Zanzibar Next Stop!

Off to Zanzibar! Well, actually now leaving Zanzibar, but the internet was not working in my favor to post in advance, so we’ll have some delayed postings on Zanzibar while I’ll actually be in Somalia. Then I’ll post on Somalia while I’m back in Nairobi. What a sorted life I live!

After an incredibly packed week of meetings in Nairobi, it takes me until 2am to finish up my work and be ready to take a week of leave – with still a number of things to follow up on while I’m in Zanzibar. Still worth the sacrifice. Of course I am then plagued by the dreaded mosquito in my ear. Just when I terminate one, thinking peaceful rest will soon be on its way, the next come buzzing around. If you’ve ever been in such a situation, you know that the only real method is to wait for the mozzy to buzz close enough to your ear, and then smack yourself upside the head. Needless to say, not a restful couple of hours of sleep.

So next I’m up at 4:30 to catch a taxi at 5:30 and a plane to Zanzibar at 8:15. Or so I think. Little do I know, that I’m actually destined to not only Kilimanjaro en route, but also Dar es Salaam. The first plane is so short it feels like spelunking as you make your way toward the back of the plane. The second is no better, approximately the size of a minivan, but luckily not as many people as a Matatu. I’m so incredibly exhausted that I fall into a deep sleep on the flight. I find myself dreaming of a plane crash, spiraling closer and closer to the ground, seeing the end is near. Of course I wake up to the plane jerking like a bucking bronco. Apparently death is not near, so I fall back asleep.

When I finally reach Zanzibar’s Stone Town – after six hours en route – I find a mediocre hotel, insert my trusty earplugs, and sleep blissfully for the next five hours.

I awake to explore the city.

Miel