Zanzibar > Farewell to Zanzibar

When I wake up, I should have actually been home already. During the night, I had to visit the toilet several times. I decide to increase my Imodium intake so I won’t have any problems on the flight tonight. At breakfast, I limit myself to a slice of toast with sugar and tea. Today, we can stay in our rooms until eleven o’clock. Patrick has arranged two rooms where we can store our luggage and where we can shower later today. I bring my luggage to one of the rooms. It is low tide. The beach and rocks in front of the lodge have fallen dry. In the remaining pools of water, sea urchins have found refuge. Local people are searching for small fish and shrimp in the puddles. The water in the pools is warm — the sun heats it up nicely. I walk about a hundred meters out from the shore and end up on a sandbank. The bank leads toward the village of Nungwi, where the Aluna Beach bar is located. I order a cola. There is a sign here indicating that this is the northernmost point of Zanzibar. Back at the lodge, I receive a message from Henk. He is at the hotel in Dar es Salaam. They wanted to rebook him via Nairobi, but he refused.

Zanzibar - A restaurant on stilts at the beach

Now it turns out he can no longer be booked on the KLM flight, even though he had already checked in for it. Maybe we’ll still see him at Schiphol. At one o’clock, almost the entire travel group heads back to the Aluna Garden restaurant. Yesterday evening, we had spoken to Alexandra, the manager, who is from Spain. Through her, we reserved a table. Since we are leaving for the airport at six, it’s important to eat now — the next opportunity might only be around midnight on board. Again, I choose two starters. I still don’t dare to try fries or a burger. In the late afternoon, I take a shower in one of the two remaining rooms and change into my travel clothes. I have one clean pair of trousers, a T-shirt, and a sweater left. At six o’clock, I hand my travel bag to Mossa, the same driver from the first day. It’s just under two hours to Zanzibar International Airport. Dark clouds hang ahead of us, and the wind is picking up. It doesn’t take long before the raindrops fall. It also grows dark. Driving in the rain and dark on Zanzibar is difficult. People take shelter under awnings, and street vendors quickly cover their goods. The barbecues along the roadside, where meat skewers are sold, send up thick smoke in the wind. Suddenly, everything around us goes dark — the power has gone out. No one seems particularly bothered; it probably happens often. Lights in the stalls are quickly switched on. When we enter Stone Town, the lights are back on — but not for long. Just before the airport, everything goes dark again. Even the barrier at the parking lot is affected. It takes a while before it works again. In front of the terminal building, we say goodbye to Patrick, giving him the leftover money from the tip jar — after all, he had to work an extra day. I quickly head into the terminal. I’m lucky: the lady at the priority boarding counter waves me over. I can check in with her and am helped right away. Not that it really matters, since the plane will only depart once all passengers are on board. Before customs, I fill in a small form — it feels a bit pointless, but it’s a required step. With an exit stamp in my passport, I head to the gate. Boarding starts about an hour later. Flight KL515 first goes to Dar es Salaam — a journey of at most twenty minutes. In Dar es Salaam, passengers disembark, the aircraft is given a quick clean, and it is refueled. To our surprise, Henk boards as well. With a lot of hassle, he has managed to get onto the KL515 flight after all. So, in the end, we are all traveling back to the Netherlands together.