Summer Of Yes

As it turns out, I know someone in Zanzibar.

That was a fun surprise. And 'know' in this context is about as thin a definition as possible: Julie and I attended the same high school and she has stayed in distant contact with my sister. So... We know each other. Distance from home seems to strengthen the relevance of being from the same place.

Regardless, Julie has been helpful in making suggestions for my trip so I offered to buy her lunch in Dar es Salaam if she was willing to ferry over for the day- to both say hello and also fill some time between flights. I'm so glad that I did!

Dar is a maelstrom of chaotic activity the likes of which I have never seen. I love it (but in small doses).

I jumped in a bajaji (tuk tuk, 3 wheeled taxi-moto) and motored out to meet for a much needed coffee and a delicious bowl of fresh fruit. We then set out to do some textiles shopping for her organization. The shopping experience was beautiful and I found myself happily absorbing little snippets of culture and language (ndio means yes, asante is thank you). Also we found donuts, which made my mouth happy.

Along the way I realized I need a new phone charger (type G sockets here vs. Euro type C) so we asked around and were directed to Kiriakoo Market. If Dar is a maelstrom, Kiriakoo is the center of all chaotic energy in this corner of the universe. It was..... Amazing. The ride to get there was like an amusement park/haunted house/crazed adventure in and of itself. Words fail me. It was like a flea market spilling out of established storefronts and frequented by 11 times as many people as could safely fit into a given space, interspersed with bujaji, motorcycles, bikes, land cruisers, lorries (pickups and box trucks) and minibuses. Somehow the swarms of people moved together with an indecipherable (to me) pattern language that seems to prevent unpreventable-seeming pedestrian fatalities.

We passed dozens of shops selling what-have-you; always they were grouped together. Sixteen stalls with broken cellphone screens lined one block. Presumably they're selling replacement screens? But why so many? I'm told each basically specializes in a few models and it's up to the buyer to find the right one. The vendors seem happy to point people in the right direction.

We found the usb charger kiosk, amidst several, and I paid about $4 for a charger. When I considered that afterwards I realized maybe I should have paid more for a brand I recognize.... But maybe it'll work for a while! It seems to be ok so far (even if it is slow).

Then we navigated out of the market area to a local casino that has delicious chinese food. Neither of us have had chinese in a few months and it was a tasty change from unfamiliar local fare. Normally I try to stick with local choices, to experience the space, but.... This was perfect for one day.

Lunch and conversation and shopping adventures went long so I was running thin on time to get to the airport. Lowering my already casual attitude towards safety, I grabbed a boda boda (local motorcycle taxi) and zoomed through friday afternoon traffic to make it back to the local airport just in time. What a kick! I don't much love being a motorcycle passenger, and doing it in the midst of traffic I don't understand (right hand drive, among other factors) was a fantastic opportunity to practice radical acceptance of the uncontrollable reality of existence.

Hey, the guy did have a helmet for me. That made me safer than most passengers doing the same.

Check-in for the 12 seat puddle jumper was about as casual as I've ever had for a flight. They didn't ask for ID before reprinting my boarding pass, not upon boarding. I guess that since there were only two passengers and only two trying to board, they figured I was probably who I said I was. They also did not see or care that I had 1.5l of water in my pack (by accident).

I love it. A throwback to the way air travel was once easy and pleasant.

We bopped down to a southern island (free tour!) Then up to Mafia Island.. a low and water-riddled sandy shores patch of green amongst turquoise reefs in blue water. Stunning. Juma soon arrived on his moto to drive me to the beach hotel in front of which my new friend Olivier has anchored the Mabaï - my home for now

We swam, laughed, enjoyed a sunset, and sipped some drinks.Read more