Our tour today is with Gecko Tours a third party that we signed up with Cruise Critic. I’m going to share a little information about this port and country.
We will be in Tanzania for four days. We will spend the night in both ports so lots of tours and long days. And before we got here we crossed the equator so we had the King Neptunes celebration which was fun but a very hot day at the back pool area and very crowded. It’s becoming more humid and green now compared to the northern areas. They tell us Tanzania is a global hotspot and Dar es Salam is the biggest city in population. The port is very commercial but they put on a nice welcome for us. I have a feeling we may be the first cruise ship they have had in a long time.
Tanzania is home to 503 miles of coastline and the Swahili. It played an important part in ancient trading giving way to more than 120 cultures and ethnicity living fairly harmoniously. Their flag colors represent green for agriculture, blue for the beautiful clear waters , black for the nations and yellow for the minerals. The port is 2 miles from the city. Since 1961 they have been an independent country The town name means haven of peace. They have some modern buildings but various older relic structures. Things here to see include the botanical garden, museums, Kariakoo Market, the Lutheran Church with a gothic interior and handmade organ from 1898 developed by German missionaries and still in use. The market has everything from vegetables to Jewry but watch your valuables here. One US dollar equals 2300 Tanzanian schillings. Kisutu Street reflects the multicultural history and is known as Temple Road with lovely architecture. The trade here included slaves, salt and copper. We do have a shuttle here that drops folks off at the Hyatt Hotel. There is also a ferry that takes you to other islands. You can use euros and the US dollar here. To add to all the different cultures here they also speak 26 different languages. We are advised to dress conservatively and be cautious.
Waiting for crossing the equator
Some folks really got into it bringing their own hats!
The commercial port area
Our Tanzania welcome
The cool little tuk tile
Look at the creativity here. Folks learn to make do.
Squid at the fish market. The fishermen fish all night every night then bring their catches to the open market. Nothing is left by the end of the day.
So many kinds of fish I can’t even remember what they have. Sone times they auction off the fish.
Look tasty to you???
Look at the colorful outfits. Everyone is working. Women are cleaning and cleaning fish to sell to the locals and the working fishermen.
Everything is done in buckets of water. The smell is overwhelming
The market with everything
Very busy every day. Everyone is trying to make a living
People from fishing are so tired they sleep anywhere they can
We go to the museum to see some of the most influential people in their history
A very large baobab tree
Newspaper stories of tragic happenings here
The kindergarten children on a short field trip. So cute and friendly.
The oldest church here still holding services
A large pipe organ in the back that they play every week and they have a small band that plays with it ,
These cute ice cream carts are owned by a company and their are hundreds of them. People get a job selling them. They pack the cooler very tightly with ice and many layers of paper to keep them frozen.
A traditional cultural village museum
Many different shapes. This one for cooking. The grass shacks can be moved from place to place. Men with more than one wife have to have dwellings for each wife and then one just for them so wives can visit them when requested.
Of course Dan found a lizard the highlight of his day!
A traditional dance for us with drumming
Our lunch spot!
The local beer
A traditional lunch
A stop by local artists pieces
Another creative form of getting goods from one place to another
Selling fruit along the road
