Zanzibar > Extra day on Zanzibar

It’s a rather strange night. I have trouble falling asleep — perhaps because of the flight issues, but also because I have to go to the toilet now and then. It comes out like water. To be safe, I put the bath towel on my bed. At half past seven, I wake up to the alarm. I take a shower, get dressed, and go to the restaurant for breakfast. Last night, it turns out Sawadee sent an email saying they would look for a solution for our overnight stay today. After some contact between Sawadee and Patrick’s organization, Patrick can start arranging accommodations. He comes up with a surprising option that wasn’t possible yesterday: we can stay at the Mnarani Beach Cottages resort. Only some travel companions have to switch rooms, but no one minds. I don’t have to move. I lie down on one of the hanging beds (a beach bed suspended by ropes) and doze off a little. Perhaps it’s better to catch up on sleep in my room. I wake up to housekeeping coming in to clean the room. They do everything except the bed I’m lying in. It’s half past one — I’ve slept for more than three hours. I must have needed it. At the bar, I order a soup and a soft drink. Henk is here too, waiting. He has a different return flight, so he’s leaving for the airport this afternoon to fly to Dar es Salaam.

Zanzibar - The clear water of the sea around Zanzibar

Tomorrow, he’ll be on the same KLM flight as we are. I say goodbye to Henk, though I’ll see him again tomorrow. In the evening, we go out to eat at the Aluna Lodge, which is nearby. The food at our Mnarani Beach Lodge isn’t very special, and some travel companions suspect that the food there may have contributed to the stomach problems. By now, a majority of the group is experiencing symptoms. The Aluna Lodge is listed online as one of the better restaurants in Zanzibar. There is the Aluna Garden restaurant and the Aluna Beach restaurant — the first is part of the lodge itself, the second is an annex by the sea. In the lodge restaurant, there’s no one dining, though it does look charming. The staff tell us there’s live music at the Beach bar. At the Beach restaurant, there’s still a table available for eight people. The music is nice but loud, so we decide to return to the Aluna Garden. The menu is limited — they change it daily so guests don’t have to choose from the same dishes every day. I play it safe and don’t order a main course. Instead, I go for two starters: soup and spring rolls.