After spending a night in Karonga, we bid Malawi farewell and excited via the Songwe Border post on Tuesday, entering Tanzania via Kasumulu border post with high expectations of new adventures.
We were welcomed with and extended visitation allowance, along with a steep walk to the nearest bus going into Mbeya.
Located 122km from the border, Mbeya is the first bigger town which provides accommodation, National Banks and good shops. It is also where one finds further transport to Dar es Salaam, either by train or bus.
We settled for the Scandinavian Express bus service because it came highly recommended, and were satisfied with their reliability, pre booking service and the proximity of their offices within Mbeya. Because the terminals are very conveniently situated right across from the New Millennium Inn where we spent the night, we didn’t have go get up so early, or walk too far.
At 7am Wednesday morning, we were on our way to Dar, passing the next 12hours with reading up on attractions, watching a movie and stopping off for short rest intervals. Arriving in Dar es Salaam we took a taxi into the city centre, and with the help of a local, found the Annex Hotel for a good rate offering self contained rooms with TV, air conditioning, and a light breakfast included in their price. They also have an internet café with reasonable rates per hour.
Getting acquainted with Dar took us a day, and we found it bustling with everything expected from a city. I’ve come to like it though because there was much less hassle, and less “striking up conversation in order to cut a deal” situations. The only place you get that is at the Ferry port where you purchase tickets to visit Zanzibar. Reason being that there a plenty of ticket sales offices, and everyone is trying to make a profit. We decided on open return tickets, which mean that we can stay on the Archipelago for however long we prefer, and return to Dar when we feel ready to do so, and it works out cheaper than singles.
Next we went to the market in Chagga Street which was lined with stalls and a colourful display of fruit and vegetable variants, as well as curry’s and spices at next to nothing prices. There we purchased lovely mangos and pineapple peeled and cut, and let me tell you, I have personally never tasted such good fruit anywhere else, ever!
To quench our thirsts, we tried the sweet and tangy mixture of the very popular sugar cane punch which is sugar cane and lemon juices, squeezed from a device built especially to serve this purpose.
We retired early because we felt a bit knackered from the humidity, but secretly because we were both looking forward to a bit of telly watching in an air conditioned room!
And finally Friday came round, and we were on our way to Zanzibar, deciding first to spend some time within Zanzibar Town, Stone Town, to familiarize ourselves with the history which makes it so fascinating to spend hours reading about. Better known as “Spice Islands” the archipelago it is made up of the very popular Zanzibar, but also offer smaller surrounding islands which all form part of the United Republic of Tanzania. But we decided “to do as the tourists do” and go to Zanzibar only to visit Stone Town, and Jambiani Beach.
We met our match on the ferry ride there, encountering somewhat of a storm, which made waves and left the both of us feeling a bit green. Nevertheless we survived without any unforeseen incidences and arrived late afternoon, booking into Flamingo Inn. Clean spacious rooms, with mosquito nets and shared bathroom, sounded welcoming. Throw in breakfast included in the price, and we were booked for two nights.
Zanzibar Town is very special, and we would recommend that when you visit, to definitely stop off here for a day or two. With ancient buildings, forts, castles and a breathtaking beachfront one comes to realize that there is much more to the archipelago than what is seen on brochures. It is filled with history and remembrance, from the sad awareness created when visiting the Old Slave Market, to the enormity of the Old Fort and having a drink at Mercury’s, named in honour of Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury, who was born here, one can easily spend an entire day absorbing what Zanzibar Town has to offer. Spice tours, boat rides, museums and gardens all form part of the town’s mystique and getting lost in the maze of narrow streets, wandering about little shops and spending time at the Darajani Market left deep footprints in our hearts.
And with that we are moving forward to Jambiani Beach tomorrow.
Accommodation Rates: New Millennium Inn (Mbeya): 10 000 TSh per room per night. (Shared bathroom)
Annex Inn (Dar es Salaam): 20 000 TSh per double room per night. Breakfast incl. (Private Bathroom)
Flamingo Guest House (Zanzibar Town): 25 000 TSh per room per night. Breakfast incl. (Shared Bathroom)
Cheers!
Tip of the Day:
Watch out for the “Mzungu” or “white man” price, or tourist price. According to local charges, the rates double up when you are interested in purchasing anything. Ask if this is normal price, or otherwise make your own price.
Ask around when looking for accommodation. Loads of places can be found within Zanzibar, most aren’t advertised yet, and we’ve found better offerings by just looking a bit further.
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