Dar es Salaam

 

An average view of Dar es Salaam.

Through a set of circumstances with work, Ana traveling up north for a training, and the need for a change of scenery, I spent a week in Dar es Salaam this past month.

I have never been a fan of Dar es Salaam and when we used to live in Moshi we rarely visited. These days the nearest international airport is Dar es Salaam so we usually pass through, and our work expanded to an area that also results in us spending more time in Dar es Salaam in transit. As the true economic capital of Tanzania I always having a running list of things to do while there (get an eye exam, purchase laptops for work, follow up at a government office for a permission letter...) and there are also some nice restaurants, certainly more options than Iringa!

One of the features I least like about Dar es Salaam is the coastal climate. The majority of the year it is hot and humid. Many of the businesses in Dar es Salaam are still without climate control capabilities and thus I am typically sweating prodigiously. While Dar es Salaam is by far the biggest city in Tanzania, it is quite disappointing for big city standards internationally, certainly a minnow compared to the more cosmopolitan Nairobi. It has the feel of a local traders hustle bustle city rather than an international business feel.

One of my favorite unique features of Dar es Salaam are the fruit bats that come to roost every evening. Many of the compounds and properties in Dar still have massive trees and thousands of these bats come out at night, check out the video below: