Sat 26th. Good planning..no ferries on Sundays apparently!! Reporting time 06:00, and only a 10 minute walk to the port from the Ibizza Hotel, so a relaxed start to the day. As the tide was out, we had to go the full length of the 2km jetty to reach the ferry. Got talking to a guy who was also heading to Dar and he was a great help in figuring the ensuing complications. Got on a boda, but security didn’t let us on the jetty. Dala dalas were going but they filled up quickly. A European guy in a bajaji was going to meet his friend off the ferry, and we got a ride with him. Good fun rattling along the jetty. I found a seat in the top lounge..very comfortable. I didn’t notice it it going; was more interested in experiencing the journey. But going back there was a limit as to how interesting the ocean and mangroves can be.
The sea was calm and it was quite a sight to see the big fishing boats returning to port having been out all night. Departure time was 07:00 and we were only 10 minutes late. A lovely sunrise saw us off on the 4 hour journey. Much better than the 5 hours outward trip. My friend directed me to the where the buses left for Dar. There was a frantic / frenetic bundle to get a seat. I joined in and used my rucksack to block people !! After all that effort I was told to get off as I didn’t have a ticket. A guy saved us seats at the back of another bus and we were on our way about 20 minutes after disembarking the ferry.
About 3 hours to Dar. Got off at the bus stand on the outskirts of the city and boarded a dala dala towards the city centre. A half hour delay at roadworks was the only blip in the journey. So, I reached Kariakoo and towards a couple of hotels that Mark had recommended. But I passed the Conrad and checked prices. 35,000tsh for a single but there weren’t any available. I asked if I could have a 50,000 room for 35,000tsh….but, No. A few minutes walk later was the Riki Hill htl. Single rooms 25,000tsh incl b’fast but no a/c or tv; that didn’t bother me.. .as long as there was a fan.
So Dar accommodation was sorted. A wander around the neighbourhood and went to the bar directly across the road. The next day I was moved a couple of floors to a much nicer room with a balcony but still no a/c but still at 25,000tsh.
Sunday was a nice day to explore the City as very little traffic around. I was a ten minutes walk from the dala dala stage I used alot when staying at Segerea 2.5 years ago. And 15 minutes walk to the centre, so I knew the area pretty well….Nice to see familiar places. I had an invitation from Joanna…a Tanga childhood friend…to join her at the Yacht Club at 6 p.m. for a fish bar b q. Decided to go to Alexander’s Hotel first and hope that another Tanga friend -Gordon- would be home.
Needed quite a long walk to where I knew the dala dalas left from to go to the right part of the city. It all worked out fine. Got off a bit too early for Gordon’s hotel, so some unnecessary walking in the heat. Arrived at his place mid afternoon and had a nice couple of hours chatting. Only about 10 minutes to the Yacht club. Joanna came along and signed me in. As the sun lowered on the horizon I enjoyed lovely tuna fish and chips and wonderful company. I was dropped off at a bus stop and immediately was on my way. I had to change once before getting back to Kariakoo. Although it was dark it was still relatively early..after 9..and I walked fast using my phone map. The bar across from my hotel was a good place for a nightcap.
Mon 28th. A local sightseeing day. I checked ferry prices to Zanzibar..just as a matter of interest. 35usd one way for non residents, which was a bit steep for me. Wasn’t particularly interested anyway. Found the cheapest bar to my hotel which was on a first floor, so some breeze and places to look at. Had 2 samosas and 2 bajias for dinner. The only thing that marred my stay was being accused of not paying my hotel bill the day before. Said they would retrieve cctv from that day. The whole incident preyed on my mind and I didn’t sleep well that night. I was expecting an argument on the morning of my departure but nothing was said. So my last breakfast was the usual 2 bits of fruit, an omelette, 2 slices of bread and coffee. Not very exciting but overall a good place to stay for being in the heart of Dar.
Tues 29th. Time to head to Bagamoyo. Kariakoo is a large area and it took me a while to find the right stage for dala dalas to Mawasiliano. From the bus stand I knew I would be going to Nyuki on the Dar outskirts and then another bus to Bagamoyo. Good timing to get on the Bagamoyo bus; there were only a couple of seats left. The whole journey took about 3 hours, which wasn’t too bad.
I messaged Cecilia to say I was on my way. Cecilia had just arrived with her 2 daughters to visit her husband Shabani. That was my reason for going to Bagamoyo…to say hi. I walked into town as if to look for the same place I stayed during the 2019 Bagamoyo Arts and Music Festival. But Mega Link Lodge was suggested so I went looking for that. It was only 10 minutes from the town centre and I got the price down from 35,000 to 30,000, and the room was large. No TV or a/c…fine. Breakfast was pretty basic once again, but it was tasty.
I walked across the road; crossed a couple of football pitches ; through the college grounds and found myself on the beach. A little walk…ending up at Edo’s Zion Reggae beach bar. Then I found where Cecilia and family were staying and went to say hi. Next door to my lodge was a bar/restaurant called Next Level whose kiti moto was recommended. Had dinner there and it was probably the best kiti moto I’d ever tasted. Served hot; peppers and carrots mixed in with the meat. Was comparing with Mamka’s and out of loyalty I didn’t want to say Bagamoyo was better…but actually… And the pork was beautifully tender.
That same evening there was a music session at the Poa Poa coffee house. Very good local musicians . The sound check was probably better than the performance later (maybe because mainly Reggae was played) ; although they were late in starting and were probably better later on but I didn’t want to stay out too late. They played a Blues number which was excellent. Felt safe walking back as it was mainly along a main road so there was sufficient lighting.
I stayed 3 days in Bagamoyo. Really enjoyed it. Ate kiti moto every night but unfortunately the standard on days 2 & 3 didn’t match the first evening. In fact on the last evening it arrived in a matter of minutes so obviously not freshly cooked…and the bananas could have been a lot hotter. Still tasty but a lot of marks deducted for presentation. The fishing port was really busy and interesting to walk around. Not much evidence of beach hotels compared to when I was last there. Lack of tourists…impact of covid.
Thurs 31st. I did a huge amount of walking. First from the centre of town to the out of town bus stand. I bought my ticket for the next day. Then back towards town but across to the beach road to a village called Koale (I think). Decided against paying tourist rates to see the Muslim ruins. I’d seen similar at Watamu and Kilifi. I watched some boat building and walked back to town along the beach. I had a swim , and in the process was approached and propositioned by a naked guy. Didn’t notice he was naked until he was a metre away…as I wasn’t wearing my glasses..!!. He asked nicely and I politely declined. !!
My time in Bagamoyo was coming to an end. I stopped off at Edo’s reggae beach bar. I stopped by Cecilia and Shabani to say goodbye. I had my disappointing kiti moto. I was all set for my trip to Pangani; had decided on a mid morning bus so I could have a breakfast and not rush. I had hoped to go up the coast through Saadani gamepark but apparently the road wasn’t good enough to get all the way to Pangani and Ushongo Bay. Another time…So it was to be the route I’d done quite a few times…via Segera.