Lay Down Your Heart- Bagomoyo

The weekend brings escape from the hustle and bustle of Dar. We are heading 90km north of Dar-es-Salaam, towards the sleepy township of Bagomoyo. The town is located literally on the coastline of Tanzania and in all honesty, it is great to get away from the city and see the real Tanzania. Our method of transportation: the awesome “Dala Dala”. The Dala Dala are the local buses used for transportation from the city to various towns but the best part of it is that it is filled with locals and you get a true sense of the culture and the people.

I was forewarned that we might get yelled at by the conductor for carrying too much luggage ( books for the kids as well as medications) but we decided to make the best of it and still push our way through it or pretend to be the tourists who don’t know any better. Either way, the adventure was about to begin. The cost of the entire journey- a dollar and fifty cents. That’s right people $1.50 for an hour and a half journey!!! If only things were done this way back home. Our luck, the bus is packed to the rim, we have become human sardines! No way would the conductor be able to yell at us now!

As we make our way out of the city, I am finally getting to see the real beauty of Tanzania. The lush fields, the coconut trees and the villages dispersed in between and all I hear around me is Swahili. The bus fills up with the local music: Swahili gangster rap! I love it. So much more colourful and festive than the usual stuff I hear back home.

Rafiki! Rafiki! Miss, Muzungu- get into my bajaji! – these are the words i hear as soon as I get off the Dala Dala. We are instantly surrounded by taxi drivers trying to get us to come into their vehicle. Typically, we would just walk but the rains have turned into a downpour and we decide to hop into the first bajaji (tuk tuk) in sight and make our way to our accommodation.

I am starting to learn some of my first words of Swahili and the locals are so kind. They keep saying Mambo and I just smile, until one of the men tell me that I need so say “se pova”. Mambo means, how goes you and se pova means- it’s cool. I love the slang. We are staying at Mary’s Nice Inn, an amazing two story building surrounded by papaya and coconut teas. I am greeted with chai and as I sit down and unwind, I hear the moo of a cow! I think I am in love! I am in another world and am itching to explore.

Bogamoyo unfortunately has a sad history. It was part of slave trade where Africans from the interior and the congo were held prior to being transported to work as slaves in Zanzibar and Oman. The legacy is in the roads, the ruins of the old holding cells and in the air. The legacy of pre-and post colonialism is felt within every heartbeat. The town’s name- lay down your heart- provides a dual context of the turbulent past- the locals who gave up their lives and were forced into slavery.
However, the past does not filter into the present and the future. Regardless of how little or how much everyone has here, there is always a smile on a face and everyone is friendly, either saying hello or jambo.



The ruins of Bagomoyo


We are here for a purpose. Tarek through his foundation has been able to set up three schools in Bogamayo and cater to about 65 children. I can see and feel the change already. Along with a local partner, in the last 5 years there is real difference. With his local partner, Sayeedi (the kindest man i have ever met), they have started a school to help kids as well as an art centre to help encourage the development of local talent and boy is there ever talent! Everyone on the street seems to know him and the work that is being done to benefit the community. There is always a shortage of something- books, pencils, clothing, erasers, shoes- all the items we take for granted are expensive by Tanzanian standards and most people live on less than 2 dollars a day.

Bagomoyo is a town of artists. As, I walk around town, I see artists painting, renovations being made of local historical structures and oh the doors! I spy with my little eye- zanzibari style doors! Anyone who knows me understands my fascination with these beautiful structures. Oh, I can spend hours just looking at the amazing artistry and workmanship. I can’t wait for my own one that I plan to have made in the next couple months.

Ten things I have learned so far

1. Sleep is imperative: After an amazing 10 hours of rest, I am now refreshed and actually can formulate sentences when people talk to me

2. Tanzanian’s love their friend chicken and fries. The more oil the better. As, I walk around Dar, all I smell the fried cassava, barbecued chicken, fried everything- including fries dipped in eggs. So, my theory of only the southerner’s loving their chicken goes out the window

3. Only the locals walk on the streets here. Seeing a muzengu (Tarek- well he’s Egyptian but they cant figure that one out) and I, we get some funny looks.

4.The best Indian restaurants are in Dar! You can walk into Patel Samaj , Maratha House ( i love the name! Its the Patel society!!!) and get the best samosas, dal, rice, chole, paneer- anything your heart desires and its all fresh and tastes like home

5. The city is still bustling with elements of colonialism. Some of the buildings remind you of a forgotten era of the British colonial past. The gymkhanas (the cricket grounds with the restaurants and membership) still exist. Instead, the British have been replaced by the Indians and have made the city their own

6. Tanzanian’s are the kindest people around. Oh, I am in love with this city and this country. I’m in love period. Everyone is warm, without being over the top intrusive about your life; people are friendly and will invite you into their homes in a heartbeat, without thinking twice.

7.May is winter in Tanzania and that means rain and tons of it! It really is a welcome relief from the heat. It pours for 15 minutes and then the sun creeps out and you are back in 30 degree heat with 90% humidity

8.Food is relatively cheap, but anything imported has an equivalent price of back home.

9.What goes in, must come out- you can figure that one out on your own.

10. Carry insect repellent during the night, especially after a rainfall- the toads and the mosquitoes are out in full force and expect to be eaten alive. My poor feet will never be the same.

Btw, the favourite term here is "They are all just so crazy! He's crazy man or she's so crazy". I think I might be saying that a lot when i return.

Ms. Raid

We have coined our accommodation as the “Roach Mahal”. After an extra long day of work at the hospital, we decided to quench our much needed thirst at a local Indian restaurant and head back to the apartment. It has been five days since I have had any sleep, with the travel and I am extremely exhausted at this point. Once last ditch effort before we make decide to move to a hotel until the hospital can find us new accommodation.

I had the brilliant idea of picking up Raid to get rid of the last of those roaches. Oh how I dreamt of sleep. Well, I was on a mission, a mission to eradicate those pesky little buggers and finally get some well deserved sleep.

Well, as it turns out, apparently, when you start using Raid, the more you spray, the more the roaches come out. Room by room, I entered and started spraying every corner and what did i find?? A swarm of cockroaches (ones with wings) coming out of everywhere. This accommodation is rented out to a doctor and his wife and two kids! How can anyone live in this condition? There were mini roaches coming out of the mattress! We both have reached our limits...Jambo Inn, here I come!

The irony of it all doesn’t amaze me at all. I had indicated on arrival that I would be staying at the Jambo Inn. Now, I find myself here with Tarek, explaining to the owner of the hotel, what has happened to us and how we are in desperate need of a room, with hot water if possible. The owner first laughed and then gave us both the best rooms in the hotel. Tomorrow, I move to another hospital accommodation and hopefully it will be for the better.

I have arrived :)

The captain has announced our descent into Dar Es Salaam. As we make our way south, I try to look out through one of the windows from my aisle seat and I am seduced by the beauty of the crystal green waters surrounding Zanzibar, the lush plantations and the promise of heat. I think this is the starting of a love affair with Tanganyika. But like all courtships, this one too, is laced with minor frustrations and the overwhelming promise of tomorrow.

The first dramatic frustration: we are unable to leave the plane as the walkway system is running into “technical difficulties”-The worst thing to hear after multiple lay over’s and long flights. We are asked to exit through the rear of the plane and make our way to the arrivals section. It’s all very fun when you are seated at the very front of the plane, surrounded by 20 loudmouthed kids returning from a school trip in Moscow! (Nice school trip) There is a mad rush to try to disembark as quickly as you can. However, this is all soon forgotten as soon as i climb down the stairs and make my way to arrivals. I am energized by the sun beating down on me, and the cool ocean winds that attempt to de-humidify the air unsuccessfully. Oh! I feel like already belong here.

Tip to travelers especially Canadians traveling to Tanzania, you can get your tourist visa on arrival – only 50 USD! I think its one of the best kept secrets. The government of Canada does recommend that you procure the visa prior to arrival for a whopping 150 dollars, but honestly, the entire process of getting a visa on arrival, is no big deal. You fill the application out, hand the 50 dollars to the agent, they process the paperwork and boom you are out the door to pick up your luggage- entire process maybe 30 minutes long.


I am immediately greeted outside the airport by Tarek, my partner in crime for this three week trip to Tanzania and Michael our taxi driver. I already hear the clock start marking the end of the trip- Already i am wishing i could stay a bit longer and don’t have to depart so quickly. We both are still quite jet lagged from our respective journeys but overall in high spirits for actually making it this far. 2 years of planning, traveling arrangements, cancellation of arrangements and finally just biting the bullet and saying it’s now or never...well the now has finally arrived. As we make our way into Dar, we catch up about our travel highlights. But my eyes are glued outside the window. I am a kid in exploration mode.


Dar reminds me a lot of any equatorial, tropical city. I am reminded of Belize or even Nicaragua or even India. Sure the plantation and the people e are different but the vibe is the same. As we make our way into the city centre, i get my first whiff of local culture and i love it. Waiting at traffic signals can apparently be atrocious but its an opportunity to shop in drive thru mode for items ranging from water and fresh fruit to, rubber tires for your bicycles and freshly packed cashew nuts. I call that shopping on the go but i can understand you have to be very precise on what you want. I am not told that you never purchase items in a traffic gridlock. You might end up buying more than you originally bargained for.
As we make our way closer into the city, I am given a quick historical overview of the neighbourhoods. Even by looking at certain buildings, I can tell they were built by Indians. They remind me of the low storey apartment building s of Bombay. The city has been set up almost identically to match the various immigration patterns over the years, including the creation of specific areas to match the types of goods and services you are looking for. There is a money exchange street, a repairs street, the bazaar (which i am very excited about), electronic repairs shop and so on. However they are all united by the overwhelming presence of local corner markets, Indian restaurants and chai shops ( yay for CHAI!)

Tarek through the AKF has managed to find us accommodation while a young couple is away in India. We are basically apartment sitting for them for the time frame we are here and oh it is a luxury already. We are on the 10th floor in a gated building (bonus added security) and the first floor of the building has gold shops. Mom if you are reading this let me state it again – GOLD SHOPS. That's right, if i wanted to i could book an appointment with the shop and find the carat rating as well as price range just by walking downstairs ( Mom, don’t get any ideas)

After a quick stop to freshen up, we are out the door to do a little bit of exploration and run a couple errands but the first item on our list for any thirsty traveler, hammered down by the heat, is to make your way to the local chai shop to enjoy a diabetic inducing cup of chai and potentially overhear some idle local gossip. It’s fun overhearing the local talk if you are able to understand hindi, mixed with Gujarati and English. Wait, a second, I meet that criteria. A short wait later, we have our steaming cups of chai in hand and the bunny in me is on overdrive. Apparently, the chai is made with condensed milk and tons of sugar. Little cups of heaven on a hot day. Oh, happy days!

Our next stop- money exchange! One of the advantages of traveling with a person who has come multiple times to Dar, is the advantage of knowing where you can get the best rates for practically everything. The going rate for USD to shilling exchange is 1 USD= 15,000 shillings. You heard me right, I am a billionaire here haha! I am rich! Two hundred dollars worth of conversion never felt this heavy Another good tip for travellers, the best currency to get prior to arrival is either 50 or 100USD bills with a series number greater than 2003. Apparently, you will ripped off with a different rate if you carry any other form or series number. Something to do with the inability to detect counterfeit notes based on a specific series range. GOOD TO KNOW! Imagine all that could have gone wrong if you lost the value of your currency with the exchange.

One of my absolute pleasures is to walk through a city and explore by foot. Fortunately, tarek and I share this hobby. We are off to a great start and given the fate of the traffic, you are better off on foot anyways. Our destination is the Hospital, a twenty minute walk from our residence. Oh and what an amazing walk! I pass through the various hindu samaj’s , coconut water stands, fruit stands yum yum, on my way and make my way into the more touristy areas, land marked by the holiday inn, past the posh club where I am told the upscale Indians get married (funny joke on me) and make our way towards the end of the road leading to the corniche to where the hospital is situated.


The facility in itself is amazing, I would almost want to compare it to the Apollo institutes of India but I haven’t yet gone into any departments so time will tell. I had warned Tarek that every time i am introduced to a local, I am going to be interrogated about my family history, educational and professional background, my skill set and the types of languages i could speak or even understand. Well, I kid you not, within the first ten minutes, this is exactly how the conversation went. I think Tarek didn’t believe me until it actually happened. We are both given a quick overview of what is to be accomplished and we both have our mental game plan ready to go for the week. I am excited. I can also sense a great group dynamic at the hospital and its just a matter of understanding their current workflow and limitations and optimizing it. This is my territory!

We are offered a lift back to our accommodations by the ever hospitable doctor. Wow, such kind and friendly people! We of course are pulled by the lure of the cornice and a walk by the beach right next to the hospital. This is heaven on earth. The sun was beginning to set and the colors in the sky painted together for a breathtaking sunset. This walk alone is worth the half way trip across the world. I can taste the salt of the sea on my lips and smell the daily catch of the fishermen bringing in their final catch on their boats. Oh I have a feeling that I will enjoy the seafood fare in Zanzibar. YAY!

We slowly make our way back into town as the sun sets. Like any other urban city, its not the safest idea to be walking around in certain areas of town. We head back to the safe and comfort of our neighbourhood and in search of beer to quench Tarek’s thirst. Trust me, I have a feeling, this just might become a nightly routine to unwind after a long hot day of work.

Our destination is the badminton club, a throw back of the colonial era, where you paid for membership to get in and enjoy some food and drink- its your basic athletic club with all the amenities including cold beverage service and food. Sadly, the club was closed due to death of a fellow member. Never one to admit defeat, Tarek and I made our way to the “Patel Samaj” or the Patel Brotherhood. Oh boy! Enough said, all the jokes in the world are on my tongue. So, i choose to remain quiet.
We are the first to arrive at 7 pm. We order our Kilimanjaro local beer- which oddly tastes a lot like Kingfisher hmm and the heat of the day as well as the travel finally takes its claim on me. I am tired and unwinding. As the plates of food and drink descend on us, so do the people. Dinner time is anywhere between 8:30- 10:30 pm and the crowd is mixed with locals, foreigners and ex-pats. My kind of scene.
The next three hours pass by like a daze. I call it my perfect Monday night as we make our way back to the apartment. If the daytime walk around the city was entertaining, oh the night time is even better. We walk past a group of “local” hip hop wanna be stars who are listening to Tanzanian Rap and kicking some moves on the road. The entire act of course is recorded on a digital camera. I was trying not to laugh at it. It actually was quite amazing and very random.


Remember how i mentioned that most days are interlaced with the good and the bad. Well, we have some surprise visitors in our apartment. When i mean surprise, I realy mean I am in shock at the sheer number in cockroaches that have shown up out of nowhere in a matter of couple hours. (Insert, complete girl hysteria here). I mean they were everywhere!!! On the bags, around the couches on the bed. Needless to say, we spent the next two hours, squashing these nasty creatures and combined with heat, it really is a disgusting end to an amazing Monday. I refuse to sleep on my bed. The real topping on the ice cream was to find them under the pillow and in the mattresses itself. Uggh!!!! So gross!


Of course, our top priority in the morning is to find pest free accommodation!!! So nasty and we are definitely not eating anything cooked or served here. After killing 20-30 roaches, I think if reached my limit. Ew.

Fiascos a la carte

I couldn't think of a better title for this posting. I am sure everyone can relate to this one. Checking into airports is probably the most trying experience. From the long line ups, to kids crying - all in part of the travel package. Me being Miss Smarty Pants, decided to check my luggage all the way to Dar es Salaam from Vancouver and just travel light. I thought it would expedite the check-in process. Just as I was about to reach for my "that was easy" button while checking in with Qatar Airways, the bubble burst.

Miss "Insert Last Name I can't pronounce". I am sorry ma'am, we do not transfer Cathay luggage to Qatar Airways. We dont have that relationship with them. This was even after I had triple checked that they would pass on the baggage. Where was my baggage?? Oh, in storage at Cathay still waiting to be picked up by QA.

Boarding the plane: me being anal checked with the attendant again- where are my bags? Oh Ms.Nallapoloooza (i know) we dont know where your bags are. Kindly wait for all other passengers to board and then we can see if it is on. 10 min later, we have no bags. Last second before boarding- we have located your bags and they are on the plane. I can't wait to see if they actually made it to Dar.

Misplacing baggage on a journey, doesn't bother me as much. The real issue occurs, when you land and the person who was supposed to pick you up at the airport doesn't show up. Call the hotel, oh ms, we are fully booked we gave away your room. We will send you to another location and oh take a taxi there and we will sort it out.

I end up walking into the hotel designated as the place that I would be transferred to, apparently single women traveling alone CANNOT get a room at the hotel in Doha!. 10 minutes later I am at my third hotel, thoroughly exhausted, waiting to check in and get some rest.

The sad part is I haven't even had a chance to see the city yet or appreciate it. Tomorrow is another day and i am sure i will be able to capture it all.

A Perfect Saturday in New York

I am so proud of myself. I managed to get from JFK on A train and connect to L train to Union Square without any problems!!! I almost feel like a New Yorker. Almost, being the key word. My destination: Union Square

If there is a smell that a smell that I associate with this city- Honey Roasted Chestnuts. The smell is all over Manhattan, mostly around tourist hot spots like Times Square but even as I exited Union Square to enjoy a cup of tea at whole foods (So typical of me) I smelt roasted nuts!

Why Union Square- Saturday or most weekends at Union Square brings out to the most eclectic group of people and an out door farmers market with a variety of fresh goods such as veggies, meat, to the most beautiful array of flowers and plants; and wine and cheese!!! I might be lactose intolerant but i sure can appreciate the smell of blue cheese.
















This time around, I am in no rush to do the touristy thing. Run around see all the sites. I have already done that but this Saturday, I wanted it to be about food,photography, friends and laughter and that's exactly what I did.
I walked in a daze trying to capture the phenomenal architecture that defines this city.













Walking the city on foot has its charms. You never know who you might run into or better yet end up at a Vaisakhi parade in the midst of the city! Amazing! Having missed the parade to celebrate the beginning of the harvest season and the Guru's b-day, I had a second chance to taste some tasty treats and enjoy punjabi music at its best!





But if you were to ask me, what was the highlight of my short day trip into the city, spending it with close friends like Debra. Debra, I hope you don't kill me for this one. Meet Debra- smart, sophisticated girlfriend of mine from Vancouver, until recently who I believed was Philipino. In reality, this foxy Indonesian is completing her Master's in Journalism with whom I seem to connect over our love for travel, BCBG, Sangria (ahem ahem) and of course silver foxes such as Bill Clinton.




Meet Debra! Future CNN Anchor!


For us, this was the opportunity to catch up, walk the city and just talk. Somehow, we managed to find a sangria place with an amazing courtyard where we could sit, talk and eat and drink to our content. Hmm Tapas! Like all good friends, we chatted, gossiped, discussed life, love and most important of all food and TRAVEL. So, here's to a possible trip to Greece and Turkey :)

As i boarded the train back to JFK, the excitment hits me! I am on my way. I am really doing this. My gut tells me, that the adventure will begin as soon as I depart JFK. Doha, here I come.

House of Peace

I have come to the realization that I like to accomplish everything on the 11th hour. Packing and then re-packing, that pesky doctors appointment, last minute errands, pick up that extra tooth brush I forgot to put away in my carry on luggage. I think I am made for the 11th hour- I am afflicted by the 11th hour syndrome.

Sitting in YVR, it is finally beginning to dawn on me. After two years of remote planning, putting together possible travel itineraries, editing of proposals and trying to picture what my experience in Dar Es Salaam will look like, I am finally doing it!!!

Now you might be wondering, why would I want to fly half way across the world? I am about to start my three week pseudo volunteer vacation in an effect to finally do something meaningful again as well as taste a sense of reality. Two years in Vancouver has made me soft. I yearn for the days of chaos, adventure and the possibility of sickness. I am returning back to my roots- doing something simple that isn't about me. In the everyday rat race, the target is always the next big step. You want to walk to experience life, but you are asked to jump, leap even in order to get ahead.

For me, this is the pause. This pause means volunteering with one of my friend's organizations in Tanzania on a variety of different projects from Radiology implementations to nutrition tracking programs. In all honesty, I dont know what to expect. I have an idea but, I am waiting to see what this reality taste's like.

This pause means a re-discovery. Over the course of my many legs to Dar ( YVR-JFK-DOH-DAR), I will be going home.

New York is the first pit stop. The city that never sleeps always manages to teach me something new. Every trip peels away another layer from the hustle and bustle. This time I want to capture the city come to life through a fancier pair of lenses- my camera of course. A layover also means a pit stop to meet up with the lovely Ms. Pangetsu, catch up over latte. I imagine laughter, chocolate induced commas, and sharing of new dessert recipes.

The next leg takes me to the city of my childhood- Doha. Memories of the corniche (i can taste the salt on my lips already), roast chicken, running around the old gold souks, eating badam (almonds), pista ( pistachios) and drinking saffron milk. This is the city of my childhood. My memories are weaved with flakes of arabic and the smells of salt and perfumes.

I am reminded of the calls to prayer, card boarding down sand dunes (before sand boarding became popular) mom buying me pastries at the center, the parks and tasting delicacies from all over.I wonder if I will the recognize the city. More importantly, will the city recognize me?

But in the end, I am looking forward to Dar Es Salaam - "The House of Peace". Everyone I have met who has traveled to Africa, has told me there is a pull to return. I wonder what my pull will be and what this journey holds for me.