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Published: April 19th 2006
This is what Tanzania looks like when you get your cameras and valuables stolen the day after you arrive in the country.
We arrived in Dar last Wednesday already missing South Africa, but looking forward to some new experiences in Tanzania. We had no definite plans, only the cell phone number of Nick's friend from grad school, Emmanuel, and the name of a hotel plucked off one of the internet travel sites at the last minute.
Things immediately looked to be going our way - we phoned and booked a room from the airport, and after settling in at the Jambo Inn Hotel we were referred to a tour agent next door about planning a camping safari to Ngorongoro and Serengeti National parks.
The following day, however, just as we were planning to head out to meet Emmanuel we realized our day packs were missing from our locked hotel room. After checking and re-checking we realized our bags were definitely gone and must have been stolen. The staff tried to help except for the man we think was the owner, who seemed more concerned with the hotel's image than helping us. We reported the incident to the police who were quite helpful although now we have spent more time inside the Dar central police station than we ever hoped to. We won't go into detail about all the stuff we lost, but by the lack of pictures on this blog you might guess our cameras are gone. Our plane tickets were also in the bags which has meant much of our time in Dar has also been spent inside the Air Emirates office. Luckily they have comfy couches and air conditioning (a must in this city!).
In between our trips to the police station and airline office we decided to get out and do SOMETHING fun here. Due to all the running around, the stolen cameras and some stolen travellers cheques we had to cancel our safari (very disappointing, but gives us a reason to come back). On Saturday Emmanuel drove us up the coast to Bagamoyo, an early colonial capital and former mission village for freed slaves. The beach stretched for miles and we watched the fishermen and dhows as we ate lunch - Beautiful!
The following day we took the 2 hour "fast" ferry to Zanzibar - what a cool place! Walking around Stone Town helped us relax a bit, and the maze of alleyways that make up the town itself reminded Sarah of Venice and reminded Nick of some "Cairo" city scenes from "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Other than the magnificantly carved doorways and cool alleys, we really enjoyed some of the eclectic restaurants, especially Mercury's - so named because Queen frontman Freddie was actually born in Stone Town. It overlooks the water and made for (another) nice sunset dinner. Plus, Nick got to order a drink called the "Bohemian Rhapsody". We enjoyed a day and a half of wandering the streets and eating there and decided to ferry back to Dar on Tuesday to finish sorting out the air ticket situation.
Oh course, on the way back our non-air-conditioned ferry ride went from crowded to worse as one engine (of two) cut out. This extended our trip from two to three and a half hours through rough, gut-purging seas. They played a movie on board but the sounds of the babies crying and people retching into little black bags made it difficult to hear. (Just between you and us, we should have known something was up when they began passing out bags BEFORE the trip started). Sarah wanted to reach for the Gravol, and then realized it had been stolen along with our deodorant, dental floss, and toothpaste. Incidentally, be thankful you are not currently with us, as it's not a pretty sight.
All in all Dar es Salaam is not a bad or dangerous city, and if we hadn't had half our stuff stolen we would have had a wonderful time in Tanzania. Even though we only got to see Emmanuel a few times it was nice to visit with him in his own country.
We do look forward to seeing our friends and family in Europe, our last leg before home.
Happy Easter everyone.
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Karyn
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Half Way Around the World Before...
Well guys at least you made it half way around the world before your items got stolen. Glad you had a chance to see Emanuel in his home town; hope he is doing well. I love reading your blogs and and envious of your experiences. Keep having fun and relaying the news!