Hard work

Last week I had to go for a workshop to Dar Es Salaam.

We (me and 3 colleagues) left Wednesday afternoon to fly via Nairobi to Dar. The 5 hour wait was filled with snacks, reading our papers and some (varying in level) discussions.

We arrived around 23.00 in Dar where the hotel shuttle was waiting. Compared with the 4 star hotel this was a 1 star taxi. It turned out that the 20 minutes ride took about 45 minutes, it was a small car where we (5 including the driver) and our luggage had to fit in. On top of this the man seemed nearly blind and in the process blinding the oncoming traffic.

It was not much warmer in Dar, but much more humid. So I turned the airco on and went to sleep. After a sweaty night I had to go and explain that I locked the safe without knowing the code. The safe had a key, so I assumed you didn't need a code. A nice man helped me out. After sitting the whole morning in a room without windows I checked my room, the airco was still fully on, but it was hotter inside then outside. So again to reception, they solved the problem: I got another room.

view from my room.

Lunchtime wasn't really long enough to enjoy sun or sea, but the food was good. Back to our over aircoed room, a nice man showed us how to regulate the airco, so the coming days it was not so bad. 18.00 the workshop was over for the day, unfortunately the sun was as good as gone as well, so I still didn't swim. A Kilimanjaro beer was very welcome in the boat shaped bar next to the sea. There were quite some guests who sat there, there was enough staff, but 'we are closed now' it took some convincing that it didn't matter that we sat there instead of in the restaurant ten meters away, so finally they made a waiter come over every now and then. Talking about business-sense.

It wasn't until the next morning that I noticed that I had a shower head, but no hose. I was becoming a regular at the desk. Again they did fix it satisfactorily, except I should have been 20 cm shorter to fit under it, but that must be my fault.

This time I did swim. The sea was nice and warm and rather salty, this made floating easier.

As every hotel this one had also a public toilet. As everyone know these can vary a great deal. This hotel decided to really make it nice and not smelling of piss. Unfortunately they overcompensated. As the photo shows in stead of one or two anti smell balls in the pissoir the filled it with balls. The smell of a chemical toilet was noticeable through walls. This must be a record.

Because our flight back did not connect, we had decided to stay the night in a Nairobi hotel. This hotel is the most shiny hotel in east Africa, it can probably be seen from space. It is situated in between the airport and the city. For those who know Nairobi, there is not much between the city and the airport except one road. This hotel has a ice skating rink, several shops, a hairdresser, a cinema (didn't seem to work), a coffee bar, a shooter bar and a nightclub. Trying not to show our age, but compromising a little we decided not to go to the nightclub, but we did go to the shooter bar. I had a vodka with something lemon flavoured in it.

It turned out this is a place where well-off locals like to come. So this wedding couple had their party. Great fun. You sit at the table, drink and eat and chat. Many cameras around, ignore the funny cousin who has the microphone. After a bit all the ladies took the tiny dance floor. A lot of them just in front of us. They did some sort of simultaneous dance, not really clear who had the lead. Funny them turning at the same time changing from seeing a lot of sides to a lot of, mostly big, bums.

Of course after this the men had to show their stuff. They had a slightly different approach, they made a circle and danced in turns, either voluntarily or pushed, all as bad though.

View from my room, the light is not the sun, but something reflecting, not as sharp in real life.

Even though the hotel is in the middle of nowhere, because there is a nightclub, it is noisy. I was lucky because I was at the ninth floor at the right side of the hotel, so it wasn't too bad.

Sunday morning I tried to shop, but all but one shop were closed. The shop was interesting. Amazing how you can fill a shop with things you really don't want, let alone need. All Chinese crap, not ordered, so impossible to find anything if you had a hope in finding something. I did find a foot scrubber for Hazel, that really was the best I could do.

So back to the airport, cup of Africaf coffee and of we went. Just in time at home to meet all the people Hazel had invited and eat some of the good stuff she made with Clarisse.

Back to work on Monday.