Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Tanzania, Day 16

re: August 1, 2010

Finally, internet access again! I am writing this after the fact; from my mother-in-law's apartment in Barrie Ontario & very far removed (in so many ways) from the streets of Dar es Salaam.

We spent our last day in Tanzania just killing time. The four members of our 'Team Tanzania' met for breakfast & since on Sundays the hotel's complimentary breakfast/brunch lasts until 1 pm we all decided it made sense to just sit & basically eat our way right through from breakfast to lunch. Greg & Brian were heading off for Mikumi & I suspect that our stories about the truck stop food -- really the only food available en route -- had made them nervous about having to stop & eat along the way. Eventually, however, we couldn't eat any more so decided to stretch our legs before the Mikumi ride appeared at 12:30. We did a large walk around the block, shortcutting through the cancer clinic & then past the President's property (which is massive) before Greg & Brian had to turn around to catch their ride. Doug & I, since we are both compulsive walkers, decided to continue.

It seemed a sensible thing at the time. The sun was pleasant, the street scenery was interesting, & we knew we would be confined to sitting for the next day or more. But after a half hour in the noonday tropical sunlight in a busy third world megacity (what were we thinking??) we were ready to return. Somehow we missed a turn on the way back & ended up walking a circuitous route along Ocean Road. At any rate, by the time we found our way back to the hotel we were both overheated & feeling a bit lousy. Such a state did make it easier to just sit still & wait out the afternoon, however. At 6 pm we checked out, had a quick supper, & caught a taxi to the airport.

Dar es Salaam's airport is not so bad as these things go but it is not like anything in Europe. When we arrived, it seemed that the airport was not open yet (how can a city airport be 'not open'?) so along with everyone else, we waited outside for an hour or so. Once the airport opened we went through a security check (just to get in the door), then got our boarding passes, & headed for the gate. It seems that there are only 6 gates for Dar es Salaam's airport; this for a city with a population of 5 million. Compare this with Amsterdam's Schiphol airport: 165 gates for a population of less than 1 million. Of course, Schiphol is a transportation hub while Dar es Salaam is not but still, the contrast is quite striking.

That's about it, really. We left the ground just before midnight & headed home. After 9 hours in the air to Amsterdam, a 7.5 hour wait at Schiphol, & another 8+ hours to Toronto... here I am. It is a good thing that long-distance travel is like childbirth in terms of forgetting the pain. In such travel you wait, you wait some more, you climb into a gigantic airplane & squeeze yourself into a seat between strangers, you identify with (but not necessarily enjoy) the travel misery of countless young children, you eat lousy food, etc. etc. & arrive at your destination jet-lagged & sleep deprived, your mouth feeling like caulking compound & you wonder: why? Why on earth did I volunteer for this??! But after a night's sleep (it really *is* easier travelling east to west) you feel ecstatic about the experience, keen to drive your relatives crazy with travel stories, & already nostalgic to do it again.