In paradise!

The trip home from Maputo was quite uneventful thank goodness but it was strange to realise that I would be home for less than 24 hours! And in the short time at home there was plenty to do. I woke up early on Friday morning and did the laundry from the Mozambique trip and managed to pack my suitcase before leaving home to run a number of errands that were required. This included going in to work to pick up some foreign cash. This ended up being so stressful because the persons who had to complete the transaction were both sitting in a board meeting and were unavailable. Eventually though the admin staff grabbed one of the directors when he came out to relieve himself and impressed on him the urgency of the situation – I had to be at the airport for my flight and couldn't leave without the cash. Fortunately the group in the meeting needed a break and the money was released. I got the cash and hurried home to pack the last few items.

The flight from Durban to Jo’burg was in the brand new Airbus A320-200 again! For the most part the flight was fine except for a few heart-stopping seconds during take-off when the engines went very quiet. After that it was smooth flying and we landed early in Jo’burg.

My wonderful friends, Jo and Diets, picked me up from the airport and we went to have a bite to eat. It is always good to spend time with them. I had not seen them since last November so there was plenty to chat about. We went to their home where I was spending the night and Jo and I solved all the world’s problems until just after midnight when we realised what the time was and both scuttled off to bed knowing that the 4:30 wake up was going to be very hard. It was absolutely worth not getting the sleep though J!

Somehow we all managed to get up, get dressed and leave the house by 5am. The roads were quiet too so we were at the airport in good time. I checked in my luggage and was very relieved not to have to pay an excess baggage fee despite my suitcase weighing 3kg more than it should have. I can’t wait to get rid of all the reports that are the culprits for the excess! We wanted to grab a cup of coffee before I headed off but the restaurants were all still closed. Apparently they only open at 6am – pretty stupid if you ask me since people are arriving from 5am. So I said goodbye and went through security and immigration. Amazingly the restaurants on the other side were also all still closed even though there were people around who might have wanted, at the very least, a cup of coffee.

My flight to Zanzibar was with 1Time airlines. It was the first time I have flown with them and they are not too bad. I liked the friendliness of the crew and they certainly gave enough information on routing and weather, etc. The plane was an MD87 and the leg room was fairly decent. I also had two open seats next to me which I was thrilled about! The pilot was our tour guide too and pointed out all the major dams and towns along the way and when we crossed over the Kruger Park to go into Mozambique he said that we were getting a really good deal since 1Time had given us a bonus game drive! The only thing I really didn’t appreciate being pointed out was the site where the two Albatross aircraft crashed near Tzaneen – seriously I don’t want to think about crashes when I am in the air.

Once we flew into Mozambique we were able to see the clouds of the cyclone that is due to hit Mozambique and KwaZulu-Natal tonight. We skirted around the north of it and it was just clouds as far as we could see. This was actually my second time flying near a cyclone. The previous time was in about 2007 on the way to the Seychelles. Fortunately the planes fly high enough above the weather activity to not be too affected by it except for a little turbulence. The rest of the flight was good and we landed in Zanzibar 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

The cyclone clouds

Dar es Salaam

Tropical island paradise?

Zanzibar

Just loved this scene!

Since I had sat at the front of the plane I got my visa quickly and changed some money to Shillings. I had to wait until last though for my suitcase and had the well familiar mantra running through my head “I wonder if my suitcase is here”. The suitcase had to be x-rayed before I could leave the terminal which was a mission. Unlike at other airports where this is also done, the machine is at waist height so there I was trying to hang onto my hand luggage and as the same time lift my 23kg suitcase up onto the machine. Anyway after getting myself almost under the suitcase I managed to lift it up and was free to leave.

It was quick to get a taxi to my hotel, my favourite place, the Abuso Inn. I have been staying here for years and today the owner greeted me by name and said he was just wondering when I would be back again. I can’t wait for the yummy treats he always brings me for breakfast! They are a Zanzibari take on donuts – very good indeed. He told his staff they should give me the best room available and personally escorted me to make sure I was happy. For me, there is nothing not to like about staying here. It is well situated in Stonetown close to some great restaurants, the night market and of course the Institute of Marine Science where I will be working for the coming week.

Dhow seen from my hotel window

After I settled into my room and unpacked my clothes, so that I won’t look like I got out the clothes hamper on Monday morning, I went to Livingston’s Café, a lovely pub restaurant situated on the beach. It is a good place that has tasty food, a fabulous view of the ocean and a great vibe. I really enjoy sitting at a table with my feet on the beach sand. My friend Ann asked that I please share what I eat in my blogs because she imagines that I eat all these wonderful exotic dishes so, Ann, I hope you are not too disappointedJ. For my late lunch I had a starter of Safari lager followed by some beef fillet mignon served with sautéed julienne vegetables and French fries. A good meal for sure!

My first Safari lager ... definitely won't be the last!

Under the trees at Livingston's Cafe

Nice view at Livingston's

The most sought after table at sunset!

I want to spend this evening preparing for Monday’s work so that tomorrow will be a completely free day and I can wander around Stonetown again reacquainting myself with some of my favourite spots and discovering some new ones. So have a good night everyone!