC (national teacher resource centre) where would meet Mr Shabaan and Mr Siad from the ministry. It was nice to meet them and they were very enthusiastic, Mr Shabaan gave me his visitors book to sign. After exchanging pleasantries we then took the cab to the ministry building out near where Martin and Yasmin live so we could meet Mr Sulieman who would process our new work permits, VISAs and residents permits. Unfortunately I did not have any passport photos so I popped back into Stonetown to get some done– lots of chasing around but a successful morning (I even got to watch some old Tom and Jerry cartoons while waiting for photos to be printed!). Juanito and I got lunch near the Shangani, we had falafels which were very tasty.In the evening we went over to Martin and Yasmins house so Juantio could meet them and we had a beer down by the sea and saw possibly the most stunning sunset so far. It was nice catching up with Martin and Yasmin and having a good old chat. They cooked us pasta and after dinner I tried to teach them some constellations but the sky was too cloudy so I drew them out some charts to try and use when it is clearer.Tuesday 3rd NovemberIn the morning Juanito and I tried to buy boats tickets for Wednesday but were told there was no boat leaving Wednesday– it is a little bit frustrating that the boat companies seem to change their schedules for Pemban boats every week. The guy in the ticket office told us to come back tomorrow. We took the scenic route back to the hotel (basically I tried to take us through the streets rather than main road andgot us a little lost…)For the rest of the morning I went to Livingstones to chill and have a nice fresh juice. I was reading a book called‘who hates whom’ about conflicts and issues between countries towards the end of the 20th century – very interesting! There was an old landing craft (called LCT happy) on the beach which was being painted and was so old I would not be surprised it made a landing during D-Day!! It was due totravel back to Dar at some point – I hope it would make it one piece…I went and had lunch at Archipelago which as usual was fantastic (both taste and value for money!) and in the afternoon went back to Al-Johari for some free internet and a few happy hour beers. There was a divorced South African women propping up the bar complaining about everything - especially the internet users but she must have been a bit envious as she went and got her laptop too in the end…In the evening Juanito and I went to meet Lisenka and we had dinner at Forodhani and then went to watch some African drumming and dancing in the old fort. The drumming was great and the dancing very suggestive, the mamas sure can move! After the entertainment we went to Migambani for a beer before retiring.Wednesday 4th NovemberWent to the port again to get tickets, queuing for tickets is an interesting experience– it seems completely ok for people to push in front of you and for others to ask you to buy them their tickets for them. We managed to buy our tickets and Juantio was unlucky as without his resident he had to spend tsh 60,000 on a first class ticket whereas I was able to get mine for a trim tsh16,000 but it was economy (meaning sitting down below deck as everyone is sick…).After buying tickets I did some shopping around Stonetown, berating the shop keepers for selling their goods at seven times the price as the markets in Dar– crazy, who did they think they were trying to kid? I got back and relaxed for a bit as the weather was hot and humid. I went for lunch at the dolphin restaurant where I had Pilau Kuku and was entertained by an African Grey parrot who greeted me in both English and Kiswahili! He had a nice bigcage and had beautiful feathers so I did not worry too much about his health.Late in the afternoon I met Martin and Yasmin at Al-Johari where we had a few beers and played some more monopoly– It was me against Yasmin and Matty, I had such a lucky game and really did well. The South African women was still there complaining so I guess she has had no luck on her question for holiday romance…I grabbed dinner at the Archipelago and then headed back to the room to get a good nights sleep before the final leg of my journey to my new placement. There was a TV in the room so I decided to watch something, they were showing‘Reservior dogs’ on an Asian TV channel and it was funny because it was edited for language (strangely not for violence…) There was hardly a sentence said with it being edited, it even went so far as to bleep out the ‘but’ in sentences!!Next chapter– Pemba!Take care!