Blogs from Wete, Pemba, Tanzania, Africa
September 21st 2009
Slowing down, calming down and blowing bubbles..... After the totally hectic dash to get to the plane, fly through what remained of the night and get to Kenya, to hop on another plane quick smart to head to Dar (having completely forgotten there are direct flights to Zanzibar, which would have saved $150 or so in flights) then a taxi transfer to Terminal 1 for a ZanAir flight to Chake-Chake in Pemba, I had enough time to breathe, grab a delicious bowl of beans and rice at the little cafe down the road and find out that I had enough time for a taxi ride to the local market for a hair-cut and beard trim. Always an interesting experience, getting ones haircut in a local barber in Africa, the guys are never quite sure how to ... read more
January 3rd 2009
When our Boeing 747-400 slammed down onto the runway at Heathrow, we were roused from our semi sleep. Cisca and I now had to get to Birmingham with all of our kit for the Birmingham Dive Show. We had enjoyed the US, but now it was time to get back to work. We spent two days talking to potential Pemba Divers and old friends who dropped by to say hello and sample our beer. When the show ended it was back on BA046 and yet another night flight to Dar es Salaam. BA were fine, but when we left terminal 5, we were sent to a gate with a bus. This was inspite of there being many aerobridge gates free. "Oh well, no fuss" I thought, I don't mind busses. We waited and waited in the ... read more
April 15th 2008
The rains have come to Pemba, but not quite to us. Thunder booms and rumbles to our south. The sky is filled with heavy clouds but the sun beats down on us relentlessly. We have officially closed. Our last guests, a splendid pair of birdwatchers from Canada departed this morning. We have started packing up and the dive centre and kayaks are all inside the building. Stuart has been pulling gearboxes off engines, in the hope that we can find out what has gone wrong with the cooling systems of all our 60 horse power Yamaha engines. Eventually the last hidden bolt came out and the box slid off. In the last few weeks the Zanzibar Government has been hounding us for small issues, and more unpleasantly for non issues. The pressure has been building up ... read more
March 28th 2008
The days have flown by, and in two short days, the Chepstow branch of the anti corruption unit will be off to Zanzibar for a night and then back to Chepstow via switzerland. In the short time since they have arrived we have only caught two fish. One was a small Tuna and the other a blue fin trevally. Bonefish, and dorado have come round to say hello and then left us without a bite. In fact our efforts are so poor that Emma, our residence manager has renamed us the "rod holders union". Thankfully the diving is still superb. Clear blue water, loads of fish and amazing macro creatures. As time goes by we are planning our rainy season. (When we close) we are thinking about a short landrover journey up into Ethiopia. If we ... read more
March 17th 2008
In a few short days the entire face of Swahili Divers and the Kervan Saray Beach lodge have been changed by the arrival of the “anti corruption unit”. A force of five to seven workers who hail from the Island of Jersey (where corruption was invented) and South Wales. (where fishing is still practiced). Still refusing to pay bribes, the team valiantly fix boats, install intercoms, mend rods and go out fishing. Our brand new Yamaha boat is coming closer and closer to completion. Our old and valiant rib, Rockhoppa is being dismantled. We have a rejuvenation program designed for her in some time. (when I can afford even more engines!) As you can see by the images attached they are having a great time. When they catch a fish, they will have even more fun. ... read more
Notes from a Small Island in the Indian Ocean
Published: March 6th 2008Africa » Tanzania » Pemba » Wete
March 6th 2008
Dear friends, Greetings from Pemba, the emerald Island that sits in clear, deep, blue water. We are only 30 Nautical Miles off the coast of Africa, and yet we live in a different world. I have been sending out Haber News letters for some time now, and yet I feel that we are loosing something. There is indeed a power to the written word, but nothing beats a photo. I toyed with sending out word documents, but they become too heavy and they are rejected by spam filters. Then my good friend Greg Wilson from the Cook Islands set up his travel blog for his journey around the world. I became addicted to his comments on public buses and beer. (How often do we on a tropical island catch a suburban bus?- Our buses are converted ... read more
