Tanzania, December 2006Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar13-16 December 2006 |
I had a few days between the time I came back from Kilimanjaro and Scott and I left for our safari, so I went to Dar Es Salaam and Zanzibar. Arusha is inland, at a higher altitude, separated from the (sweltering) coastline and Dar by a long ride on a poor highway. There are many buses that make the trip; the one I chose, Scandanavia Express, took more than ten hours rather than the expected 8, due to traffic, diversions for construction, and the driver's stubborn refusal to drive recklessly fast. |
Right: The Scandanavia Express bus to Dar (the logo says "Princess Class - In God We Trust") |
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Left: Usambara mountains, on the road to Dar |
| Dar Es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania (but not the capital). Since I only stayed there one night I didn't see that much, but I did walk around and check out some parks, a huge fish market, and the feel of the streets in a couple parts of town. I also sweated the whole time I was there, since, especially compared to Arusha and Kilimanjaro, the air was hot and humid. I slept at the YWCA's extremely cheap, basic hostel, which provided amenities like a mosquito net, a fan, and noise and exhaust from a daladala stand. (But I'd still recommend it for someone on a budget - decent location, cheap, and friendly.) |
Right: YWCA in Dar Es Salaam, overlooking a daladala stand |
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Left: Traffic jam |
The next day I took a ferry ride to Zanzibar; the three or four hours passed slowly. But boarding the ferry was a bit of a harrowing adventure. I had purchased a ticket on the Flying Dolphin for $20, which is the single non-resident price - residents had a choice of fare class and paid quite a bit less. As the boarding time approached I made my way down to the departure gate and showed my ticket, submitted to a cursory pawing of my bag that it seemed only mzungus (white people) were subjected to, and waited in line a while. The line moved forward in fits and starts, and only when I got near the front could I see why: there was a small gate, wide enough for maybe two or three people to squeeze through at once, that the entire crowd of hundreds of people (many with luggage) were being let through maybe 50 at a time. After each wave went through everyone else was held back until they once again let more people through, and everyone near the gate surged forward and tried to get through at once. I was amazed people weren't squished and was happy just to have made it through in one (non-flat) piece. I hate to judge other cultural habits and institutions, but this whole process seemed unnecessarily stupid and hazardous. Going through such an unexpected and chaotic, not to mention possibly dangerous, situation opened the door to conversation with some of the other foreigners on board. I ended up talking with a couple from Australia and Indonesia named Rob and Gwiny on the ferry, and we even found rooms at the same hostel once we arrived. |
Right: View of Dar Es Salaam from the ferry |
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Once the ferry reached Zanzibar there was another chaotic scene as people and cargo unloaded, and dozens of guys waited to pounce on anyone getting off (anyone white, especially, or maybe exclusively) with offers of taxis, or hotels, or who knows what else. After turning down a dozen offers of a taxi, we had to fill out a card and get our passports stamped - even though Zanzibar is a sort of autonomous territory and not a separate country from Tanzania, they insisted on checking, and stamping the passports of obvious foreigners. Residents walked through the gate with no check. The guy running the passport checkpoint was also intent on offering us "help" in finding a taxi. Rob, Gwiny, and I ended up being escorted from the port area by a man calling himself James Taylor, who, it seems against all odds, actually was trying to help us and not seeking an immediate commission or direct us to his business. |
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| Above: Zanzibar from the ferry | Below: Zanzibar beach |
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Left: Narrow street in Stone Town |
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It was helpful to have a guide who knew the local streets of the town too as we looked for a cheap place to stay, because the old city (known as Stone Town) surrounding the ferry port, where most tourists stay unless they're heading for beaches elsewhere on the island, is a maze of winding streets mostly too narrow for cars (but not motorbikes, which whip around all the time). After two days of walking around I felt like I was starting to learn my way around, but it would take a lifetime to know all the nooks and crannies and stores and houses piled into such a small area. Stone Town felt by far the most Islamic of any place I've been - in Arusha the mosques were more visible (and audible) but in Zanzibar many more people were dressed in varying degrees of clearly Muslim clothing. Zanzibar has had many cultural influences over the centuries: Arab, Portaguese, British. This was reflected in both the people and the food. There was quite a bit of seafood, with many of the spices that are grown on the islands of Zanzibar. Some of the best was served at sunset in gardens on the beach, with vendors setting up tables covered in fish, octopus, crabs, lobsters, beef and chicken, falafel, naan, bananas - all kinds of food - that was mostly on skewers and would be cooked (or at least warmed) after ordering. |
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Above and right: Food at Forodhani Gardens at twilight |
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Left: planes on the ground in Zanzibar |
After two nights on the island I went to the airport for a morning flight. As much as I had enjoyed the lengthy experiences on the bus and ferry I wasn't eager to repeat them, so I'd booked a flight straight back to Arusha on a small plane. After a delay (because in Tanzania, transportation just doesn't leave on time) the other three passengers, the pilot, the guy who sat in the co-pilot's seat (alternately talking on his cell phone and talking to the pilot), and I were treated to a short flight with spectacular views of the extraordinarily deep blue of the Indian Ocean. |
Right: Taking off |
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Left: Indian Ocean from the air Below: Tanzanian coastline |
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