Life In Dar Es Salaam (Dar Es Salaam)

Member Name: Emmamac1

Product:	Dar Es Salaam
Date:	11/08/09 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The beaches

Disadvantages: The heat

I have lived in Dar Es Salaam for two years now. It is a huge city in Tanzania, East Africa, which lies next to the Indian Ocean. Dar Es Salaam means 'House of Peace' in Arabic.

Dar Es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania, but it is not the Capital, Dodoma is. It has a population of almost 3 million, which is ever growing due to mass urbanisation, and is considered the primary city where government resides. The Tanzanian people are very friendly. The national language is Kiswalhili.

The city has a massive natural habour. As you drive along the coast, you can see all the huge tankers and freight ships waiting, in line for many days, to off load their cargo. The facilities inside the port are no longer adequate for the amount of cargo coming in. From the harbour, goods are distributed right across eastern, southern and central Africa.

There is a huge Arabic influence in Dar Es Salaam. The Arabic slave traders operated from here for many centuries. Much of the population are from Muslim backgrounds.

So, I am an expatriate, living my life in a foreign country. I know I have a completely different life to many of the local Tanzanians, but would like to share some of my life with you. There are many expatriates living in Dar.

Firstly, the climate. This is one of my biggest dislikes. Dar Es Salaam lies very close to the equator. It is a very humid city, and alongside the high temperatures it gets unbearable. June and July are the winter months, the humidity is low but the temperature is still in the 80's. There are two rainy seasons, one in October for about two weeks and one in April and May. I have to go on holiday at christmas as the heat and lack of wind gets too much. I have got into my car before and it has been 116 f and 90% humidity. I have had visitors who cannot understand how anyone can live in such conditions. It is like living in a sauna! Sweating is the norm. Thank goodness for air conditioners and fans.

Generally the supply of electricity is very good. However, due to old materials and thieves stealing parts, we can be without power for up to 18 hours or more (on Friday we were off for 36 hours). So the generator business does fairly well here.

Rental here is very high. Landlords are putting rents up annually, and people are paying. You can pay anything between $3,000 and $6,000 a month for a three to four bedroom house! Unbelievable....

Driving in Dar Es Salaam is a challenge, to say the least. It drives me up the wall. The infrastructure is not so good, but manageable. I can handle pot holes and dirt roads. It is the other drivers which are abysmal. Many have not passed their tests and have no idea about right of way. I can be waiting at a junction and one car comes up on my inside and another on my outside, and we are all turning the same way, they have completely blocked the roads. Traffic lights, drivers do not see them, or have some sort of weird colour blindness! Mini buses just stop where they want to, literally anywhere, right in the middle of the road, and one person gets off then 20 meters later another person gets off. Cars just push in wherever. I am sitting patiently in a traffic jam, and cars drive up the wrong side of the road and when a car comes in the opposite direction they just expect me to let the in, not a chance! I am normally a very calm and happy person, but I must admit driving in Dar brings on road rage..

One to make you smile. Whilst stuck in traffic, which is often, the thieves come and steal your wing mirrors! They do it whilst you are sitting watching them. What can you do? Stuck in traffic, kids in car, you let them do it. When it happened to me, I was shocked and shaking, and a gallant mini bus driver (I'm forever thankful) got out and caught the thief, kicked him up the butt, and made sure I was okay. The mirror got smashed in the process! It's a good business, £25 a mirror.

Shopping in Dar is a real experience. As I mentioned earlier Dar has a huge port. We are very lucky and get many yummy goods from the UK and States. There are a number of very nice supermarkets dotted around, alongside some South African chain stores. However, you really pay a price for anything imported. I can buy a packet of biscuits, which has the UK price on it, lets say 89p, for the equivalent of £2.50. Kellogg's cereal is £6 a box. I know import and transportation costs have been put on top, but the mark up is high.

Shopping locally, for fresh fruit and vegetables is a pleasure. I can buy locally grown pineapples, mangos, oranges, papaya (which I don't like) passion fruit and bananas, as examples, for next to nothing. Fresh fruit and vegetables are in abundance. Also beer and locally made spirits are extremely cheap. A can of one of the locally brewed lagers is only the equivalent of 40p.

Seafood, seafood and more seafood. What more can I say. Fresh tuna, crab lobster, red snapper the list is big, the price is low!

There are some fantastic beaches up and down the coastline of Dar Es Salaam. The closest is the yacht club, which many people can hop on their boats to go to the local islands, Bongoyo and Mubdya. These islands are part of the marine reserve. They are wonderful. Also Zanzibar, the beautiful "Spice Island', is a 2 hour ferry trip or 15 minute flight away. This sounds the life of luxury, but remember for me to go to a shopping mall I need to get on an airplane....

Restaurants and nightlife are forever increasing. Dar has so many restaurants with numerous different cuisines. We really are spoilt for choice. The Japanese sushi are my favourite.

Right, I have mentioned many bad and some good things about living in Dar Es Salaam. I am enjoying my time here, and know that there is so much to see and do in Tanzania as a whole. It is a great place to come on holiday, as my sister just has, as it is on the Indian Ocean, and when you know where to go its super. Dar is a huge sprawling city which has a lot of history and character. It is most definitely a place to visit, if only on a couple of nights stop over, moving on to other destinations within Tanzaniza.

Summary: Life can be tough in the tropics....