Dar and beyond

Since it’s never too wise for a single girl traveler to be outside after dark, I’ve compromised and hidden myself INSIDE an internet café. I’ll make a mad dash for the guest house when it’s time to go but for now, as far as I’m concerned, I’m absolutely fine.

So yep, been traveling Africa on my own for a few days now and have managed to stay alive. Why on earth I was ever afraid traveling through SE Asia, as many of you experienced with me, I’ll never know. Asia was a lovely spring stroll compared to this place. Challenge I wanted, challenge I got. AND I tend to stand out just a little bit more here, just a lil bit.

Had a couple of days in the big city of Dar Es Salaam to take care of some things and buy a few things (camera!) before I jetted out. It’s distressing how expensive Africa can be, especially when I’ve been unemployed for so long. Many things, like some types of local transport, are cheap cheap, but other things can be ridiculous, like necessary plane tickets and essential cameras. *sigh* What can I do? Sell my long hair and flaps of white skin on the streets if I need to, I guess. Please oh please don’t let it come to that yet. I just started! The sacrifices I am prepared to make though… all in the name of adventure!

So yeah, apparently I am THE most directionally challenged individual on the planet. I knew this already but I think I had somehow convinced myself that I really wasn’t that bad. Map in hand and I still spent the better part of an entire day walking in circles. I walked and walked and walked, sure that I was heading in the right direction and when I looked up and around, I shit you not, I was in the exact same place that I started. I almost cried. That being said, the very next day, all that getting lost served me well and I found my way to and fro without incident. Directionally retarded? yes. Slow learner? absolutely. Stubbornly persistent? you betcha. I’ve got inner city Dar down like the back of my hand, baby, back of my hand.



Decided to take the local city bus to the western style mall that is just outside of the city. Got there, even switched buses, without incident and was feeling pretty darn proud of myself. Okay, side note… crowds. There are crowds in Asia. Big, busy crowds hustling and bustling about. I managed to live through it and came out fairly untouched by it all. But those crowds have nothing on the crowds here. And I’m not sure what it is. Yes, I am. Who am I kidding? I know exactly what it is. The numbers are probably the same but transport here is much less organized, way less efficient and exceptionally more dangerous. Shocking? Not so much. More concerning than the modes of transportation though is the complete disregard the locals here seem to have for each other. Walking down the street or passing by each other, they’ll smash into each other, or knock each other around, or push each other out of the way without the slightest sense of common decency. It’s truly bizarre to watch and then, to be part of.

Now put this type of mentality into a situation where there are far too few buses, dala dalas, bikes, taxis, or whatever. Any time a bus… oh another side note… when I say “ bus”, I mean minibus so it has seats for maybe 20 people… okay, carry on… so yeah, whenever it slows down, there will be at least double if not triple the capacity of that bus waiting to storm the open door. They will be pushing, shoving, elbowing, hitting, and shouting at each other as they all attempt to board the bus at the same time. And these are well dressed, civilized people, not mad crazy hatters! On my way to the mall, I avoided peak hour so I calmly walked on and walked off and even got a seat. On the way home, I was a dumbass and almost paid for it with my life.

Okay yeah, so crowded bus, but I’m doing alright with the crowds. I’m even learning to stand my ground and throw some nasty elbows. As we approach my stop, I start to get a little nervous. The masses had gathered outside, shoving and elbowing their way out to the middle of the road as the bus veered down on them, full speed, blaring the horn. I thought, right, I’m in no hurry, no need to push my way INSIDE the bus to the front, I’ll just hang back. Dumbest idea EVER. As I was going to be the last to get off the bus, I could see the mob outside of the window growing more violent, more aggressive. This was going to be ugly. Stepping down onto the first of two steps that would lead me to the chaotic city street, apparently my white skin blended into the bus’s interior. One step down and the mob lunged forward. Men grabbing, hitting, shoving, and elbowing me as at least 50 people all tried to get into the one door I was trying to get out of. I was jammed back onto the step and no matter how hard I pushed, I was being shoved backwards and side to side, two-hand pushed by people trying to get past me and everyone else in the crowd. I was painfully aware that if I lost my balance at that point, I would have been trampled and no one would have been bothered as they were getting on that bus no matter what. And I was losing my balance. Just as the sour taste of panic started to creep up the back of my throat, a big mama who was part of the muscle of mob hustling on the ground in front of me managed to catch my eye as I was being crushed and overtaken. She stepped aside, just an inch, but it was enough for me to gain the leverage I needed to throw myself forward and out into free, sweet space. I didn’t stop. I just kept walking, quickly, mostly to ward off the panic that was threatening to swallow me whole and to try to catch my breath from the mob crushing. Brand new experience but one I don’t care to have again, thank you very much. Sadly, I know this won’t be the last of it.

Every single bus situation seems to be the same. Not enough space and too many people. I have learned to ask for help. I was up at 4:30am for my 6am taxi to get me to the bus station for before 6:30am for my 7am bus. My taxi driver walked me right up to my bus to Lushoto and made sure I got a ticket AND a window seat! The bus stations are impossible to describe. Big, open dirt plot, maybe some signs, maybe not, random small shops set up alongside what could be a road, buses big and small driving, parking, idling in a wild array of complete chaos but it’s only chaos to me because apparently everyone seems to know where they are going. And everyone is shouting; ticket sellers, vendors, passengers, drivers, everyone. I’m pretty sure they’re not even shouting AT anyone, they’re all just shouting. Once I’m smushed into my seat, it’s actually quite entertaining to watch.

I got the window seat for the 6 hour journey to Lushoto and a mama wrapped head to toe in bright orange skirts and scarves shoves her way in beside me, elbow resting on my hip bone, legs stretched out in the aisle. And she was only a tiny thing. I guess my extra padding looked like nice, soft cushioning for her journey. She had a cute little boy in her lap who was quiet as a mouse and they both settled in amongst bags and suitcases to make the sardine packed trip to anywhere but here. Most important thing… she didn’t smell badly. A rarity here. So elbows and all, I was quite content. See ya later big city, I need some breathing room!