Tues 20th. Walked to the ferry terminal. SAZecurity plus queueing to get on the ferry was a long 45 minutes. Was on the Ikraam ferry which was cheaper than Azam. I paid 60,000 which included an extra 10,000 to be in business class. It seemed most of the seating was in business class anyway. I had lost a day’s travel by leaving on Tues, as there were no sailings on a Monday to Pemba.
I found a seat and was thankful for the extra comfort as no-one sat next to me. The chef at the hotel had kindly made me a breakfast of chapati, omelette and sausage and I gratefully tucked into that. We left at 7:30 instead of 7:00. There were bodies strewn around, including the floor. Nothing much to see as we travelled up the coast of Zanzibar and into open waters. A lady had a fit…twice. I stretched my legs. Dozed. After 6 and a quarter hrs we reached Mkoani port on Pemba.
There was a long jetty. Had a feel of Mafia about it…but not as long as Mafia. Had to present my passport to an immigration official. I asked why I was the only person to do this….!!!….but didn’t make too much of a fuss. Was met by someone and I agreed to be taken to Panorama Ocean cottages (about 10 minutes walk). Abdul first wanted 35usd or about 80,000tsh, and we settled on 50,000. Very basic, but comfortable bed and a fan. I settled in. Walked back into town and bought some much needed water.
I walked up the steep hill to check the Mkoani Htl but they wanted 50usd…or about 90,000…and were only prepared to give a 5usd discount. I had a 500tsh meal nearby of bajia ( or badia?) and returned down the hill. Walked along to LaLa cottages…same distance from the jetty as Panorama but in totally the opposite direction. Location quite nice…near the mangroves. No drinks. But I was to discover that Panorama had no drinks either. Met Dennis the owner next door. His rate was 60,000tsh with a nice breakfast. Didn’t see inside the rooms but apparently they had a/c. Back to Panorama. Chatted with Abdul. I gave him 10,000 to go and buy 2 bottles Konyagi for me. No sunset as a bit cloudy. Slept well.
Wed 21st. Breakfast…Nice fruit incl pawpaw which I hadn’t eaten for ages. Also bajias and mandazi. Got a lift on Abdul’s boda into town and got on the 09:00 dala dala to Chake Chake…being the capital of Pemba. Nice hilly ride. Lots of bends. Arrived Chake 10:30. Had a wander around. Thought to get flip flops fixed but fundi said they would only break again within a short time. Couldn’t find the same make. Looked at a very boring hotel but they wouldn’t drop below 100,000. Stopped for a tea but got the really milky version and was charged 3,000. Slightly annoyed as you can get tea for 500 or 1,000. Got the flip flops fixed for 500.
Walked across the road and into a dala dala going to Wete. As I was to learn, this type are very uncomfortable. You have to bend double to get in, in order to sit on the two rows of benches that face each other. 90 minutes to Wete. I waited until the end stop which was near the Port area. I went looking for Farook htl but instead found the Sharook htl…one and the same as it turned out. I was asked for 60k but we settled on 50k. Very nice room. Had a/c. Walked towards the town centre; had samosas and bajias. Back to the hotel. Heard about ‘messi’…police controlled bar…the only place you could buy alcohol. I found it after a walk and a boda lift. Had 3 beers and took a small bottle of Kvant back to the hotel with me. Sipped half the bottle on the hotel rooftop.
Thurs 22nd. Waited for Adam as he offered me a lift if he was going north to Aianya. Had an excellent big breakfast first, and unfortunately he wasn’t going after all.. Dala dala stand only 10 minutes up the road. Got a front cabin seat and waited a while to leave for Konde. We left the stand and 25 minutes later we were exactly where we started. Very odd, but I think it was in the hope of picking up more passengers to cram in the back. In the process we managed to hit a boda carrying a passenger…a kind of side swipe that sent a wing mirror flying. Nobody hurt. Then it took about 45 minutes to do about 10 miles. Stopping, starting….
At Konde I chatted….had a ginger tea…as a means of gathering information. Was about to give up and go back to Wete, when I decided that about 60k for a room and about 10k to get there was worth it to see what the North of the island was like. Was heading for Moonlight cottages but Chaka changed his mind and contacted someone at Verani Beach cottages. I was OK with that…a bit closer to Konde. Nice location; only 4 cottages; I was the only guest. Usual negotiation. The guy said 45usd but for me 30usd, and we settled on 60k which is about 20gbp. Settled in and straight to the beach…early afternoon at this point.
A Greek couple walked by as I lay on the beach and said they wished they were at Verani Beach cottages as it was right on the beach. They were at Pemba Paradise which wasn’t any good. They booked 3 nights at Moonlight…from where I discovered from Johanna (Verani) you can’t actually see the sea because Moonlight bandas are behind some other hotel. So I lucked out with Verani. Had a couple of swims. You have to be careful because the coral is only 2 steps in from the shore. There are probably some more sandy beaches around.
I went to a village some 20 minutes walk away looking for food….but alas there was none. At least I managed to buy a bottle of water. Waited for a sunset but it was too cloudy close to the horizon. Luckily I had half a packet of chevda to munch on on my verandah. That was washed down with the remaining half bottle of Kvant. No fan in the room but I managed to sleep fairly well; could’ve done with a bit more breeze.
Fri 23rd. Nice morning. Chatted Johanna. Breakfast of bread, boiled egg, fruit and coffee. Called Chaka who came on his boda at 09:00 to take me back to Konde. Drank some ginger tea and got into a dala dala for the 45 minutes trip to Wete. Managed to get a front cab seat. Back to Sharook htl and the same room for 50k. Went walkabout. Checked out the Hill View htl but it was nothing like it was described on the Internet. I started to get suspicious about the Pemba hotels descriptions and reviews. Had snacks. Relaxed on the Sharook rooftop. Went to ‘messi’ after 4. Drank two beers and bought a Kvant for later at the hotel. Had a very tasty squid ( with tomato and chilli sauces) on the way back. Rooftop relaxation and then to bed.
Sat 24th. Big breakfast on the rooftop dining area. After 10:00 I went up the road for the dala to Chake. Got the front cab again. Nice scenic journey. Quicker this time…1 hour. Straight into a dala for Mkoani. But in the back, and that’s when I really realised how uncomfortable they are when crammed with passengers. And you can’t stretch your legs. Very uncomfortable hour and a half with my rucksack on my lap. Heavy rain on the way.
Powercut in Mkoani so I couldn’t buy my ferry ticket to Tanga just then. Abdul was passing and he gave me a ride to Panorama; I had told him I wanted to stay the night… Different room but much nicer….better view….Nice verandah. Back into the town. Bottle of water. More rain. Walked to LaLa cottages. Met a Polish tourist who’s been to Pemba a few times. Saw a couple of the rooms…all have a/c…Nice rooms. Had a tasty fish and chips. Bought my Tanga ticket for 84,000; apparently the whole island suffered the power cut. Ticket more than I expected. Abdul bought my two bottles of konyagi. Relaxed on my verandah with my lovely views…then bed.
Sun 25th. Had to wait until late afternoon for my once a week ferry to Tanga. Bfast on the verandah. Went down the small hill to the tiny beach in the mangroves that was exposed by the outgoing tide. Interesting but not particularly exciting; apparently a nicer beach about 4 kms away. Went for water. Packed. Watched and waited for the tide to come in. At 14:00 I went back into town. Drank tea. Passed the time. Looked for Internet top up. Waited in a lounge area with all the other passengers.
Eventually we boarded and sailed at 6 instead of 4:30. Nice views of Mkoani as we sailed out of Port. Suspected that I wouldn’t make SeaView for my Xmas Curry. Good crossing. 3.5 hours to the outskirts of Tanga harbour and then another 30 mins as the ferry slows down and gets tied up to its moorings. I left the cloves smelling Island of Pemba behind me. An enjoyable stay; could’ve done with a bit longer. Very Very different to Zanzibar. Zanzibar buzzing but Pemba quiet and simple lifestyle.
So I checked into Ocean Breeze. Basic but nice enough room. Had 2 beers at SeaView…but no curry. Went looking for food but it was getting late. Found somewhere that prepared for me a chips mayai..chips omelette. So that was my Christmas Day 2022. That was fine…enjoyable in its own way. At least I achieved my aim of visiting Pemba Island.