Ride the TAZARA

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So here’s something you should know about Malawian Kwacha, the Malawian currency. It’s worth so little that even Malawian banks don’t want it. What happened is this, approaching the border to Tanzania, Kam and I had a big chunk of Malawian money left over, due to a slight miscalculation of how much we would need for the Nyika hike. Being in a rush (what’s new?) to catch a train in Tanzania, we didn’t have time to wait for the banks to open in the town where we had spent the night in yet another charming cold-shower paint-peeling-off-the-walls guesthouse, named the Princess. So, early morning crammed taxi ride to the border in the hope of changing the money there. And there actually was a little bank at the border post. But would they take our Kwacha? No. Not for Tanzanian Shilling, not for US Dollars, not for nothing. With no good reason given. Arrghh! Having been assured that there would be another bank on the Tanzanian side and told not to change the money with one of the numerous touts hanging around outside, we crossed the border. Of course there was no bank and Tanzanian immigration wouldn’t accept the Kwacha as payment for our visas, wanting only US Dollars. And even though we had some of those we knew that the further we got away from Malawi, the less likely our chances of getting rid of the Kwacha. Long story short, after being refused help by a fellow Aussie crossing into Malawi, the immigration official did what any serious self-respecting government official would do. He called in one of the touts and illegally changed our Kwacha with him, no doubt taking a cut, from the rip-off exchange rate they gave us, for himself. Do I sound bitter much?
Oh well, we felt less bad about the whole thing, after we bought food and drink for a pittance and embarked on, yes again, yet another crammed minibus ride to the train station. Once at the station I obtained two second-class tickets for my ‘mate’ Kam and myself, claiming that she was a guy in order for us to get tickets in the same cabin. Officially men and women are not allowed in the same train cabin unless you book the whole cabin. The train ride was fairly uneventful, the train being only half an hour late and breaking down once for a mere two hours in the middle of nowhere and the hottest part of the day. But nothing that couldn’t be fixed by requesting another locomotive. Together with a Canadian couple, our cabin mates, we shared tea, lukewarm beers, rice and beans. We rolled through remote villages, where kids along the train tracks would beg for empty plastic bottles, which passengers gladly passed out the window. Better than littering the countryside with them. We got treated to a wonderful African sunset over Tanzania’s southern highlands and a complimentary safari through the Selous Game Reserve. Eventually we passed through the outer suburbs of Dar es Salaam. At least I think that’s what they were. Hard to tell through all the rubbish lining the train tracks. After Lusaka and Lilongwe however, Dar es Salaam did prove to be an interesting city, mainly due to its mix of African, Asian and Arab culture. We checked, as always, into the cheapest guesthouse we could find, even though it meant a mosquito-infested room and cold showers, which didn’t bother me too much as it was hot anyway and the little critters enjoyed Kam’s blood much more than mine. We spent a few quiet days exploring the city, indulging in some yummy food in the Asian quarter, bumping into an old friend from Malawi, enjoying the seaside after months of being landlocked and getting some beauty treatment, well in my case a shave and for Kam a decent threading. But if we thought the cultural mix in Dar es Salaam was appealing, then we were in for a real treat in Zanzibar.

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Photos

Sponsored by America?
Interesting fact: Actually the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (abbreviated to 'TAZARA') railroad was funded by the People's Republic of China.

Ethiopian food in Tanzania at "Addis in Dar"
The Ethiopian food at Canberra's "Ethiopia Down Under" restaurant is much yummier. (PS: Thanks for cutting my head off Kam.)