The Musafir Pamoja Odysee

When I met Alex in Kilifi Kenya, I didn’t know what to expect, but shortly after meeting some people of the crew and getting to know their mission, I knew I was on. Creating films out of local community stories and showing them on a separately set up film festival, was their main intention. It was apart from that the people a common understanding of unity, piece and freedom. It’s a special community where everyone can simply be authentic and the way they really are. No need for showing off or pretending to be someone they weren’t. This was real and creating movies that brought culture closer to the public was just the perfect basis to be the perfect trip. So on 28th of January the journey started and more than I expected!

Finally I managed to get to the Nungwi beach that afternoon. I reached the La Fontana restaurant, where the crew had dinner the previous evening, and after lunch made my way down to look for the dinghy (boat) that should take me to the Musafir. On bord I was warmly welcomed as expected.

Getting kind of used to the waves, because I‘d never been sailing before, some other thought and heavy emotions blocked me from being myself. Sometimes you can’t help thinking of the beloved ones at home, especially when things seem to change. These thoughts kept on going on in my head, so in combination feeling a bit sick from the waves I was very quiet. Somehow they felt the way I was feeling and tried to keep me occupied by a game named 10.000 with dices. Soon I took one of the matraces, placed it on deck below the sky and fell asleep quickly being simply tired from all the thoughts in my head. 

Next morning I woke up with natural daylight watching sunrise while enjoying the fresh air still in my bed covered with blankets. I slowly got up, helped preparing breakfast and got new energy with some porridge and fruits. We sat in a circle with some words for introduction and meditation.

This felt like just the right way to start the day and get over my sad thoughts. I accompanied Alex and Paul to go to Stone Town. We got a public van for not even 1€ and spend some time in town getting things accomplished and for some lunch and coffee. Still I was all caught in my thoughts until in the evening I met Hester from the US, I had met in Kilifi 2 weeks ago. She talked to me and motivated me with kind words taking off the heavy feeling in me, so I could enjoy the rest of the evening at a bar listening to live music. It felt so easy and warm hearted being with people that didn’t question but understood. 

Having some food and good conversations back on the boat, I could peacefully fall asleep by the sound of the ocean and slight wind.

What a nice morning waking up by the natural daylight. Having some banana pancakes and fruits for breakfast we relaxed a bit on the deck in the sun before Hester and I prepared lunch. We turned up the music, opened a bottle of wine and chopped potatos, vegetables and spices. It was such an easy atmosphere which I enjoyed a lot, finally feeling reliefed....at least for the day.

In the afternoon Felix and I took a walk on the beach to meet a friend and walked through villages before we made our way back to the boat already in the dark. The evening went smothly having dinner and catching some frech squid for lunch next day. Everyone went to bed early, we were planning to sail to Stonetown early morning.

We all woke up by the preparations from the sailors, so no time for sleeping longer than 6am. We all got ready for to raise the sail, everyone took their position and off we went South. We had breakfast and the fresh squid from the previous evening‘s catch until during midday almost half way the wind stopped and we couldn’t go on. So we simply had a good time on board with music and fun! 

After midday the wind turned up and sailed slowly but steady towards Stonetown. We arrived around 6.30pm and went straight to town for shopping food and spices, had some street food and a drink at the Hyatt hotel. What a relaxing time in the city, but happy to be back on the boat before midnight....it was a long day!

The lazy morning with delicious banana pancakes and a chill after lasted until afternoon. Marvin and I took the dinghy to the beach and walked around the city. Started on the market trying some street food and fruits, checked some crazy antique shops and headed back to the boat for preparing dinner.

We were all hanging out with some beers. I became more and more quiet since my head was spinning around again about the changes back home. They kept me occupied all evening until I suddenly found myself on the top deck by myself escaping the croud. I simply didn’t feel like too much talking. When I came back down most of the people went out for partying, but I didn’t feel like it, didn’t feel in the right mood. So I went to bed early, trying to simply sleep.

Next morning I felt much better, reliefed, happy and greatful to spend a great day - the day of the festival. We organized ourselves splitting into teams what to do today, so we were most efficient to make it happen! 

Until afternoon we enjoyed some free time on board, going for a swim and even saw dolphins pass by, so beautiful.

We made our way to town, first for a coffee and some lunch at the Stonetown Cafe. I had a delicious tuna steak and fresh juice for about 8€.

The day before Hester and Laila had bought some paper bags and candles to decorate the location. So we took those and got sand from the beach to fill the bags and put candles inside. We were done quickly and had some free time to walk in the city for some shopping and visit the vibrant local vegetable and fish market before heading back to the Forodhani park where the festival should start at 7pm.

Marco started the event with some music catching the attention of more and more people. Youngsters were dancing and Rhea closed the introduction with some songs she sang.

The film covered about 1 hour, we packed our things and went for a little after party and dancing to the Taperia Bar with life music. We enjoyed so much and I felt so much in the moment, so real and present...that was on of the moments this trip is about - freedom and peace in yourself.

We are humans, our moods and emotions change from day to day. But these ups and downs are somehow the beauty of life. 

This morning I woke up sad and with a feeling of missing home, that happens when you travel for a long time...four weeks now. It just seemed so not right after a great night out. Chapsy, one of the Baharias (sailors) came up to me, cheered me up and made me jump in the water. Sometimes you feel captured in your thoughts and freeing yourself doing something spontaneously helps. So with my clothes on I let myself fall into the water. What an amazing feeling and I was recovered again. 

We sat together in a circle talking about ourselves and giving eachother a common spirit to move on because we were heading to Mafia Island next day. So we had a day off chilling, having lunch with shrimp pesto pasta, going to town for a coffee and some shopping. On the boat we had delicious dinner as always, had some beers and went to sleep soon - sailing was supposed to start at 4am.

Having found my peace, I could sleep perfectly although it was short.

Early morning hearing the Baharia already perpare I slowly got up as well and the captain Paolo asked me to wake up everyone. So step by step the boat awaked from the night. The air was so calm and a gentle wind was blowing. Raising the sail needed all our help while some were already preparing coffee, it was still dark. The wind took us slowly but steady off shore from Stonetown towards South. Daylight soon was there and the sun was rising behind the clouds while we played classical music. It was such a relaxing moment watching the sun rise and feeling the breeze while having a coffee. I wished I could have kept this moment forever.

We had wonderful breakfast with porridge, fruits and bread. 

The wind stopped around midday and so we simply chilled waiting for wind, caught some fresh fish and octopus even. We kept ourselves busy with sweeping the deck and listening to music.

In the afternoon the wind came and there it was, the real feeling of sailing, the boat moving from left to right. 

I took a moment for myself laying in the sun cooled by the wind and enjoying the moment of happiness with a smile.

Then we prepared for the night of sailing, the wind speeded up and we couldn’t do anything but sit at one place and relax. I decided to go all the way front and join the Baharias for a jam session. It slowly got dark and with heavy wind remained with the boys. Consuming these happy moments with these guys made me smile all evening. 

We ate quite late, but also because the heavy wind made the boat move a lot. There was a bit of tension and hektic everyone preparing their beds. Some already went to sleep, we had woken up at 4am so a ling day. Some simply layed down to not move around the boat anymore because it was really dangerous when you were not holding on to the boat walking free. Others because they got seasick. I was fine, but tired, so quickly chose a spot close to the kitchen where the wind was a little smother, but woke up every now and then...the sailors creaming at eachother in Swahili language, which I didn’t understand and so didn’t know what was going on, wide awake for a moment and then close my eyes again. At one point I woke up from a crack on the upper deck, eyes wide open. The second smaller sail had ripped and they had to take it down. Second bigger sail ripped a bit, but could be tied again to make it work. We sailed the night through with 6.5 knots and woke up next morning close to the shore of Mafia Island. After such a long time stuck at the Southern tip of Zanzibar, I couldn’t believe we had really made it through the night to Mafia Island.

Around 9am we ankered and some went to shore, some including me stayed on board because for me it was the last day on the boat. We catched a huge fish, scrubbed the deck, made some lunch. One of the guys had contacts to some snorkeling agency and organized a trip for whale shark snorkeling the next morning. Early but since it took place in the South of the island, where the airport is, I agreed and could take my luggage with me.

In the evening when everyone arrived, we all sat together, had some beers and Hester organized a new moon celebration on the upper deck. Such an inspiring time, sitting in the dark, only a dimm light and the stars above us. We took eachothers hands, Hester introduced the meaning of new moon and the new Chinese year of the dog. Each of us picked a moon card, read the title and its description in the book out loud. We were passing around some moon stones and a rose quarz to hold tight and keep them for a moment of silence. After a while we could speak out loud what we are greatful for and what we wish for the new moon to bring to us. 

For me this journey had tought me a few lessons, which were inspired by two people: Paolo the captain and Chapsy the sailors leader. It was the morning waking up sad, when Chapsy came up to me, sat down and told me that most important thing were my feelings and to love yourself first and be worth it being loved. Appreciate and take care of yourself to heal faster. In this moment all the love and energy he shined with just spilled over me and fully energetic jumped in the water. After that, I started becoming more and more control over my emotions and could be present. Paolo came up to me and said, I should just be free. His definition of freedom was not about being able to go here and there, for him freedom happens in your mind. If you are mentally free, you are able to live the moment and be fully present without thoughts being somewhere else or being lead by circumstances, that are far away. Life happens in the present moment and living it with all of yourself needs a free mind.

In our circle I spoke out loud that these inspiring moments together with the love and energy of everyone on this boat felt like a blessing and made me feel as greatful as I had never felt before about a part of a journey. I will take these memories with me, I am a Musafiri and will carry on my journey with this love and energy!

The evening went on and ended in really good talks with Ibi, our technition and essential crew member. I hadn’t really connected with him before since his name was always called by someone and he had to run from one to another place on the boat. This evening we could talk a bit and amazingly found out that his father‘s family side was not only from India, but also spoke the same dialect as my mother’s family. This is sooo super rare with over 200 languages existing in India. He was born in Mombasa with his mother on the other side being white British Kenyan. So he is a mix such as I am. We kept on talking until late although I had to get up early and leave not only for whalesharks, but also for good. The evening was worth every hour that passed.

The dinghy took 14 of us to shore at 7 am and the goodbye was somehow hard...I had connected to new/old people and couldn’t even say bye to everyone, some still sleeping. Oh well, I had my flight booked and took my luggage, off I was.

With taxis within an hour we were at the Afro Beach in Kilindoni, main town of Mafia Island. After a coffee this agency took us by boat out to the 6-7m deep ocean. Soon we passed some whalesharks swimming gently on the surface with their pointed skin shimmering through the water. Snorkeling masks and finns on, ready steady go and we jumped in the wavy water to get a closer glimpse of these large animals. Almost every jump was worth it, having the whaleshark pass so close, that I could have even touched it, but you shouldn’t do. Two hours passed and with this exciting experience we were happy to go back to shore. We were all in a perfect mood sitting together with beers. We had ordered lunch to hang out a bit longer at this place.

Somehow it just didn’t feel right to leave, I had a feeling this wasn’t it and I had to make most of the time. So there it was: follow your heart! I changed my flight to the next day, rebooked the hostel in Dar es Salaam and it was decided, stay one night longer 😊. Everyone was sooo happy to have me longer. Hester also changed her plans not to stay the night in Kilindoni to take the ferry next day, but to also come back to the boat, booked the same flight, so we could leave together.

What a surprise to arrive back on the boat. At first Ibi and the others were at the front on the game 10.000 when Alex suddenly shouted out „she is back!“. I went up to them and for the rest of the evening we sat together, played 10.000 with beers cigarettes music and talks....in the end simply starring at the stars until we all fell asleep....nothing can be better than sleeping under the orion stars and milky way.

Being back on the boat for a night offered me all the memorable moments, such as the morning with sunrise and a slight breeze. Coffee was already prepared by the time I came down from my last sleeping spot, the upper deck. Slowly awakening the last thing that could make me fully alive: the ocean! I jumped in and enjoyed this last refreshing perfect moment. Breakfast with pancakes and fruits followed by the daily group circle and chilling on deck with almost everyone - some had left for shore - was the perfect way to connect with each of them again before we had to leave at 3pm. The dinghy took Hester and me to the shore accompanied by our closest to say goodbye. It wasn’t any easier than the day before, but with a smile having spent some additional wonderful on the boat, that gave me so much. 

Hester and I reviewed the past ten days and came to the conclusion, that each and everyone on the boat was a loving contribution to the soul and spirit of the Musafir and it’s journey. Appart from the creational part of the journey interacting with the local communities, organizing a film festival, which I was not really part of, it was the common creation and the human part that brought us all closer to eachother. Some are open and warm hearted from the first connection like Hester and me, some need their time to find the level of connection such as it did with Ibi, but even you couldn’t get the personality of some and thus couldn’t find a way to connect, they all were an integral and contributing part of this community. Everyone’s presence was highly appreciated and you could feel the energy everyone gave to make this journey happen and so special. Most of us were authentic, could show how they really were....some instantly, for some it took time to find their role. So did I: having some emotional issues far away, I had difficulties to be myself without being influenced by my home issues. Step by step I not only physically found my spot, but came closer and closer to the boat with my mind until during the last days I was fully there, physically and with my heart and soul. It was a lifetime journey, that made me learn a lot about myself, others and about life. Now I am a Musafiri and will not only continue my own journey, but definitely also return to a next journey with Musafir....maybe sooner than later and maybe for a little longer! ❤️