Could I handle today’s Dar es Salaam?

Karimjee Jivanjee Office Building: Photo courtesy: Planning Unit University College London — Wikimedia Commons

There’s a difference between the Dar I remember, and the one I find on line. Many of the old buildings are demolished, and I stare at a photo trying to place where the picture fits into the map of Dar I hold in my head.

A year before I came to the coastal town, I spent a week in Bali. Kuta Beach had a dirt track leading to the ocean. There were no hotels so I rented a room in a local family’s house. Only traditional Balinese food was available.

Zanzibar’s Matchless Design

 

Photo courtesy: Hairt (Talk I contribs) — Wikimedia Commons

You could hear the craftsmen hammering, tap, tap as the next stud made up the pattern emboldened into the wooden box, a Zanzibar chest. The design may have been from Zanzibar, but the containers were also made and sold in Dar es Salaam.

I kept mine in a prized position where I could admire its unique design from anywhere in my bedroom. Inside, I stored my jewellery, but like so many of my keepsakes, the treasure got left behind.

From Balmy Ocean to Glacial Lakes

Photo courtesy: Muhammad Madhi Karim — Wikimedia Commons

My favourite beach close to Dar es Salaam was Silver Sands. The seashore was the least showy of the resorts and therefore the quietest; more old style, with thatched umbrellas before you stepped down to the beach and into the lukewarm ocean.

Now I live where if I’m crazy enough to put my foot into the water, an ache penetrates through my bones from the frigid temperature.

A Makonde Moment

Photo: PD—US—1900

While I rested in the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam after giving birth to my daughter, a women entered the room with a mop.

I followed her sweeping movements as she sloshed across the floor before I spied her scared face. My eyes were glued to the artistic designs until she noticed my stare. That’s when a great guffaw escaped her mouth to display a mighty smile with no front teeth.

A Chili Timeout

I posted earlier that life without chilies was impossible. For me it was true, but there was a time in Dar es Salaam when I was forced to give them up.

Crazy for Cassava Chipies

When taking a leisurely stroll down Dar streets, it was nearly impossible not to be tempted by the tantalizing aromas from street vendors. There was spicy mishkaki (meat on skewers) or roasted mahindi (corn) hovering over a grill, rousing taste buds.

Dar es Salaam Dance Celebration

Photo courtesy: Imani selemani Nasamila — Wikimedia Commons

Some memories fade while parts of an experience remain vivid. Sometimes it’s a melody or a smell that lingers long after the event has passed.

A Dar es Salaam Tranquil Beach

Photo courtesy: Guojung Yang — Wikimedia Commons

Oyster Bay wasn’t the only pristine beach close to Dar. There were tourist hotels scattered intermittently along the northern coastline.

Tamarind Moment

Photo courtesy Tau’olunga — Wikimedia Commons

Tamarind is often used in South Indian cooking, but my association is with Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

A Solitary Coconut Tree

Nazi Moja had a special ring to it, although the meaning was simple: one coconut. For most people, they imagined a lonely coconut tree bending in the gentle Dar es Salaam breeze and they’d be partly right.