Back in Dar

When we arrived in Dar es Salaam it was getting pretty close to dark. The cab ride to our hotel took an hour and a half, mostly because of construction work. They let lines of traffic go at certain intervals and we had to wait a long time. Once the road is repaired/expanded it should take less than 30 minutes. On the way to the hotel a bug found its way onto my neck in the dark of the mini-van. The bug was about the size of a large grasshopper... just a little prettier and greener. We laughed and I said that I would find a way to put it into Jeanne's luggage.

At the hotel Jeanne and I joked about getting the "best" rooms. It was just a joke, the project only pays for basic rooms in safe hotels (which are still pretty nice) but the night manager said "Why not?"  I guess that, during the rainy season the hotel is pretty empty so he gave us each full executive suites for the night with large balconies overlooking the harbor. No extra charge. Wow. I felt like a King - for one night!  Actually two, because he let me stay in the room for another night after Jeanne left for Montreal and I got ready to go to Zanzibar.

Nice Room

View from the balcony

We got to the the rooms and were immediately swallowed up in them. I went to explore the balcony and the spacious bathroom with the Jacuzzi tub. Then I heard a knock at the door. It was Jeanne with the green bug; it was on top of her luggage. She took a picture. The bellhop said the bugs are quite common and people often eat them. And I don't think it was the same bug from the van. Jeanne found four more in her suite. I guess the last guest left the patio door open.

We settled in and went for a late supper in the restaurant on the 9th floor. The have an open air balcony that faces the harbor. It was great.

The next day we went to explore Dar es Salaam and perhaps buy a ticket for my upcoming ferry ride, Only half a block from the office (Which you can see right from my balcony.) we were stopped by a man who suddenly took us "under his wing" making sure we wouldn't get hit by effing trucks and taking us to the "ferry ticket office for foreigners".  He escorted us to a rinky-dink travel agency down the block that was going to sell us the 35 dollar ticket for 40 (special taxes on foreigners). He was obviously an "entrepreneur who scooped up more than a few unwitting tourists this way. We told him he was scamming us but good try. We would not be buying a ticket that day.

The real ferry office is at the far left of this shot.

Then he offered his services as a guide to the city. He was very persistent. We had to be firm and almost rude to get rid of him. And that's the thing in Dar and in Zanzibar. There are many "businessmen" who are looking to make a quick buck from the tourists. And, if you are white, you are likely a tourist.

Checking out a local restaurant.

Jeanne and I wandered around Dar and were caught in two separate downpours. The people here don't really dress against these. They just wait them out under convenient awnings. Tanzanians are good at waiting. We tried to wait the second downpour out in front of a local Woolworths. When it lasted over a half hour we gave up and grabbed a three wheeled taxi, which is like a cross between a motorcycle and a rickshaw. A "bujaj". It was fun. Then, when we got back to the hotel, Charles was there. He had come to Dar to see about some machinery that was going to be sent from Canada. He was also friends with he hotel manager. Small world.

A curious menu choice!

Ready to go!



After Charles left Jeanne and I did a bit more exploring and, after a hurried dinner, she caught the shuttle to the airport and I finished packing my backpack for the Zanzibar trip. I was going to leave most of my luggage in Dar at the hotel, spend three nights in Zanzibar and then return to the Harbourview for one last night before returning to Canada.