My final week in Zanzibar turned out to be a bit of a topsy-turvy one. As well as having mixed feelings about leaving the island and going on the next leg of my trip, the week just had a strange feel about it. There were some good nights out (and accompanying recovery mornings) and the sunset cruise was really good, but I managed to catch a bug that was going round, so diving opportunities were limited, and a couple of other things didn't turn out quite how I hoped or planned. On top of that, the floods in Bangkok and Qantas's decision to ground its flights meant that the Indochina part of my trip was in jeopardy for a while. I did, though, finish the diving course which was my main goal for my stay here.
The sunset cruise was a great night, although the lack of wind was a bit of a worry as we gently drifted towards the container ships moored at the docks, and a big ugly ship blocked the last few moments of the sunset, but it was a fun leaving do (and, to be honest, big ugly ships are just as typical of Zanzibar as beautiful sunsets).
The Halloween party was a drunken affair, with some very inventive costumes, especially given how difficult it can be to get unusual things here (and I must give a special mention to Len/Tim who went dressed as a condom), and lots of cat outfits. After failing to find what I was looking for in Darajani (which in no way was due to Steffi and Uli browsing for shoes and dresses), my costume was quite a tame one (for me!) and I had to settle for a face painted with various eye-shadow colours.
One of the things you are taught very early in your diving education is that you shouldn't dive with a cold or blocked sinuses. But it was the last few days of my stay, so what did I do? Of course I did. Equalising my ears on the way down was actually fine, but the blood streaming from my nose after surfacing was a bit more of a worry! It stopped (eventually) but lessons have been learnt! The two stamina tests that I had been dreading, the 800m snorkel and 100m tired diver tow, were saved for my last few days, but I surprised myself and managed to score 4 out of 5 on both, even beating the time of the new, 18-year old, dive master trainee. There's life in the old dog yet! And with those stamina tests completed, so too was the dive master course, so now I am a fully fledged professional scuba diver. Poa sana!
With the course completed and my sinuses not up to diving, I stayed out of the water on my last day on the island. I did, though, have a lovely day, returning to Paje for a day at the beach with Steffi, before a farewell dinner at La Taverna with lots of the friends from my stay. Steffi had an hilariously wonderful "Do you know who I am?!" moment on the way back from Paje, berating and shouting at the police officer who dared to stop her and ask for her driving papers. I think news of her mood must have travelled quickly, because when we were stopped a second time nearing Stone Town, the officer just wished us (me?!) good luck and waved us on!
My final day would not have been complete without visits to Tatu and Livingstones, so we duly obliged, although this time some of the more dedicated fun-seekers topped the night off with a trip to Bwani for (yet) more drink and a boogie, eventually leaving at about 3:00. Getting in at 3:30 in the morning, not absolutely sober, does not make for the best packing, but I somehow managed. I really should be well practiced at it by now!
Speaking of packing, I found an ideal solution to the problem of avoiding ridiculous excess luggage fees on the return trip. I have simply left half my gear in Zanzibar! More specifically, I have left all my heavy diving equipment. Although I generally prefer visiting new places rather than returning to previous destinations, I decided a few weeks ago that I would be going back to Zanzibar next year and this saves me having to carry it out again. Besides which, I cannot take it with me on the rest of my travels and, when I'm back in the UK, I would need to be really desperate for a dive to force me to face the icy waters, so I'm not going to need any of it in the meantime. So, for all the adopted Zanzibaris reading this, sorry, but you've not got rid of me yet!
I was a bit subdued in the final few days as my time on the island drew to a close, but actually leaving was an unexpectedly unemotional affair. I'll confess to a couple of tears when I was dropped off after Bwani, but leaving day itself and the flights home were fine. Laura and Nell were at the airport to wave me off and I managed to get the co-pilot seat on the Zanzibar to Dar flight (courtesy of Iain). I met up with David for lunch in Dar before heading to the airport. And when I was on the Dar to Doha flight (which, I kid you not, left about 30 minutes early - not very Tanzanian at all!) it felt like I was going away to somewhere, rather than returning from somewhere. Whilst it was sad to think about the people I won't see for a while, I think that knowing I am returning soon means it is only a temporary farewell and not a final goodbye - which is so much easier.
And so to England
Cold. Wet. And, most of all, grey. From the grey-green grass to the grey-blue sky, with its watery grey sun and (mainly) grey clouds. Grey. But it is also home; and I have had a great time seeing my family and people I love, catching up with friends who I have missed while in Africa and who I will miss again when I head off to Asia. It has also been nice to hear the birdsong in the garden, which even under the heavy November skies are much more melodic than the screeching crows which abound in Zanzibar.
The three and half days spent back in England involved a lot of rushing around. I managed to head down to London to get my visa for Vietnam, pick up some money for travelling, visit Helen and her beautiful new baby boy, finish all my laundry, arrange house insurance, download all my photos, do a bit of shopping, pack (again) and see lots of family and friends, as well as celebrate Matt and Jon's wedding. At least all that rushing helped to keep me warm!
One thing that wasn't grey was the celebration for Matt and Jon's wedding. It was a gloriously colourful affair, although not quite extravagantly camp as I expected (music aside). I think I surprised a few people with the amount of time I spent on the dance floor - it's a good job they didn't play Rihanna, or I think they may have had even more of a shock!
It has been really good seeing my family again. I know it has been said many times before, but babies grow up fast and Jack, Harry and Poppy have all changed in the three months I have been away, so it was nice to see them a little bit older.
On the road again
For those of you that have travelled with me before, you know that I am not a particularly light traveller. Too many cameras and other toys! So you will be impressed at the backpack I am taking for the next three months (or at least I am impressed!). Everything I am taking fits into my hand luggage, so I can avoid wasting time at airport carousels, reduce the chance of losing my stuff in transit and make moving around cities much simpler. It waits to be seen whether I can cope like this, and there is a chance I will be buying another bag before too long!
One thing I will have to stop doing, is using my pidgin Swahili with everybody that I meet. That, and greeting people with a fist pump, which is all very natural in Zanzibar but gets you a very strange look from the ticket collector on the train to London! In fact, fuck them, I don't think I will stop - there is a little piece of Zanzibar inside me now so they will just have to deal with it!
Ta ta for now
Next stop Bangkok and the floods...
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