Dar es Salaam August 15, 2002
Dear Family and Friends:
We arrived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, one week ago. It is our first landfall in Africa. As we approached, the coast looked similar to the coast in Asia with sandy beaches, rocky areas, and scrawny trees. The buildings also are mostly stucco with red roofs.
The one new thing was seeing sailing dhows, a particular Arabian influence on this coast. There are small fishing ones with two people and large ones (50 feet) to deliver goods up and down the coast. These are the type used to transport slaves from nearby towns across thirty miles of water to Zanzibar.
Upon anchoring in a quiet bay near the Dar Yacht Club, we were greeted by two young black men in the YC transport boat. They welcomed us and gave us the YC rules and application forms and offered us a ride into the Club. This is a real advantage here as the tides get very low and dinghy’s can be stolen. The Yacht Club is large and high end with a very active Laser sailing program. All of the members we have seen are white (expats working in Dar-mostly British and South African) and all of the staff members are black except the manager. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming. We were happy to meet up with friends on the sailing yacht Boutonniere and finally meet African Queen. We joined them for fish BBQ at the club and went with them to the Village Museum, which had examples of houses built by the different tribes of Tanzania. There were full size ones made of mud and straw or bamboo. From the yacht club we can walk down a dirt (or mud on a rainy day) road to the new tourist area at the Slipway which includes several pubs, Internet, bakery, bookstore, grocery store, Bank and craft market. What else could we want?
We took a dalla dalla (local bus) into Dar es Salaam to check in with customs, immigration and port authority. The city is a mixture of modern banks, hotels and embassies and traditional shops and waterfront (lots of dhows handloading coconut and bananas). We had a great lunch in an Indian restaurant and wandered the main streets and back alleys. Everyone we spoke to was very friendly.
We only receive 5 free days at the yacht club so will sail to Zanzibar tomorrow. It will be a 40 mile trip which will take all day. We are looking forward to visiting this legendary island.