“One of my most memorable adventures this year was trying to get off the island of Zanzibar! Not the worst place to be stuck, but still a mad, mad morning!

It had been the most relaxing holiday, and I was sunburned and happy. We had booked ferry tickets the night before we had to leave, and even treated ourselves to ‘business class’. The next morning, we left the hotel to walk 15 minutes to the ferry terminal to pick up and pay for our tickets well in advance. Imagine our panic when we were told tickets booked online had to be picked up more than three hours in advance or they got cancelled! So, after wasting 40 minutes in line, we had no tickets and all the ferries were full. If we didn’t get on a ferry that morning, we would miss our flight to Nairobi and the connecting flight home from there, which really wasn’t an option.

Sent from one counter to another, running around the whole terminal, we finally found someone who looked in charge. While my friend begged and pleaded with him to let us on a boat (dying relatives and other family emergencies were made up!), I ran the two kilometers or so back to the hotel to pack our bags and check us out. Running back with the both our suitcases, I found my friend had managed to secure a ticket for herself, and was now convincing the terminal manager why I had to accompany her and couldn’t be left behind!

Finally after many fake tears and thorough emotional manipulation, we were both allowed to squeeze on board the last boat leaving that morning. Carrying our suitcases on our heads, we joined the queue with bags of chickens and vegetables. With no seats left, we spent the very choppy two-hour ride sitting on the floor of the open topmost deck trying our best not to get seasick. In the end, all this was worth it for the most spectacular view as we pulled into the Dar Es Salaam harbour.”

– Nishad Avari

076/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project