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On our return to Ibo airstrip, Mohammed and
the airport official were there to meet us. First, the official said we
owed 7 dollars for the landing fee and Flemming paid him. Once the money
was in his hand, he suddenly said the total fee would be 21 dollars: 7
for landing, 7 for parking and 7 for departure. Once Flemming had
produced the extra 14 dollars, he said that we actually owed a total of
100 dollars! Fortunately Cassius the manager of Ibo Island Lodge was
with us and he went to the local administration office with the man to
find out what the official rates were. However, it was Sunday and the
office was closed. Finally, the official agreed on a total of 25 dollars
and Flemming paid him the extra 4 dollars. He then made out a receipt
for 21 dollars, obviously hoping to pocket the 4 dollars himself.
Flemming ordered him to change the sum on the receipt to 25 dollars.
Then it was Mohammed’s turn. We had been told the going rate for
guarding a plane per day was 3 dollars. He asked for 50 dollars,
claiming it was a responsible job and he’d had to camp out all night
there, getting attacked by mosquitoes. We didn’t want to create a
precedent for the next plane to land there, so just offered him 10
dollars. At first he was so huffy that he wouldn’t even accept it, but
Cassius persuaded him to take it in the end. After the positive
experience we’d had with the guards in Cóbuè and in Lumbo we hadn’t
thought of negotiating the tip in advance, but that is what we should
have done. After all, we were dealing with someone of Arab culture, used
to haggling for every last penny.
I think the flight from Ibo to Quirimba Island was the shortest I’d ever
done: just 6 minutes! We were greeted after landing by Hans Spithmann,
who now operates the coconut plantation there. He is a nephew of coconut
plantation owner Joachim Gerstner, who died a few years ago. Hans drove
us to the beach where we were to board the boat for
Quilálea resort on Quilaluia
Island. Greg, a young South African, was there to meet us and provided
us with coral-proof booties as we had to wade through the water to the
speedboat.
Quilaluia is a tiny island. It takes just 45 minutes to walk round it
and the owners of Quilálea Lodge have an exclusive lease on it. There
are only 9 bungalows and most of these were standing empty as there was
just one other family there of 5 from South Africa. The bungalow was
beautifully designed and furnished with superb Makonde carvings on the
beams and columns, and its own shaded deck outside, complete with
cushioned bed-chairs. Gourmet meals featuring lobster and crab were
served in the lovely dining room, also adorned with Makonde carvings,
and every effort was made to make us comfortable. Of course, all this
luxury in such a remote place comes with a price tag similar to that of
the luxury lodges in Okavango Delta, but the owners Marjolaine and John
Hewlett had graciously offered us a 25% discount for the first two days.
For the first time on this trip, there was great snorkelling (pretty
lionfish, triggerfish, parrot and butterfly fish) from our beach.
Flemming went for an afternoon dive with Dan and saw rays, triggerfish,
turtle and pipefish. While sipping a sundowner at sunset, Flemming
actually saw the famous green flash. Angela missed it as she’d been for
a walk and spotted a snake. No worries, though. The snakes on the island
are said to be harmless. Another great thing about this island is that
it’s mosquito-free so, unlike Ibo, no nasty bites at sunset. Still, the
island isn’t entirely insect-free. There are some small black flies that
like to bite during the day but they didn’t bother us much. |
Mohammed, our guard (left), wanted the equivalent of a week's salary from us.
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