The journey

Zanzibar here we come

Having previously joined a number of exotic diving holidays with Pro Dive in Port Elizabeth, South Africa it was with excitement that our trip to Zanzibar loomed. This time I was going with my family, Julie my wife and Emma, my thirteen year old daughter to experience the fun of the spice island off Tanzania.

Leaving Port Elizabeth on Friday we were obliged to stay in a friendly B&B overnight in J’berg due to our early morning flight to Zanzibar.

1-Time flight was not the most confident building exercise one would want especially for nervous air passengers. Firstly on entering the aircraft we could hear the captain arguing with mechanics and then after sitting through a delay to take off we were informed that we had to disembark due to technical reasons.

Less than one hour later we were called aboard again saying that the problem had been fixed.

The plane was revving up to almost full throttle while we were taxiing to the take off zone and it reminded me of the days when my old banger of a Morris Minor would need to be kept at high revs to save it from stalling.

Once in flight the night revelers tried to get some sleep as some of us had only managed a couple of hours after an interesting visit to the Royal Night Club in Rivonia. The sushi was great.

Back on board the flight to Zanzibar, we were charged for breakfast, coffee and all drinks while no blankets were available in the freezing aircraft which made sleep difficult. The airline wasn’t very impressive as it looked like everything was put together with super-glue.

Before our flight we were told that that our minimal 20kg baggage allowance was strictly enforced as the aircraft was full. Well on a diving holiday with BCD’s, wetsuits and other goodies that is very restrictive especially as other airlines allow an extra 20kg for sports equipment. We were also told right up the previous day that the flight was fully booked, so it came as a surprise to us that there were at least 50 empty seats on the aircraft.


We landed safely after circling Zanzibar and getting a beautiful view of this exotic island with its sandy beaches. Baggage collection and customs were quickly dealt with and my only regret in hindsight was that I did not change into local currency at the airport where 1350 shillings were available to the US$. Once at our resort the best available was 1200 and 1000 at the restaurants.

It took around an hour to reach our destination through the East African villages where oxen and baobab trees caught my attention on every bend. The locals also seem to be ardent supporters of UK soccer clubs with Chelsea and Man Utd. signs dotted amongst the coconut trees.

to be continued tomorrow

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Part of trip: Ex Pat in Port Elizabeth

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