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.

A Dar es Salaam Grasshopper Invasion

Photo courtesy: Gary Rodgers — Wikimedia Commons

I walked home along a quiet Dar es Salaam street. Although it was about two a.m., the sound of grasshoppers filled the air. Around every streetlight were teams of green grasshoppers, their wings fluttering as if their lives depended on the buttery glow.

Tanzanian Late Night Feast

Photo courtesy: Fredrick Mboma — Wikimedia Commons

At three in the morning, we left Simba Nightclub in the Kilimanjaro Hotel with hunger pangs. Dar es Salaam still hadn’t reached half a million people back then so how could we quell our growling stomachs?

Reality check back in Jinja

Photo courtesy: John Hanson – Creative Commons

My last night in Uganda was back in Jinja. I was heading into Kenya again. I stayed with an African family that night who made me realise how friendly Uganda was. I had got to know more locals than any other country in spite of only spending a couple of weeks there.

Crocodile country – Murchison Falls Game Park

Murchison Falls: Photo courtesy: sarahemcc – Wikimedia.org

After my memorable Masindi stay, I met up with the Nile again and another piece of luck. I was invited to stay with the park’s warden and his wife and had my first taste of African cooking.

It may seem strange to be in Africa for nearly two months and not having tried African food (except mandazi), but I was addicted to spicy food and there was no shortage of Indian restaurants.

My second piece of luck was

Lamu

I rallied north from Mombasa almost to the border with Somalia. At the end of the bus ride, I sailed by dhow on the final leg around the bend to Lamu Island. It seemed as if I had left an Indian island with no cars (Rameswaram) and arrived at another trafficless destination where mules were the only form of transport.