Happy Valentine’s Day! The day started with breakfast at 0745 and loading up the bus at 0815. Originally, this had been planned as a bike tour, but there was a mixup with the company and they had all their bikes with a group outside the city. So, it became a tuk-tuk (paj-paj here) tour as we loaded three apiece into a train of seven vehicles – three-wheeled covered mopeds with wide back seats.
This turned out to be a blessing as it was really hot again today (90+ and humid, we are starting to adjust), and this allowed us to do a longer tour then we could have on bikes. Ferdinand was our lead guide, and the tour was designed to show us the heart of the city, which tourists don’t usually see (this is an innovative program developed by AfriTours). We started at a shop where a salesman sells the best shoes that he can get from the apparel drops that happen at the African Market (which we saw later).
We then visited a coffee seller who grinds his beans in a large pistol and mortar, brews the coffee in a large pot (Arabica beans are served unfiltered), then serves it black in the street for a nickel a cup (expresso size) served with a piece of kashata (a soft peanut brittle). We got to try grinding and sample the coffee and brittle. Ferdinand taught us a lot about Tanzanian culture – as a country of 120+ tribes with none dominant, and with the influence of Arab culture on the coast, Swahili (developed from Arabic, German, English and other influences) became a unifying force and has helped Tanzania avoid the violence that has plagued so many other African countries. He also talked about the transition from the African Socialism of the founding father Julius Nyerere, to capitalism under his successors, and how this has led huge growth in Dar Es Salaam and increasing difficulty in finding a way to scratch out a living in the city.
We visited Mama Amina (they take their nickname from their first child – she is the mother of Amina) who serves chai masala and chapatis and kitumbua (like small square plain doughnuts) which we also sampled.
We then traveled to the Tandale area, which features single-floor six room concrete and tin roof houses with a different family (up to 6) living in each room.
There were lots of kids who wanted to say hi to us, and we crossed the stream that drains the area which is full of trash.
We then met Bibi Zituni (grandmother of Zituni) who is the neighborhood’s faith healer and midwife – she showed us the plants she grows and their medicinal properties, and also sold us some animal carvings. We visited an herb shop and learned about what the different herbs are supposed to help, and a fabric show, selling khangas which include phrases to help people convey messages.
Our last stop on the tour was the huge African Market, which featured food of many varieties (huge piles of mangoes!) and which took us 15 minutes to manage to walk through. We also saw the adjacent market where bails of donated clothing and shoes from other countries are opened and auctioned by the piece – this practice has had the effect of decimating local industries for clothes and shoes.
This tour opened our eyes to the life of ordinary people in Dar, some of whom living on 1.5 dollars a day. We went back to Triniti for lunch (same great menu as yesterday) then visited a local supermarket where the kids could get snacks or ice cream or smoothies.
After a rest, we went to visit a mosque that Taylor had contacted. We dressed nice and brought scarves to cover our heads. We were invited to visit with their Koran students who recited and sung Koran verses that they had memorized.
We then headed for dinner at the Mamboz Grill – a sidewalk barbecue in the center of the city, where we had veggies and fish and beef and chicken and shrimp, all barbecued with a variety of spices and a range of heat.
We capped our night with a nightlife tour, visiting three separate spots with music, having some sodas and mocktails at one and a dance party at another. Tomorrow we head to Bungoyo Island for our beach day!
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