I just checked and I didn’t go to Zanzibar at all during 2020. The whole place was full of COVID at that time anyway thanks to the pane loads of Russians and Eastern Europeans which we welcomed with open arms. Come to our paradise and bring your diseases, we don’t care as long as you bring money. Because Tanzania is all about money isn’t it.
Nobody will do anything for you unless you pay them and that includes professional people. They even get paid a ‘sitting allowance’ to go to meetings. It’s no wonder they are always in meetings.
I needed a break from the frustrations of working for a cash-strapped organisation in the public sector and where better than Zanzibar. It’s only a couple of hours on the ferry and cheap as a resident. My friend booked me a VIP seat not realising how skint I am and so when I went to pick up the tickets I changed it for an economy seat. As it turned out, the ticket man put the wrong destination on my return ticket which caused stress getting on the ferry to come home.
The ferry ride itself is fantastic, taking you past Bongoyo and Mbudya. I like to sit outside and have the wind turn my hair unto a tangled bird’s nest. Just like when you cross the channel to France, you are straining to spot land. The ferry goes really fast and the pilot has to be very careful not to plough into any fishermen. They are everywhere and I never fail to marvel at their dug-out canoes floating only just above the water. I wonder how they can land a catch and take it home! One man I saw was bailing out water – not surprising. None of them have life jackets or radios.
The dodgy Sputnik V vaccine we were promised in Zanzibar didn’t work out so we got a taxi from Stone Town across the island to our lodgings. You can certainly tell the hospitality industry has been having a hard time. Places are only partially open and there are few people in them. We almost had the place to ourselves and in the evening there was only each other to look at and talk to. Even the staff looked bored.
But I was only there to snorkel and we arranged a trip to Mremba Island, a famous snorkelling and diving site. It was the first time I had worn a dry suit. It was far too big for me and at the end of the session it was full of sea water. Most of it was sitting in my gusset. There was much amusement on the boat as I pulled my dry suit open at the knee and let out a torrent of water.
Mremba island is not owned by Bill Gates as people often claim but whoever has it is sitting in the middle of a spectacular reef with millions of colourful fish. Even from the boat in sheltered areas the sea was dead calm and you could see the sea floor and fish near the surface. I couldn’t wait to get in and I wasn’t disappointed. Sliding into the water in the Indian Ocean is not a shock because it’s so warm but was shocking was the fact that the fish come right up to you and you feel like you’re going to brush against them.
I tried to reach out and touch them they were too clever. I have never seen such brave fish. We swam along the reef with a shoal of fish following us like they would follow a whale. Perhaps that’s what they thought we were. I could never get fed up of snorkelling when it’s like this although I get very quickly tired of safaris.
I am leaving Tanzania next week and I shall probably never be in such a warm place with such clear ocean and variety of fish and reefs. I shall never forget the two sessions I had at Mremba Island – it really is the best place to take your mask and flippers.