7 Things you need to know when visiting Dar es Salaam

This trip to Dar es Salaam marks my third visit to Tanzania. I definitely haven’t seen or experienced as much as I should but every time I come here, I feel more and more comfortable in this charming city. There are things that are just so unique to Dar and I decided to put together my list of things you need to know when you visit.

1.       The humidity

I love it when I get off a plane and feel that warm wave of humidity…but I realise I’m probably the only one. Dar is pretty much by the equator. It’s practically summer all year round and it’s hot and sticky even when it’s overcast. Be sure to pack your sunscreen and deodorant.

2.       Airport charges

I had no idea who Julius Nyerere was when I first arrived in Tanzania. He’s a pretty big deal. He’s Tanzania’s Nelson Mandela and I felt so uncultured for not knowing that. The airport in Dar is named after him and offers a very unique airport experience.

When you arrive, you are required to pay for a visa in US dollars whether you’re visiting Dar for business or pleasure. Now, there are standard fees that you can find out before you fly but it varies based on what you’re here to do and where you come from. For people that aren’t used to this, it feels like a bribe! I mean why do we have to pay to enter the country – in cash? The first time I set foot in Dar, I was trying to haggle for the price of the “bribe” but it’s a standard fee that goes to the Revenue Authority of Tanzania.

You’ll hand over $200 with your passport to an official who then takes it to an office for the paperwork to be done. Don’t worry. Someone will come out with your passport and receipt – it just might take an hour – but the plane full of people you arrived with will be waiting right alongside you.

3.       Swahili

Swahili is the national language of the locals although you could get around speaking English a lot easier in this city than in most of Africa. Even if the people you speak to understand English, it’s nice to be able to speak a little bit of Swahili as a sign of respect. Here are some of the basic words:

Karibu: Welcome. Everyone is so warm and welcoming and you are mostly likely to be greeted with “karibu”.

Mambo: Hello. The correct response to mambo is “poha”.

Asante (sana): Thank you (very much). These two words were made famous by Rafiki in the Lion King.

4.       Masai culture

Yep, the Masais you learnt about in school walk the streets of Dar! I love their traditional dress and it looks so refreshing to the usual western wear. Some luxury hotels like Seacliff have their doormen dressed as Masais to remind their patrons of the rich culture Dar has to offer.

5.       Po-le po-le

I think I spend way too much time in the rat race in Joburg. Even though I don’t like to be stressed in my personal life, I’m a frenzied mess at work meeting deadlines and fighting fires. I love the po-le po-le attitude that all Tanzanians seem to have. They say, “po-le po-le” – just chill – there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being late for a meeting or responding to you later than they promised. There's no bad intent - whats the rush. Oh how I wish the Joburg business community could be this relaxed about life.

6.       A friendly people

They say South Africans are friendly. Yeah we’re a chatty bunch but I don’t think we’re as friendly as Tanzanians. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome – whether it’s a waitress or someone you work with. They will check up on you, make you feel at home and stop whatever they are doing to help you. And if they really can’t help you, they will be late for where they need to go but they will find someone who can help you instead.

7.       Traffic!

If you’re in Dar for business, you’re bound to experience the traffic. If you’re not there for business, try to avoid the roads during peak times. Most people get to work at 8 and leave at 5 so the roads are packed with everyone trying to get to and from work all at the same time. And just like the rest of us, everyone tries to weave in and out of traffic as best they can. It’s not surprising to see someone driving on the shoulder of the road in the wrong direction of traffic. Motorcyclists generally with a passenger and bajajs (tuk-tuks) weave in between cars.

Without proper road infrastructure, it seems like absolute chaos but they have nowhere near the rates of road accidents that Joburg has. Everyone seems to understand exactly how to let some people in and squeeze through others. Traffic circle rules aren’t the same as what I’m used to – it’s like: “let’s all try to get in first and then figure out who drives”.  Either way, I love that the city has its own unspoken road rules that work for them and everyone still gets home safely.

Karibu! Welcome to Dar es Salaam!

A retrospective bucket list

Happy New Year! A little late, I know but I figure a normal post seems kinda outta place for the first blog post of the year. I’m not too big on resolutions even though I’ve had quite a few successful runs with them. I think it’s great to reflect on life and identify what changes you want to make.  And…(cynical remark) you can do this at any time of the year – not just when it begins. 

This year I don’t have any hard and fast resolutions. I know goals are important but so is living life. I’ve never really thought of a bucket list cos I prefer taking life as it comes. Life throws you so many hurdles anyway. With everything that one has to deal with, who has time to set a long list of goals and then chase after them? With that in mind, I decided to put together a retrospective bucket list – a list of all the things I managed to accomplish this year that didn’t start out as goals but achievements that just materialised when life happened.  

Getting married!

This has always been one of dreams. Not the wedding bit but just the being married bit. My friends do not understand this but I think it stems from me never being lucky in love. I was one of those girls who were defined by my single status. And while I’ve only been married for three months, it’s better than everything I imagined it to be. I love falling asleep in his arms, cooking for someone and just plain having someone around all the time. I’ve been accused of dissing the single life but hey I can’t help that I love being married…to the right person.

Going on my dream holiday

I cannot believe I managed to convince The Husband to part with a small fortune to celebrate our newlywed status in the Maldives. I’ve looked at photos of this heavenly place for years and I finally went there. I’d recommend it to anyone. My advice is to just do it! Whatever your dream destination is – go for it. Money was tight while we were planning a wedding so we decided to book it on our credit cards and pay for it later. Was it a smart financial decision to make? Not at all. Do I regret it? Absolutely not!

Understanding the important things in life

We weren’t even married for a month before the husband received a letter from work informing him that he may be affected by the upcoming retrenchments. Suddenly, our newly-wed dream of buying a house was put on hold. The husband was upset about being put in a position where he couldn’t provide me with everything I wanted. It was then I realised what was important. I have many wants that I’m working towards but I really don’t need a big house or international holidays. I was grateful that I married a man who loves me and even if life threw us more curveballs, I’d be happy even if I only had him, my friends and family.

My first roller-coaster ride!

Yeah yeah…everyone gave me funny looks when I exclaimed that. I had a sheltered childhood, ok. I went to Gold Reef City for the first time and my inner child was let loose. I had permanent smiles and intermittent screams for my entire visit. If I could, I would have been covered in ice-cream and candy floss too.

Learnt how to swim

I don’t know why people call this a life skill. Surely, if you never need to be in or near water, you don’t need to learn how to swim. I did it cos I needed to fully enjoy my honeymoon destination – which was surrounded by water. I’m so glad I did it – it helped with playing on the beach and snorkelling in the deep ocean. If you’re planning an island holiday and you don’t know how to swim, you should learn.

Developing a pretentious palate

I was en route to a proper restaurant when I spotted Spur and convinced the husband to go there for supper. When the food arrived, I couldn’t believe I ever enjoyed Spur’s cuisine before. I remember calling Debonairs my favourite pizza joint and McDonald’s my favourite fast food outlet. In a few years, my palate developed to enjoy the finer foods and to understand that my previous favourites weren’t all that. In fact, I recently had the best steak of my life. I think it’s because I had finally gotten accustomed to it and that I ordered my steak medium – instead of well done. Yes, I’m embarrassed about my culinary past but I’m also worried about the cost of my pretentious culinary future.

Visiting the Kingdom of Lesotho

The problem with visiting new countries for work is that there’s never any time to sight see but you do get a flavour of the culture just by interacting with the locals at work. I hadn’t realised how South African Lesotho is. In comparison to the other African countries I’ve been to, I’d probably be more at home in Maseru. I can’t wait to go back, but this time to go up those famous mountains.

A rather short list but I’m hoping that without the stresses of planning and paying for a wedding, this year will be a lot more spontaneous and fun. I hope to travel more – both internationally and locally. I want to not only eat great food but cook it too when I entertain. I am getting my husband to study so that I can get more blog time. I’d like a bigger house with more home projects that I can busy myself with. I just want to do so much with what I have and above all, I want to be happy!

Why don’t you try looking back at the things you’ve done. You might just be surprised with your retrospective bucket list.