Dar es Salaam 2.0

Saturday morning I was up earlier than the ladies (who had stayed out later), so I had a nice leisurely morning reading on their balcony and looking at the ocean. We had a late breakfast at the Irish (see left for the view from the roofdeck, and right for the sign above the door), and then Sara and I decided to venture into downtown Dar and check out the Kariakoo market. I had no understanding of what Kariakoo was all about, but I naively agreed to go (the moto for the weekend was hakuna matada, after all), so we got a cab and headed downtown.

We asked our cab driver (who, incidentally, looked like Clarke Peters from “The Wire”) if he would pick us up an hour later and negotiated a price for the roundtrip journey. Sara, being much smarter than I, asked him if he would wait for us rather than come back. I thought that was kind of silly and a waste of his time, but he agreed to do it for the same price we negotiated. In the end, he parked and walked us around the market for an hour, and I am SUPER glad that he did.

First off, Kariakoo is HUGE. I don’t know exactly how big, but I’d guess at least 5-by-5 NYC-sized city blocks, and probably a lot bigger than that. Secondly, I would have gotten lost within 10 minutes of walking around, since the blocks looked similar to me (though I later realized each block had different goods for sale: clothes, electronics, shoes, food, etc.). And they were very much city blocks, with shops within buildings; shops in underground tunnels and hallways; booths, stalls, and carts on the street; and as a huge multi-level, roofed-but-open-air pavilion. Oh, and bajillions of people everywhere. I don’t think bajillions is an overstatement.

Third, I was completely out of my element, considering that I don’t speak Swahili and had no idea what prices I should be negotiating (though I got the hang of it after a bit, thanks to our driver). Fourth and most importantly, I was scared shitless. While I’m sure we were perfectly safe the entire time we were there, it just seemed to my inexperienced-traveler-ass that I was going to get mugged, pick-pocketed, or somehow taken advantage of any second.

Now the real reason I was scared shitless, I’m very ashamed to admit, was because Sara and I were the only white people in the market. I wish I was joking, but I’ve thought about it a lot and it’s really the only explanation. I’ve been stared at before for being white, but the size and scope of the market were overwhelming. And it didn’t help that every 10 minutes or so somebody would very clearly make fun of the mzungu in Swahili, and everyone around us would laugh.

I just felt like a beacon of vulnerability, and I guess it means that I’m a little bit racist, which really upsets me. But I think it was also probably good for me to feel that way, and I think if I went back to Dar this weekend, I’d go back and likely feel more comfortable. So, it was good for me culturally and psychologically, and I’m certainly glad I went. I wish I had some pictures of the market, because it was a really interesting place, but Sara and I didn’t know if we were welcome to take photos. In retrospect, we should have asked our driver, mais c’est la vie. To the right is one Sara took from the car, showing one of the rows of shops and market-goers (unfortunately) blocking them.

Oh, and I bought a DVD of seven Oscar-nominees from 2006 for 1000 Tanzanian shillings (about $.90). It’s mildly grainy, but plays on my laptop fine and is certainly good enough quality to be worth watching. Wahoo! I tried to find a coffeemaker, but no luck.

Saturday night was a BLAST. Sara and I went to get Ethiopian food with Brian and his beard, which was OUTstanding (I meant the food, but in retrospect the beard is too). Then we went to see a local Tanzanian band called FM Academia at an outdoor stage/club. They were unreal good, with a revolving cast of about 6 lead singers and a full band. Everything was in Swahili, and it still kept my attention for over 2 hours, which for me is impressive. Had a couple of Tanzanian beers (Kilimanjaro and Serengeti if I remember correctly) and a fantastic time hanging w/ Brian.

Sunday was outstandingly-relaxing. We slept in a bit, chilled out in the morning, and then went to a restaurant on the beach (and I mean ON the beach) for lunch. Sara, Rebecca, and I split some excellent fish balls, tomato-mozz salad, and humus, and then ravioli and fish with coriander sauce entrées. The ravioli fell flat, but the fish was insanely good. I can still taste it. Outstanding fresh guava juice too. Alison joined us late and we just sat looking out as the tide came in for like 2 ½ hours. After that we went for a walk on the beach, where we checked out a few small fishing boats bringing in their catch and some young cows randomly walking around the beach. I don’t think I could script a better afternoon.

Sunday night we went to see The Dark Knight at a surprisingly posh mall and called it a night early. Monday I slept in a bit, had coffee and breakfast at a café at the Slipway, and then took a taxi to the CDC offices to get on the internet for a couple hours before heading to the airport. All in all an AWESOME trip. My one regret is not going to Zanzibar, but Alison and Sara had just gone the weekend before and I was having too much fun in Dar to leave and do it myself. I’ll just have to use that as an excuse to go back. Thanks again to my lovely hostesses (to the right: Rebecca, Sara, and Alison) for a fun and relaxing weekend that made me appreciate being here that much more.