TAN: To Dar es Salaam by Private Coach

With breakfast at 8 a.m. and an 11 a.m. departure, none of us were in any hurry to get up. I had taken off my watch and even though I probably woke up at the usual 6 a.m., I managed to stay relaxed in bed until just after 8 a.m. Had a bit of a scramble to get over to breakfast but I don’t think anyone really missed us.
The camp had a pool which Else and I made use of. The chilly water was most welcome. We swam for about 40 minutes before drying off in the sun. I am in desperate need of some more sun. I figure the tanner I get, the less I will get overcharged for goods and services. I will no longer be the pasty white European that the locals can spot a mile away. It is a pipe dream I know, but worth at least a little effort to try.
We departed the camp at 11 a.m. to be at the train station for a rumored 11:56 a.m. departure. We arrived early and the Dutch folks have a bunch of Bic pens to hand out to the kids. It is a bit of a mob scene and Fadhil is volunteered for the next time. The trip is smooth and most pleasant. We were forced to the siding to let another train pass at the village of Kifuru. We all opted to go out and explore the area. The Dutch folks were quite indiscriminate with their picture taking. One lady took offense and there was a bit of a heated discussion with Fadhil that he diffused quite well. We returned to the train just before the oncoming train passed. The next Bic pen distribution went much better. Fadhil’s solution was to have all the kids close their eyes and hold out their hands. This worked much better and made for some fun pictures at the same time.

Bedlam vs. Order, Fadhil’s “close your eyes” solution was most elegant.

The beauty salon in Kifuru. Everyone got to watch the DVD. The Dutch group was so impressed they wanted to buy one on the spot.

We arrived at the Dar es Salaam train station about 5:30 p.m. Miriam was on hand with our forward transport. The Dutch group was whisked off in a mini van to their hotel. We crammed into a cab with Else and drop her at her Uncle’s place before heading over to the DTP office. We caught up with Maina and checked in with our email. Eventually we headed over to Q Bar to get some dinner. The place was packed with expats and lascivious looking local girls. I was particularly nervous on this occasion. I imagined that this would be a good target for religious extremists. Down with the bringers of evil from the west and the corrupted local people chasing after them. Maina would tell me later that he sometimes thinks about this too and that there is an even busier bar that would probably be a more likely target.