Sunday in Anjouan

Sunday morning was yet another early start but fortunately not as early as Saturday. I got up at 5am, had a lovely HOT shower and then packed whatever I had taken out of my suitcase the night before back into my suitcase. At a quarter to six I dragged my suitcase downstairs. This was quite tricky as the stairwell was very narrow and manoeuvring myself and my suitcase around the bends was interesting. I got downstairs to find everything locked and not a soul in sight. I was not worried about getting out as I had a gate key but did not know how I would return the keys. While I was standing there contemplating this small dilemma, a man walked towards me from the garden and in my really bad French I managed to explain to him that I was leaving. It was okay he said, he would let me out and return the keys. He took me out front to a waiting taxi but since I was going to be picked up by Ibrahim, I explained that I did not need his services. An awkward period followed for the next 15 minutes with him watching me wait for Ibrahim to arrive.

Thankfully Ibrahim was on time and we made our way at breakneck speed to the airport. The driver was crazy which seems to be the norm here. We had been told that we should be at the airport at 06:30 but when we got there all the airport gates were still closed. Our driver found a back way in and we had to wait outside the airport building until 7am to be let in. I guess the airlines have figured out that they have to tell people to be there half an hour early to get them there on time. We hung about waiting for our flight which was due to leave at 8am and we were eventually led out to our small plane at 8:10.

The little plane that we flew in

The interior of the plane

Once all the passengers were seated we were each given a chocolate biscuit and a small bottle of water - this is the more upmarket airline! The one we flew on last year gave us nothing! The commander gave us our safety briefing which amounted to "buckle up and enjoy the flight" and we were off. It was a fairly nice flight, only 30 minutes and at an altitude of 5000 feet. We took off and did two spirals up and then crossed Grand Comoros to the east and on to Anjouan. There were some clouds about which provided a little turbulence but nothing too bad. The worst thing about the clouds was that it obscured the view of the volcano. I did gat to see the top of it though.

The top of the volcano

Soon enough Ibrahim pointed out Mohéli on the horizon and very shortly after that we saw Anjouan. Anjouan is apparently the oldest of the three islands of the Comoros and is quite different in its landscape. It is much more hilly but also has more agricultural land than the other islands. It shares the same dense vegetation though.

 Mohéli on the horizon

First sighting of Anjouan 

 Anjouan

More Anjouan

The airport's runway runs from the sea towards the mountains so from my limited viewing point it looked like the pilot was going to either put us down on the beach, or into a mountain or both. What didn't help was that Ibrahim was a little confused about the airport's locality so he thought we were landing in completely the wrong place.

 Flying over the beach to land

Anjouan's airport

We landed safely of course and disembarked to the small terminal. While we were waiting inside for our luggage it started to rain. All the luggage was naturally standing out on the apron getting wet - I am so glad my suitcase is waterproof! Oirdi, the main contact in Anjouan, came to meet us in the airport terminal and once we finally got our luggage he dispatched us into various vehicles to be taken to our respective hotels. Oirdi's wife was responsible for taking me to my hotel, something I think she wasn't overly happy about doing. She certainly didn't come across as being friendly but then maybe she thought I couldn't understand her so it wasn't worth trying to talk to me.

The car trip took us along the coast through the little villages (I think it was more than one). The road was really bad and the drivers worse. They drive wherever they feel like driving on the road and stop and start at will. The buildings are quite old and dilapidated to match the roads. After what seemed like forever we eventually arrived at the Hotel Al-Amal.

 A view of the coast from the car

 Another view along the way

Peering through the windscreen from the backseat

The hotel is nice but really very old. It is currently under renovation but my room has not had that benefit yet. It does, however, meet my basic requirements: it's safe, clean and there is hot water. In addition it has a functional air conditioner, lots of space, a lovely balcony overlooking the garden and ocean and a working tv (only one channel from Reunion but at least I can see some news for a change).

My room 

The view of the garden and the ocean

Since I had not eaten anything since the previous day, except that chocolate biscuit on the flight, I had a small snack of coffee and cracker biscuits and then settled into my room. I had a little bit of laundry to do but not much and from now on I no longer have to worry about washing anything until I get home (YIPPEE!. I wondered around the hotel garden a little to orientate myself and find out where all the facilities are like the dining room, etc. I also found the bar .... just bought some water though. Maybe later in the week I will see what the beer in Comoros tastes like.

I had such a relaxing day. It was so quiet at the hotel. The one disappointment is that the swimming pool is empty. I was really hoping to be able to swim. The beach is really close though so I might just have to go for a dip there. At about 5pm I became aware of lots of laughing and shouting outside and went to investigate. It seemed like everyone was either on the beach or in the water. I remember the evenings in Mohéli being the same.

My disappointment

 Everyone down at the beach

And in the water

So there I am up to date again. I'm not sure what hours the internet is available here at the hotel but hopefully I will have a connection in the evenings. They disconnect the wireless transmitter at some stage at night to prevent it from being stolen. The only reason I found out about the internet connection is because I saw the manager plug in the transmitter while I was having breakfast. It is one thing I don't enjoy about the hotel - there is no information given about what facilities are available. Never mind though, I will discover it all.

Have a good day everyone!