The Trip to Zanzibar

Our trip from Toronto to Dubai via JFK in NY and then on to Dar Es Salaam was over 34 hours. The last leg from Dubai to Dar was very tiring. Dubai was a nice break. Looking forward to seeing more of Dubai on the way home. The airport was a bustling centre with such a diverse array of travellers and workers it reminded me of the futuristic movie Blade Runner. With as much European as North American business and influence this is where east meets west on its' own term.

The flight crew from Dubai to Dar were largely from New Zealand. Passengers were quite different on this leg of the journey. Lots of Muslim families travelling to Dar. The cultural differences were more evident. The African women were would wrap the airline blankets around their heads.

Already we were tasting the subtle spices and flavours that are so much more distinct in the east. The chaos at the Dar Es Salaam airport cannot be overstated. We were at first stopped for not having a yellow fever certificate, but when they confirmed we did not need it coming from Canada, we were allowed to proceed to the customs and immigration area. Here we were finger printed and stamped and then waited a long time for our luggage.

Oona and I were directed through a back entrance to the security area for Precision air so we could make the final flight to Zanzibar. It was so chaotic it seemed incredulous that we would ever get to Zanzibar with our luggage. After going through security checks twice more (everywhere you go has outside access so they have to keep scanning you), we were finally in a departure lounge of Zanzibar. The airport was sticky with the start of the rainy season.

The flight to Zanzibar was short arriving just an hour before nightfall. We found our prearranged driver and headed out of the airport towards the village of Nungwi on the farthest coast. The drive through the small villages was interesting with lot's of people socializing as the day ended. The main form of transportation seemed to be either motor bikes or a sort of small bus/van with people hanging on for dear life. We picked up a local police officer who knew our driver and continued through the now darkening towns. You could barely see the people on the sides of the road. The driver had to slow in many of the areas where the rain had almost washed out the roadways. Donkeys were pulling carts and cows were wandering at the sides of the road. Just when we couldn't believe the roads could get any worse, we pulled up to a double wooden door from a poor village street and it opened into a well lit and landscaped courtyard of the Double Tree Hilton Nungwi. It was incredible! We were served a cool and refreshing spiced iced tea as we checked into our comfortable rooms.