070503 Dar es Salaam

Wednesday 2nd May Silver Sands
We all spent an interesting and frustrating day battling the traffic (it took us 2 hours to get into Dar to the Landrover gararge). Our problem was loose bolts in the suspension and had to do a service. Willy had brake, suspension and tyre problems. Brian had brake master cylinder problems. Dave’s Landcruiser had no brake linings left and is still having overheating problems caused by wiring faults. The soup we had travelled through, and overuse had caused the brake problems. Hehehe, our brakes were fine because of Nev’s method of driving using the correct gear rather than brakes, like one would drive a 10tonne truck. Hope this method carries on working. Willy has gone through two sets of brake linings already and messed up his drums.
We have torrential rains several times a day with the sun shining hotly between the squalls. The drainage system in the city cannot handle all the water and the streets and pavements are continually being flooded. Everyone arrived back in camp in foul moods, Nev muttering “Give me mud and potholes rather than this traffic” as it took us 2 hours to travel the 15Km. It was with relief that we found that there were no exceptions to this, and we could all laugh about our experiences.
The drivers here are different to in SA. If you want to enter the traffic from a side road you put up your hand and just go. The other cars, patiently give way. It is not odd to drive up the pavement, and if you are really in a hurry you put your flashing lights on and drive on the opposite side of the road with no problem.
Pedestrians and bicycles are everywhere. Walking is faster in most places than cars.
There are stalls on the side of the road selling roasted mealies, boiled eggs and pealed oranges. Fast food Tanzanian style! For the health conscious, other fresh fruit: mangoes, pawpaws and bananas. There are very few overweight people in Tanzania and most are lean and healthy looking. They walk briskly despite the heat, if they aren’t sitting around. We passed a group of young men milling around looking like they were going to pick up litter. The got into a line, crouched down and suddenly took off, racing each other at a sprint. We don’t know what happened after that as we were going in the opposite direction, but it was really funny to see.
Although the vehicles have been imported from SA, vehicles are 25% are cheaper here than in SA. Spares are cheaper, and labour charges are half the SA price. Cell calls are almost free. South Africans are being ripped off!!!

Tuesday 1st May 2007, Silver Sands Camp, Dar es Salaam
We walked to a community conservation turtle sanctuary. Very poor. The lighthouse on the tip was not allowed to be photographed for an unknown reason. We went for another quick and painful ride around the lodges on the northern coast and decided that our camp had the best beach. We headed back to the harbour to catch the ferry. This one was smaller and the sea was really rough. The ferry was leaping like a horse through water, and corkscrewing over the swells. The passengers were getting seasick, including Dave and Maureen, but we were fine. I thought the movement was great fun and sat up riding the waves like I would a horse.
We found our vehicles and headed for the campsite Siver Sands on the northern shore of Dar. It was nice to be back in our little ‘home’, although Zanzibar is wonderful.

Monday 30th April 2007 Zanzibar
Next day we went for a snorkel off the shore. I was just about to comment that every focus was a “wow!” moment when I started to feel uncomfortable pricking sensations on my arms and legs. We were being stung by some jelly fish things which looked like a string of actively swimming frogs’ eggs. No lasting damage, but we left that area to snorkel elsewhere. Visibility in the water was close to 20m, unbelievably clear. The sands on the beaches are pure white (originating from limestone), brochure book examples with dhows and mocorros making a beautiful picture.
We hired a motor bike and toured the north eastern shores and interior of the island. All the cattle are tethered to the sides of the road while most of the land is cropped with rice, cocoanuts (tall for oil and cooking, short dwarf ones for the milk), bananas, spices (which we didn’t see), a rubber industry and many other things. The baobabs were very short as there was stone all over the island and they cant get their roots down. On the lower east coast they were clearing the bush and planting trees which they cut for building their houses. Most of the houses were mud and limestone with palm-leaf thatched roofs. They were cutting out and destroying hundreds of 3m high cycads which made us cry as they must have been hundreds of years old. It rains here several times a day, hard for about 15 minutes, then the sun comes out. So we got soaked through and then blow-dried in minutes. The rain doesn’t phase the locals who just carry on with their lives unperturbed. By the time we were half way back our backsides were numb and raw from the uncomfortable seat.
Back on the beach we saw a snaking water spout over the sea that lasted for 10 minutes, about at least 1Km high into the swirling black clouds. We could see how it was sucking the water out of the sea. Someone must have had salty rain somewhere when it eventually came down.


Sunday 29th April 2007 Zanzibar
Our group separated for the morning and we explored Stone Town at our own pace. Stone Town is a living village inhabited by people going about their everyday business, not a town especially for tourists. A guide found us and took us on a tour of the Town, explaining the history of the buildings and the local culture. We were taken into a Hindu Temple where a young scholar explained the gods to us, the museum, Portuguese fort from 16th century, the last slave market, Sultans mansion from 14th century. The Arabic doors were made of solid wood with huge brass knobs and intricate carvings. The more elaborate the door, the higher the status of the owner. The brass knobs were a fashion originally from the Arabian method of protecting their houses against attack by war elephants. The best part for us was the market area. There were literally hundreds of tiny shops selling everything from spices and kangas, to hardware and shoes. In fact, everything except motor cars and electrical goods. We watched the daily catch being auctioned at the fish market. The chicken market had live chickens in baskets right there next to the plucked fowls displayed on the counters. All kinds of locally grown fruit and veges were displayed by their growers. We tasted the delicious Jack Fruit cut up with great dexterity by a man with a huge dagger. At the meat section you could choose your favourite cut from the quarters of cattle and goats lying on the concrete counters in front of you. There was an atmosphere of bustling organized chaos. Do you think Africa will ever change? Why would we want it to?

Just before lunch we all met up and were taken on a “Spice tour”. Lunch at the farm consisted of Pilau Rice (spiced rice) with two types of sauces, made from the locally grown ingredients and natural spices, and casava tips as a green vegetable. The yellow sauce (made with cocoanut milk) on the rice was voted the most delicious. We were then taken around the spice, herb and tree garden “African style” (no paths) with everything scattered and growing amongst the weeds. Our guide showed us and explained the uses of some forty different plants while the youngsters continually surprised us with gifts of baskets, hats, ties, rings and necklaces they were weaving for us out of palm leaves while we toured the 2Ha area.

We then proceeded to our hotel 40Km north of Zanzibar Town to the very northern tip of the island, Nungwe. This was also a 1-star hotel where we found someone fast asleep in our allocated bedroom. We responded angrily by telling them to change the sheets, curtains and paint the place out – joking, but they did change the sheets. The mozzie nets had holes so we added the net from the other bed to try to prevent being eaten, but we still had to do mozzie hunting a few times in the middle of the night, unfortunately leaving blood splattered marks around. It never ceases to amaze us that the showers are almost dircly over the toilets. The toilets get soaked and going to the toilets involve getting wet feet wherever you go. The are no walls around the shower to contain the water. It could be time saving as one could do two jobs in one.



Saturday 28th April 2007 Coco De Mer Zanzibar
We drove around the water inlet at Dar es Salaam rather than going over the ferry, and encountered the filth and slum area of Dar. Unbelievable stench from rotting human detritus! The traffic was so slow moving that the pedestrians were walking faster than the traffic was moving most of the time. We kept passing the same group of people, who kept passing us again. I covered my head with a scarf (Muslim style) as I started to feel like the men were gawking at me. At a roundabout all the traffic came to a complete standstill for 15 minutes while we wondered what had happened and eventually Nev walked up to see whether there was an accident. Just then a cavalcade of police escorting some dignitary whizzed past with sirens blaring and lights flashing. We got to the harbour to arrange the ferry crossing and accommodation in Zanzibar. The touts mobbed us, all trying to earn their commission by getting customers to their travel and hotel accomodation agent. The books warn of unscrupulous dealers who overcharge or rip you off so we were very very suspicious and wary. I sat sweltering in the car while Nev and some others went to book. I was continually approached by people selling wares and they wouldn’t go away until I started to speak to them in Swahili and then they were greatly amused and very much more respectful and friendly and stopped trying to sell, instead chatted about BafanaBafana, 2010, and South Africa!
Meanwhile Nev and them were bargaining for hotel accommodation on Zanzibar, and sorted it out, not knowing really what we were in for. We then left to park the cars at Brian’s cousin’s firm’s place (previously arranged) and got lost. We had to load a local friendly bod who kindly took us there. We caught taxis back to the harbour and eventually left on the high-speed luxury” ferry Sea Bus III” at 4.30pm, one hour late. The crossing was uneventful except Maureen got seasick. We arrived in Zanzibar in the dark wondering how we were going to get to the hotel.
We were amazed and surprised when we were met at the harbour by a taximan who took us to the hotel, a 1-star Coco De Mer, clean sheets, hot shower, and aircon, situated down a dingy lane in Stone Town.
York in Britain, is nothing compared to Stone Town, with its wiggly maze of little lanes made by three story buildings of a mixture of Arabic, English and German architecture. Some of the Lanes are so narrow that it was difficult for 2 people to pass. We continually got lost and had to ask locals to guide us out, which they gladly did for a small fee. That night we went to the sea front where they have a highly atmospheric open air fish braai market with a variety of raw seafood displayed, lit by paraffin lamps. Everything from the display of the food, to the cooking methods to the eating, paying, and garbage disposal would have been condemned by the hygiene standards in any first world country, but it all contributed to a wonderfully ethnic, vibrant and exciting atmosphere with delicious selection of locally caught seafood. Crab, prawns, crayfish, calamari, octopus, squid and sea fish were on offer at ridiculously low prices. The choice was grilled on open fires. We loved the sugar cane juice which was produced by crushing the cane through two rollers by a sweaty man turning a handle while the other fed the cane stalks through the mangle. The juice dripped into a bucket of ice and was scooped up with a cup, sieved and served in a glass with a squeeze of lemon – deliciously refreshing. Zanzibar pizzas were another hit with us, made with great alacrity and speed by another few men working as a team frying the savoury pastry tartlets which they couldn’t make fast enough. Handling the grubby money, kneading the dough and spreading the ingredients with the same hand, but they were delicious. It was all a bit of a whirlwind, almost like being at a fairground, but better. The next day to our surprise none of us were the worse for ware.

Friday 27th April 2007 Kim Beach Camp
We left early (after being fed by Patrick and his crew) for Dar Es Salaam. Three of our crew had runny tummies from the food cooked at the camp from the night before, but no lasting problems. The road started off as a nice tar road and guess what? It deteriorated into a single track of humpy wet muddy slosh. We couldn’t see how deep the holes were, as they were full of water, and the traffic had churned the sand up into soupy mud. Luckily there was a low clay content so it was relatively hard beneath the slosh. One cannot believe that it is the main (and only) road south from Dar. We drove along this unbelievable road for 5 hours averaging less than 20Km/hr. It was with great difficulty that we had to squeeze pass heavily laden trucks busses and taxis all traveling south. The taxis were so loaded that the passengers were standing up squashed together in ‘spoon’ positions, some hanging out the open door holding on with one hand, others had their bottoms sticking out the windows. Some places had thick bush on either side consisting of diverse trees such as mahogany, acacia, palms, mangoes and cashew nut trees. And then suddenly it turned into a beautiful 1st world tarred road again. We did the 300Km trip in 7 hours and found another camp site right on a white sandy beach with the ubiquitous lapping waves again! At least there is a nice lot of clean water this time brought to us in buckets by the camp managers. We had showers outside our Landy but had to ask the guard to move so we could have some privacy. I am learning to say a few words of Kiswahili which is coming in very handy. The palm trees are right to the water’s edge and our Landy is parked 10m from the water. The locals just don’t realize they live in paradise. Farming consists of millions of coconut palms all the way with cassava, maize, sweet potatoes and citrus, bananas and pawpaws half a meter long and delicious. One pawpaw cost us R2.50, and the bananas cost 15c each. We passed through one of the villages where they were making furniture out of beautiful mahogany. We wished we had a furniture van to take it home. The forests are of course being deforested by this, as well as the charcoal makers.
There are numerous police road blocks in Tanzania, but most just wave us through. So far we have had no trouble at all.

Thursday 26th April 2007 Kilwa Dreams camp site.
We arrived at Kilwa quite early and wanted to visit Kilwa Kisiwani Island and found out it was a public holiday so everything was closed. Our Camp manager, Patrick, went out of his way to make sure we were happy. He went to find the officer at his house, who had to put on his uniform and get to the office to issue a permit. Then he had to organize a dhow to take us across to the island. We were about to leave at around noon when it started to rain and everyone wanted to cancel and go tomorrow. Nev insisted that we wait for 30 minutes before making a decision because we have found that the rain, although it does come down hard, does not last long, and then the sun comes out again. Like squalls come over and then go. After 20 minutes the rain cleared and we boarded the dhow and crossed the 2Km in 30 minutes. It was slow, quite and peaceful under the large, patched triangular sail. We sat on the ballast of sand bags with the wet sails dripping slowly onto us.
Kilwa Kisiwani is a 20SqKm island 2Km off the mainland which was occupied by a series of Arab Sultans from the 13th to the 15th century. Then the Portuguese bombarded Kilwa and moved the headquarters of the gold and slave trades to Mombassa. Kilwa was the main gold trading centre with the gold mined as far afield as Zimbabwe. The Sultans became extremely rich and built extravagant mosques and houses for themselves out of the coral which they mined right there off the shore. All is now in ruins, and it reminded us of walking around all the Roman ruins in Britain, (Hadrian’s Wall and the various cathedrals). There are about 1600 mainly Muslim people who live there by fishing and a bit of agriculture. The Portuguese took over the Island in 1512, but most died of malaria and they abandoned it. We had great fun clambering about the ruins, so much so that we got left behind by the rest of the group and got lost!! We walked around for about 30 minutes before luckily meeting up with them again.
After arriving back at the camp we had a lazy late afternoon. The tide was out and we had to swim in 1/2m deep water or else walk for 500m to get to deeper water. We still cannot get used to there being no waves in the sea. The waves in the Lakes Tanganyka and Malawe were bigger than these. We are longing for some great big strong waves to crash onto the beach instead of these weak things that lap the shore.

Wednesday 25th April 2007 Quarry Camp
The Lodge we stayed at was called Rovula Safari Lodge, which we left and proceeded north towards Kilwa on some disgusting roads. (Note the adjectives have changed from bumpy and wet to disgusting, depending on our mood). The Chinese are at present tarring this 400Km section but they are doing the whole sections at once instead of starting from one end so in places we were going half a meter deep in muddy slosh. The Chinese are having an uphill battle trying to cope with the rain while hardening their new road. It is also obvious that there are no environmentalists around as they are bulldozing huge baobabs down in sections. Also in their quarried, they clear and push the logs into the streams and don’t concentrate on one area, but have 5Ha quarries, abandon them and move onto the next one.
We slept in one of these quarries in one of the few sparsely populated areas so far in Tanzania.