Dar es Salaam turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I know my criteria has changed as increased exposure to the third world expands my horizons and obviously it’s not ‘nice’ like Paris or New York, but really…it’s not bad. It is a melting pot – Indians, Chinese, Muslims and Africans blend together, and what’s more, everyone gets along. Israel: take note. The people are genuinely nice; friendly and warm and the women dress beautifully. I love the traditional African costumes - the colours, the patterns, the head wraps…It’s such a nice, cheerful change from South Africa. The city itself is green and lush with vegetation – it smells like flowers, and the buildings are colourful. Tanzania is a former German colony, and the architecture is a real blend of Indian, Arabic and German colonial painted with Miami style pepto pink, mint green and purple. The traffic is crazy – think tuktuks weaving in and out of massive traffic jams, the city busses, called Dala Dalas – old, purple, hand painted and overcrowded to the point of tipping, and safari jeeps all jammed together in a seething, honking mess. As you head away from the CBD, goats, chickens and markets selling everything imaginable line the roadside.
Freddie took me first to the fish market which lies on the harbor. It was already steaming hot by 9 am, so you can imagine that the smell wasn’t appetizing. But it was worth enduring to see the exotic tropical fish, caught on traditional wooden dhows, laid out for purchase– think orange, yellow and turquoise scales.
I enjoyed watching the fish mongers haggle, and the women carrying large buckets of fish balanced on their heads – now THAT is a talent. The water was crystalline turquoise and between the fish I have seen here so far and the colour of the ocean, I cannot wait to snorkel in Zanzibar!
To follow, we cruised around downtown Dar and saw the tourist sites– nothing terribly exciting. It’s a very political place full of embassies and international banks – obviously an African business hub. But I was charmed by the little things – the men selling coconuts and mangoes off the backs of their bikes, the tuktuk garbage truck, the nuns everywhere (this place is full of convents), the business men in their shiny polyester suits. We went for lunch at the Seacliff Hotel, which is one of the last vestiges of colonial culture in the city. It featured thatched roofs, black service men dressed all in white and a helicopter pad…but the food was good (well, as good as it gets for these parts) and it overlooked the Indian Ocean.
Later, we drove to the town of Bagamoyo , about 60 km up the coast. Bagamoyo is a modern day artist’s colony that happens to contain ruins of an Indian/German palace (the Old Boma) and centuries old slave quarters where prisoners were detained until shipped out to an unimaginably horrible existence in the new American colonies. A sad old tree with a chain suspended from it was used to hang uncooperative slaves. Today, it’s hard to imagine that so much violent suffering could have occurred in a place as peaceful as this – It is really imbued with a feeling of serenity.
The old, crumbling Arabic houses which line the dirt streets are so beautiful –they feature the most ornate doors and windows made from intricately carved local wood. Paintings hang randomly along the road where wild baby goats run freely amongst lush greenery and colourful flowers which scent the air. And the Muslim women wear robes of bright oranges, greens and golds, surrounded by little children so happy and carefree. I fell absolutely in love with this place.
What amazes me is how industrious the people are. They can load their bicycle full of wooden planks, brooms, baskets…massive loads, and somehow they are able to ride with all of it. And what doesn’t fit on their bikes, they balance on their heads. No wonder they all have amazing posture.
I also picked up my ticket for the ferry to Zanzibar tomorrow. I met the first Canadian I have encountered in a long time at the terminal – a smoking hot dive instructor from Ontario. Sadly, we were headed to different places, but we were happy to see each other as it helped alleviate some home sickness. Anyway, for me Zanzibar is a dream trip. It is somewhere I have always desperately wanted to visit, and in my mind is unimaginably exotic. Needless to say, I am thrilled!
As a Tanzanian, you have just made my day, I am going to tweet your blog so other people can read it.
ReplyDeleteReally pleased that my country has just made somebody happy, you have impressed me for the way you mingled and decided to embrace our culture, other tourists should take note.
Cheers