Later a ZIFF driver came to collect me so I could have a quick flit around the other guesthouses – the idea being I should collect info to put on the ZIFF website – in case any tourists wanted to stay during the festival (bit tenuous I know, but I think Munira wanted to help justify my visit which was really a "thank you" for all the extra hours I’d been working this week).

Back to Swahili Divers for sunset, a beer, and a chat with some of the other guests. My weekend had begun.

At supper I am reminded how good the food is here – dishes and dishes – vegetarians catered for, beer served, only the guesthouse cats to fend off. I enjoyed too a conversation with a VSO called Catherine. She’d been living on Pemba long enough to tell stories about surviving Ramadan (rising to the challenge of fasting for just one day), and the gossip that washes through town when a European buys any of that unusual underwear in the market, or visits the local doctor with any embarrassing ailment… told on behalf of "a friend" (of course). She’d come to supper for a "meal out" with her pal Jane who was here on holiday for a few weeks. Both had a bit of posh about them and were not afraid to use it, especially if it helped to get hold of a pharmacist out of hours or take a shower at the Serena Hotel.

Sunday was a day off. After another brief meeting at ZIFF I joined a day trip to Misali, a beautiful tropical island, for a bit of snorkelling and relaxation. Whilst there I met the guy from Jordeni guesthouse in Mkoani so I was able to complete my survey of accommodation and prices for Pemba. Must have swam for about two hours in total during which time I saw an enormous fish measuring about 100cm x 50cm – Eric the dive instructor thought it may have been a juvenile Napoleon Wrasse. Wore a tee shirt but stupidly forgot to protect the backs of my legs and got terribly sunburnt.