From Pemba to Lugenda

We arrive at the tarmac where the planes arrive and depart (as you can hardly call it an airport), early bells on the morning of Saturday March 6th 2010.  Like all logistics in Africa there has been a mix up with the planes and instead of the Caravan taking us up to Lugenda we are to go in the little 206, which is a 6 seater (including the pilot).  This means that the 12 bags of maize and beans we'd got to bring up for the staff at the camp will have to be left behind until the next flight comes up on Wednesday.

Luckily there are only 5 of us flying up so we can still get all our luggage in.  I'm not a nervous flyer but it's not very reassuring once you're wedged into this little tin can for the pilot to start telling you that they are a few problems with this plane and that it will be touch and go if we'll take off as she doesn't like carrying too much weight.  I start rummaging round for my safety manual, after not finding it I look to my right to see I'm right on the exit and I just lift up the handle to get out.  Safety demo aside we head off to the runway.  Our take off felt a bit like a mini metro trying to over take a ferrari but eventually our nose was in the air and thankfully the rest of us followed.

Once in the air all my worries were forgotton as the view from these little planes is amazing.  We flew over Pemba Bay, which is the 3rd largest natural bay in the World (so I've been told) and that beautiful Indian Ocean was winking back at us as we flew by. 

Once over the bay all we saw for the next hour and a half (and we flying extrememly slowly) was bush.  It's amazing there is just nothing but thick bush everywhere.

I was really looking forward to getting a good view of the camp and the Lugenda river, which the camp is on as we flew in to land but due to thick cloud cover for most of the journey I'd left my stomach behind somewhere close to Pemba.  So all my concentration was on the horizon and trying to keep the rising chunks at bay.  David (my boyfriend) took over as camera man.

Safely on the ground we awaited our transport to take us to the camp.  Two weeks ago the Lugenda river flooded pretty much destroying the camp we were about to stay in, including the generator and two Land Cruisers.  So I wasn't surprised to hear that familiar sound of the John Deere approaching to come and pick us up.  We had to do twp trips of which we were the second.  So we sat on our bags under the wing of the plane to escape from the sun, which was burning down hard on us.  Finally loaded on the tractor with David sitting on the cutter behind and the pilot and I perched on a mud guard either side of the driver; we set off for camp.

Now considering the flood I was half expecting to be sleeping on a roll mat in the mud but thankfully they'd managed to clear up a lot of the damage and we were staying in one of the East African tents, which is stunning.  We have an en suite bathroom complete with shower and stand alone bath, 4 poster bed and a dressing table!! 

So I'm starting to relax a bit and even start believing that maybe I can do this.