Tanzania: Dar e Salaam

We have returned from Tanga. Yesterday, we went to the Amboni caves. Definitely not nearly as scary as everyone told us they would be although being surrounded by bats was definitely a new experience. Without torches, you couldn't even see the few centimeters in front of you! The only comfort that you were still alive and well was the endless squeaking of the bats in the vicinity. These caves are cool. They were used as "hiding spots" when Tanzania was still under colonial rule. There are tunnels that go from the caves (in Tanga) to Moshi, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, and even Mombasa! Our guide spoke super-duper fast kiswahili and I had to hang on to his ever syllable to keep up, but, alhamdulillah, we made it through understanding just about everything. He told us about a couple who had taken the route to Mombasa. There is a steep, slippery spot. They fell and neither of them made it out alive. They had come into the caves with a dog, however, and the dog showed up in Kilimanjaro a month later! They speculate that he ate his owners. Gotta do what you gotta do to survive, I suppose. Cool story, though.

Ally and I both had really upset stomachs throughout our stay in Tanga, but it was surprisingly fun. I think we were expecting them earlier. We have also come to realize that, after we take our anti-malarials, we are both extremely giddy and in high spirits. Thus, we now refer to them as our "delirials." Mehboob, Chachi's nephew, took us around Tanga the other day. We checked out the fancy-shmancy homes that line Tanga's coast along the Indian Ocean and had long discussions about property values. Did you know that a three bedroom apartment in Dar costs roughly that of one in New York?! Only God knows why.

Futbol was fun yesterday. Germany plays with prowess that is unparalleled in this cup and I'm sure they will take it (not like that's a super profound statement, just sayin'). It'll be fun to watch them play Spain. I'm also curious to see what will happen between the Netherlands and Uruguay. I will be cheering for the former. I hope that we can snag some futbol in Kibaha. If not, I will have to reorganize my hours so I can be in Dar until the 11th. Juuuust kidding. Sort of.

Today, we took a 10:30 bus out of Tanga and arrived at Chacha's home here in Dar at about 5:00. He took us to Oysterbay. Now that is a beautiful experience. So many people just sitting around and having a good time! I love that you can find mishkaki, mohogo, mix, and makai (corn on the cob) just about anywhere here. Even when we were on the bus earlier, everytime we got close to stopping, swarms of vendors would line our windows holding things up for us to purchase from the bus windows. The people here are really nice, for the most part. When we walked into the house today, I felt a feeling similar to the one I felt when I returned to Madrid after having been in Andalucia for a week. I felt like I was back home. I'm also realizing that Dar is growing on me. Who'da thunk? I still think Zanzibar will be my favorite, but I'm not going to create too many expectations!

Let's see. What else? Oh. We had a machchar (mosquito) marathon two nights ago at Mohammed Sheni's house (where we watched Ghana versus Uruguay). I realized this morning that a mosquito bit me where I got stung in the Serengeti! I'm not sure I blogged about that. During our last morning in the Serengeti, Hashim (our driver) put up the roof so we could stick our heads out, enjoy the scenery, and feel the wind. Such a fantastic experience. Ally and I felt like two dogs getting treated like kiiiings. Anyway, there was a lot of dust. Ally ducked back into the car, but I pulled out my shades and decided to stay outside the car. All of a sudden, I felt this sharp pain on my face. I thought it was a rock just because there were a whole bunch flying aroun and God knows where they go when they whiz by our faces / the car. The left side of my face went super numb so I ducked into the car. At the next rest stop, Hashim stopped to use the restroom so I examined the cheek. I had been stung by a bee! No wonder it was so painful. Ally pulled out the stinger and I stretched out my face. We laughed about the redness and swelling and continued. Now, every time we remember that moment, Ally looks at me and says, "Hey Hanna. Remember that one time your face attacked a bee?!" It's not painful at all anymore so I'm not worried about it at all. It'll make for a good story down the line.

My time on the internet is running out so I need to close up. Chacha, Suhail, Ally, and I are going out for chicken and chips tonight. We are meeting in about fifteen. I love hanging out with Chacha. It's funny how much he and my dad have in common (except not really considering they're brothers?). Tomorrow, we leave for Kibaha at 7 AM. We are going to try and be in Zanzibar by Friday, insha'Allah, but I will leave that for the next blog. It's a beautiful night here in Dar. There's a slight breeze and there are two weddings in town so the atmosphere is festive. I really like it here. Sometimes, I don't even feel like the US is a real thing that I am going back to. I'm sure that will change only days (weeks, tops?) after I return. We will see. Ah! One minute left! Until another day, insha'Allah :)