Hakuna Matata. Part 2. Nice to meet you. Kizimkazi
Continuation. Start here >>>
1 day. 28th of February.
Our plane landed at 6:50. The bus from the ladder brought us to a tiny airport. Everywhere there are propeller-driven airplanes, which are taken from here on safari.
A few people arrived, the majority stood in line for a visa, and we already had a visa, so in 10 minutes we received a stamp in our passport. And then, the delay was due to ourselves. We did not fill out our paperwork on the plane, so we are filling it out at the airport.
We also received our luggage quickly, we didn’t change money, we didn’t buy a SIM card, we left the airport to look for an exchanger with a better rate, and a representative of the rental office should be waiting for us there (he also changes money at a good rate).
Immediately, before we had time to take two steps,
we were attacked by friendly locals to help us for some money. But we are greedy in this regard - we do not need any help. Nevertheless, someone nevertheless insinuated himself into the trust of her husband and began to call our distributor. But something didn't work for him.
To call or write by yourself, you need to buy a SIM card. This requires local money. We went to look for a well-known exchanger, which always has a better rate, and it works from 8 in the morning. And the clock starts at eight. There is no renter, we do not have a SIM card and, accordingly, there is no Internet to contact him and there is no local money to buy this SIM card. We see another exchange office, with a separate entrance, in the airport building, dragging with suitcases to it. It is also closed. Well, 7 o'clock in the morning)
We are trying to go to the airport, but we are not allowed there. Moreover, everyone wants to help, patiently explains how to go inside, and we return to the same corridor from where we came. But they don't want to let us in either.
We are very tired,
we are sleepy, we are hot (we are in sneakers, in pants, I am generally wearing a T-shirt with sleeves - there are summer things in backpacks, but there is nowhere to change clothes) and such an intractable, unexpected problem.
I explain that I only need to change money, and on the street there is an exchanger "but working". Somehow it didn’t work out very well right away, but then the employee took pity and let me in, but only me. I leave my husband, suitcases, backpacks, trot to the exchange office and get stuck in line there.
The less cunning passengers have long since left, and we, with our careful woe of wit preparations, are still dangling between heaven and earth.
And the day is warming up more and more.
I knew the first day would be hard, but I'm starting to get discouraged anyway.
As soon as I change money and we buy a SIM card, our distributor comes running after us. Hooray! )
It turned out that we ordered a car not to the airport, but to the Airport Palace hotel and it is waiting for us there. We thought we'd have to wait until they ferried him to the airport,
but we were offered another solution. Just here, at the airport, there is another car, but the customer does not want to take it, since he is alone, he needs a smaller car. Offer to change.
The car is big, black, crumpled-crumpled, there is no point in photographing the damage. He is a complete wreck.
Well, of course, we agreed, but the problem was not solved) Now we had to take this person to "our" car. The distributor got behind the wheel, the three of us loaded up and drove to the city. The car is no better on the inside than on the outside.
We arrived at the old house with the inscription Bank.
Here is "our not ours" car.
- Now, - says the distributor. - We will change money.
I really thought
that we would go to this “bank”, but the peasant pulled out half a suitcase of money and, right in the car, told us how much we needed. He messed up something, and gave the guy we brought with us shillings more. The guy turned out to be an honest fellow and returned the excess)
Now we could go. But another fellow traveler was put on us - a young local guy who was supposed to show us where the gas station was. There was no gas at the first gas station, so we went to look for the second one. The traffic is frantic, pedestrians climb under the wheels, my Sanya confuses left and right and tries to ram a small truck. I shout to him: “Left, left, come on! ". The guy sweats, but is silent. The husband is not the first time behind the right wheel, but right away, and even after a sleepless night, he somehow dulls.
At the gas station, at first it’s also not entirely clear “how to take it”, but now we’ve already refueled, we’re going.
On the circle we almost fly under a big truck, it's good that it has good brakes. Here I'm already sweating and silent,
and our boy takes his head, sighs and asks him to drop off. I think he crossed himself when he got out, or whatever they are thanking their god for the miraculous escape.
And we merrily rolled towards the south.
Almost the entire road in the vicinity of the city is a market - open shops, some kind of sheds hung with goods. People are actively throwing themselves under the wheels, dala-dala minibuses, hung with colorful people and trunks, park as they want, emerging right under our noses. The roads are narrow - cyclists, motorcyclists, children, dogs, cats - all this spins like a kaleidoscope on the road. The husband says: “It’s as if I got into a computer game and immediately went to the last level, ” but right-left no longer confuses, tenaciously holding on to his row.
On the way we see a large vegetable market and stop to buy fruit. We don't know the prices yet.
but we are trying to bargain and we succeed) Well, so... a little bit)
The market is in a deplorable state - dirt, smells, crowds. Sells potatoes, garlic, eggplant and lousy tomatoes. There are also fruits, but not much. We take a large bunch of rambutans for 2.000 shillings, 2 pineapples for 4.000, and three large mangoes for 5.000 plus a thousand per bag. Plastic bags are banned in Tanzania, they sell synthetic bags, just like we used to have checkered bags. I don’t know why they are more useful than plastic, but it’s more convenient for Tanzanians.
We buy another pack of water so as not to get up twice, and go to the hotel.
Kizimkazi.
Of course, we got lost in Kizimkazi, we entered from the wrong side, but, thanks to this, we found a wonderful place) We turned the wrong way somewhere and ended up at a dead end, and there were rocks in the distance, bare at low tide, and it was like that it was beautiful that I wanted to run towards them on the white sand, spreading my arms and yelling - Aaaaa!! !
But the husband was already exhausted, and he also had to look for a hotel, and he said - tomorrow. Well tomorrow, so tomorrow. I put an end to mepsmi.
And on the right side, at the entrance to the hotel, sits "decided" and cuts down 2 thousand shillings for entry. Here are those on! For what, you ask? Local men literally cling to the car and do not let us through until we pay.
And do you know what else is remarkable in Zanzibar? If you paid somewhere on the road, get ready! Then the road will be impassable! )
On the dirt road, with sharp stones sticking out, on tiptoe, we make our way to the hotel. The Masai guard opens the gate affably. Hooray! Civilization! )
It's not for nothing that the hotel looks like paradise in the photo. He's even better live! A small bush, near the reception,
it is dotted with small nests and tiny yellow birds flutter there. So exotic! I tried to take them off many times, but they are very fast and afraid of people)
We sit down at the reception to check out:
Which one of you is Tatyana?
- I (well, which of us can be Tatiana, if she has our passports in her hands, and there are photographs there? )
- I have a younger sister Tatyana.
We are actively surprised and learn that the girl's name is Katerina. And that these are standard names for Zanzibar.
Katerina is very friendly, but she does not check us in, the room is not ready. It's 11 am now (we've been riding since 7 am), and check-in is only at 2 pm.
And we are already stomped. I want to eat, sleep, or at least take off my sneakers.
Our vacation begins with sitting in a restaurant, looking at the ebb (an impressive sight - boats stand on the white sand and wait for water)...
. . . and choose from the menu what we would like to have breakfast. The waitress is patiently waiting. After a few minutes, it turns out that there is nothing to have breakfast or lunch here. Breakfast time is over, now the food will be only in the evening. And now there's beer. Of course, we had to get up and go look for food, but we were already so tired that we had beer for breakfast. So what? There are calories in it)
And even though there is no water in the ocean, it is also nice to look at it.
We idly discuss that we should change in a fun toilet and take a dip in the pool.
It's hot. But we sit, stupid, we drank beer and our strength left us.
When we do get up to change, Katerina brings us the keys.
12 a. m. We crawl to bed and switch off until the evening. There are 12 more days of heavenly pleasure ahead, and now sleep!
The hotel is really very, very!
A large swimming pool, a lovely lounge area and a gorgeous beach accessed by a small wooden staircase.
By evening, the water arrived.
Turquoise, clear, calm water. I have never seen such a sea before. This is a diamond. Dream. Bounty in its purest form.
I swam a little with my husband, then he got tired and left, and I took a pillow and surrendered to the gentle waves and tried to drown myself. There were no waves at all, but when I “came to my senses” the hotel was very far away! I got scared, started rowing harder towards the shore, but the inflatable pillow slowed me down a lot, and I was afraid to let it go, but what if I didn’t row it out, I don’t swim very well, and even in a panic. No matter how my heart jumped out, I began to choke. The beach didn't come close. I was already visited by the thought of starting to yell and call for help, but by an effort of will, I forced myself to calm down. She released a little air from the pillow, pressed it with one hand and rhythmically, strongly, began to row towards the shore.
If you're reading this, I made it to shore safely) An unpleasant experience. My heart is still pounding as I recall.
This first day in Zanzibar was so bright, so exotic, so unreal that it overshadowed the rest of the trip for us.
