I woke up looking and feeling like a sweaty newt. It was so hot last night I had to strip down to nothing which prompted a mad rush to find my shorts when I woke up as a small section of my tent is see through and the old people were already up and about and walking past my tent at half 6 in the morning. They probably weren't expecting to see a naked castaway on their morning walk along the beach!
As I packed away many people stopped to have a chat. One man from Finland even took a picture and all their reactions were very supportive and congratulatory. I spoke to a man named Frank that had been living on site for 20 years. He had planted all the trees and i was sure he was involved in the management of the place. He helped me a lot with road advice and questioned why I was going to Dar es Salaam. He made a very good argument about how terrible the traffic and road was getting out of Dar, and the days that I would save going there could be better spent in nice towns such as Cape Town (if I go there) He made a very good point and he really put me in a tricky situation with a tough decision to make. I had my heart set on a rest day but if I skipped Dar then I could have a bit more comfort in my extremely tight schedule. What should I do? I was still very much 50/50 so I thought I would take a small ride along the coast to find some breakfast and mull it over.
I said my goodbyes and followed the beach towards the city centre where I found a nice looking cafe and would have to make the decision to either continue the coast around to Dar, or go back on the diverted road I was on yesterday and head inland to Chalinze.
I sat with my 2 doughnuts and 2 chapattis but without Nigel. Despite there being absolutely nobody in the huge cafe, Nigel had to stay outside like a naughty dog. I sat by the window to keep an eye on him and ensure him that it wasn't his fault he was outside, it was the mean cafe owner's.
I sat there weighing up the pros and cons of visiting Dar. I needed to get money and there was an ATM there but not where I would be heading the other way. On the other hand I could shave days off and stay on safer roads if I missed out Dar. Would I regret not visiting it though just because one person says its terrible...the debate went on. Then a man from America arrived at my table (gutted that I've forgotten his name) "hey, i spotted the bike outside and I couldn't pass up the chance to meet a cycle tourer" he said. He was a very nice guy and was researching malaria till June and living in Bagajomo but visits Dar at the weekend. "I like Dar, its not all bad" he said. That pretty much helped sway me, since when have I let one man's opinion change my plans of adventure?! I needed to experience Dar for myself and if the road coming out sucks then it sucks and I will just have to deal with it carefully. How bad can it honestly be? I've cycled Istanbul, Cairo and the whole of Kenya, honestly, there's not many more shocking traffic situations left to experience!
The guy from America was really great, he tried to think of everything that I needed to know, helped with some places to stay further down Tanzania and even offered to pay for my breakfast. I had to get on as time was ticking so he even cycled with me to the main road and pointed me in the right direction. A real gem of a bloke and I was happy that my path was finalised and a 70km day awaited to get to Dar.
The road to Dar was good. I had a nice cycle section and I found myself pleasantly singing away as I coasted on a long awaited smooth tarmacked road. As I neared Dar I reached a crest of a hill that overlooked the high ride buildings of Dar and the island of Zanzibar and the other few islands just of the mainland. I was very happy with my decision. I don't mind big city's, I enjoy my "Bueller" rest days and as I cycled even closer to the city centre, compared to other big city's, Dar was a dream to cycle through!
I wouldn't say Dar es Salaam is a beautiful place. The dock really knocks it down in the Aesthetics department but it has some interesting looking buildings and its not exactly riddled with rubbish like other African city's. I stayed on the same road for the whole day as it led me right into the city centre. I spotted a fancy looking Holiday Inn on the corner and my eyes lit up. Jackpot! You know what you get with a Holiday inn, normally clean and cheap and worth a looksy so I parked Nigel up and enquired on the price for the night. $150 a night! "Sorry have I arrived back in London?" I said. "I'm looking for more $10 a night" As I turned to exit, I spotted a YMCA over the road, that'll do, I thought. At the YMCA a single room was around $15 a night but the receptionist said if I was looking for even cheaper then the YWCA has dorms for around £4 a night.
Now when you tell a man that he can stay in a dormitory in a YWCA for £4 a night a few images run through his mind. The sort of images that make my decision to visit Dar, the best decision to date. Needless to say, when I arrived at the YWCA, the sight of around 20 African men sat in the cafeteria eating fried chicken dashed my dreams of what could've been!
Erica on reception put me in a four person room with 2 Japanese guys and a guy called Ken from Glasgow, thanks Erica!
I went for a walk to get some Kenyan shillings changed to Tanzanian and within two minutes of leaving the YWCA, I had picked up a Tanzanian friend. His name was James and I h e no clue what he wanted from me but he followed me around and I so I used him to answer a few questions that I had about the place. I got some money changed then went for a walk along the coast...with James. He had a newspaper stall and a bar on the beach that I think he wanted me to visit but I was happy to do a quick loop and get back to the room. Dar hasn't really got much to it and I struggled to find decent looking places with nice views to chill out in so the walk didn't last long.
When i got back to the room, I didn't see much of the Japanese guys but myself and Ken hit it off immediately. He's been living in Dar for a while and so took me to his regular drinking hole which turned out to be a bar in the Holiday Inn. We had a really good night and the rooftop bar was a good way to see the place at night.
At the end of the day, I was pleased with my decision and even if the road is a nightmare on Wednesday, I was happy to be in Dar and would make the most of my rest day tomorrow.
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