Enjoy the African difference! and other Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Things to Do Tips

What an experience it was for a country boy from the 'sticks' of Eastern Canada to suddenly find himself in a city like Dar es Salaam. I had seen Palm trees for the first time only 3 months before, on a quick trip to Florida with a university buddy to finally celebrate our freedom from studying!

The sights, sounds and smells of this tropical city located right beside the Indian Ocean airs was all that I could have asked for as my introduction to the Dark Continent. I really enjoyed just wandering the downtown streets, observing the Muslim dress of the locals, listening to the sounds of Swahili being spoken, smelling the spices and tropical plants and exploring the many crowded and narrow streets set up with small shops and stalls. This photo of the low whitewashed buildings, with an exotic tree decorating the street as African life flows by captures the feeling of Dar es Salaam in my memories.

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Directions: The old downtown core

Where I grew up on the Atlantic coast of Canada, the waters that 'warm' our shores flow down from the Arctic and Greenland, and we get them after they have been deflected our way by the warm Gulf Stream, which continues on its way across the North Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Even in the peak of summer, the water temperature in the Bay of Fundy along the south coast of New Brunwick is only 7/8 C (43/45 F), and I can remember many numbing experiences as a boy contending with the only thing we had to swim in!

On the first full day in Dar es Salaam after arriving, our charter planeload of 110 volunteers from Canada took a short trip up the Indian Ocean coast to a place that still operates today, the Silver Sands Hotel. I still remember the shock of getting into water that felt like a warm bath - the Indian Ocean temperature at this latitude varies between 22-28 C!! It was difficult to believe that such a thing was possible, but it sure was enjoyable as we sat there either enjoying the sunshine or hiding from it under the beach umbrellas.

The 2nd photo is from the first postcard I sent home from Africa to my parents, dated Aug. 20, 1972: "Well, we finally made it to Africa last night at around 10 PM local time. It's really great. Slept under a mosquito net last night. Today we all took a chartered bus out to here and went in for a dip in the Indian Ocean. We move out for Zambia tomorrow. The food all has a different flavour but I'll get used to it". I see that I have learned to run my sentences together a bit better as I've become older!

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Phone: 255-22-2772443
Directions: On the coast, not far outside Dar es Salaam
Website: www.tanzaniaholidays.com
Other Contact: info@tanzaniaholidays.com