Wednesday, 3 February 2016
Again, I woke up after midnight and realised I was
too sleepy before falling asleep to switch off the light. Checked footie
results and was pissed to learn that Arsenal only managed a draw. What the -??!! I
tried to sleep but sleep didn’t come easy. No sooner than I had fallen asleep
when I suddenly woke up and this continued a few times before I finally got up
for morning prayers.
I had another late breakfast and set off to test
the route to the ferry terminal. I hesitated at a few turns but managed to get
it right in the end. I also saw the kitten that I saw outside a shop the
previous evening and it seemed to show me the right direction. I also tried out
some alleys and decided I would take them instead the following morning.
Oh hi again, kitty
That done, I walked down to the House of Wonders.
I was told the day before that it was closed but thought the person meant that
it was closed then. Well, it looked like it was permanently closed so after
taking more pictures, I continued to the alleys behind before emerging by the
seafront. Then I returned to the alleys and stumbled upon St Joseph’s
Cathedral. A few more minutes of wandering and I was back at my lodge! It
seemed like I had gone down and explored every alley there. I then decided to
head to Darajani Market to buy some spiced tea and coffee. I walked around
before stopping at a stall where I made my meagre purchases.
After Darajani Market, I walked to Forodhani
Gardens. The plan was to sit there and enjoy the view, the fresh air and the
sea breeze but before long, I was approached by men wanting to sell me
packages. There was just no escaping them. I declined them all. I sat there
close to an hour before returning to my room. I managed a brief siesta somehow amidst
the din coming from the adjacent school. I don’t know when they had classes
because the noise started from 07:00 and continued for the next 10 hours.
I stayed in for the rest of the day, resting and
reading. I had ventured most of the alleys in Stone Town and it was too hot to
venture out anyway.
Thursday, 4 February 2016
I woke up early this morning and finished packing.
I brought down my suitcase for breakfast and returned for my shoulder bags
after breakfast. I set off for the ferry terminal and guess what, I saw the
kitten again! I think it was an angel in disguise sent down to guide me. I
reached the terminal in 13 minutes and made my way to the immigration office.
Yes, we had to fill up departure cards. Then I settled in to wait. I was pleasantly
surprised to note that there was wifi at the terminal.
I don’t think I heard any announcement but the
passengers stood up about ten minutes before our scheduled departure time of
09:30 and formed a disorderly queue. The usual pushing and shoving ensued. I
boarded the ferry five minutes later and noted that there were many empty seats
in the first class (where foreigners were made to sit). We left about 09:35 and
the boat rocked its way to Dar Es Salaam. The sea was rough at times and there
was one period when I felt like I was on a rollercoaster, yes, it was that
rough! The ferry was fast though. I think if it had been slower, a lot of
people would have thrown up during the crossing. I myself was trying hard not
to throw up especially during the bad spell.
We reached Dar Es Salaam ferry terminal at 11:30
and after waiting for and retrieving my bag, I walked out of the terminal,
ignoring the cabbie drivers who were outside. Surprisingly, we didn’t have to
fill up any landing form. Oh well. I walked up Sokoine Drive to the National
Museum. It was almost noon and it was oh so hot. I reached the museum after
twenty minutes (I did stop along the way to take pictures and consult a map). I
had to write down my name at the gate before proceeding to the ticket counter.
The ticket was TZS6,500. I was told that there were four galleries but only two
were open. I left my bags at the ticket counter and went up to the first floor
where the exhibitions were. The exhibitions were dedicated to the history of
Tanzania. It looked like Tanzania had established diplomatic relationships with
China since the 1960s; that explained the presence of Chinese and Chinese
companies in the country. I spent an hour there.
I was going to the Botanical Garden across the
road from the museum but there were a lot of people about. Loitering or having
their lunch break? I had a suitcase I had to pull and two shoulder bags, how
quickly could I make my escape if I needed to? With this in mind, I turned back
and walked back Sokoine Drive to a supermarket where I bought some rice and
dishes for lunch. Then I waited for a bajaj at Maktaba Street. However, bajaj
drivers quoted me TZS20K which I thought was outrageous because cabbie charged
the same too. So in the end, I took a cab to F&Q Motel near the airport.
Lunch
The airport was only 9 km from downtown but it
took us 45 minutes to reach the motel. We were stuck in a horrible traffic
crawl along Julius K. Nyerere Road (named after the first President) in the
early afternoon heat and, no, there was no air-conditioning. I was surprised
when I realised that the cars over there did not have AC. Can you believe it?
No AC in 33C heat and humidity? Man, no wonder the B.O. is so damn strong
there. Too strong at times that I sometimes had to hold my breath or take
shallow breaths.
We finally reached the airport intersection and I showed
the cabbie the direction to the motel. I paid him and checked in. I braved the
heat and walked to the F&Q Hotel to access wifi before returning back to
the room. Oh, the room actually had AC! I had a late lunch then rested.
I set alarms on both my iPad and iPhone for 03:30
as I had an early morning flight. I was already in bed by 20:30 and asleep shortly
after.
To
be continued
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