Dar-es-Salaam…

Deon's Ice Makers and Ina's Biltong factory premises...

The ice making machines lined up neatly in the factory, work 24 hours a day to keep up with demand...

On Sunday, Deon took me to his factory, not far from the house, and showed me his ice making operation. I was amazed at the simplicity of the operation, but also at how efficiently and professional the set-up was… Most business which I have seen in our neighboring states, are run out of premises that are either about to collapse, or are so dirty, that you would not want to set foot in them… Deon’s premises could just as well be in any town or city in South Africa…

One of the Tuk-Tuks that make the deliveries...

The area around the freezers and containers has been paved, which, considering the rain that had fallen earlier that morning, had been a very good idea, as deliveries of his product were not affected at all… Had it not been for the paving, the area in front of his little factory would have been a muddy mess… Electrical cables and water reticulation leading to the ice machines have been tucked away neatly, and the staff working there, have obviously been taught NOT to operate like Tanzanians…

The neatly packaged product is sold in many of the local supermarkets...

They also produce biltong sticks, and their product is sold in Shoprite, as well as many other supermarkets…The meat is delivered to the premises and then laid in containers of vinegar and a variety of spices, before being hung on racks, and then placed in a drying room for a day or two… The spices have to be imported from South Africa, so keeping tabs on the supply chain is a important part of the process !!

Beside the ice cubes, bulk ice blocks are also made here...

The factory was relocated from Gaberone in Botswana, where it had been operating for the past eight years. All the freezers and related equipment was loaded into four containers and shipped to Tanzania. This was obviously not an undertaking for the fainthearted, and getting his “livelihood” released from customs took almost four months!! Naturally, this had not been part of the plan !! In the mean time, Deon and Janine, had to make do without their furniture and other home comforts which were also in the containers…!!

Most people would have cracked under the strain, but somehow, they worked through it all and today have a growing, and successful business…

Maximum respect, Dude !!

On Monday, Steve and his wife Verna returned from their weekend in Bagamoyo, about a 100 kms up the coast from Dar… It was good to see him again after two years, and after a warm greeting, we sat down to chat for awhile… We reminisced about my last visit here, in the company of Allan Karl, and the few days we spent without any power… Steve still rode his bikes out into the bush whenever he could, and his garage was just as I remembered it, various bikes in the process of being rebuilt. Bikers still come from all over the area to see Steve, and have their bikes serviced and repaired…

Down and dirty in Dar... The heavy rain and blocked drains cause havoc...

A bit of flooding doesn't stop this bicycle shop from operating...

Later, I accompanied Deon, who had some errands to run in the city, and who kindly offered to find a pharmacy who could prescribe the right muti for my infected eye… Earlier that morning, heavy rain had fallen in the area, and the road into town was flooded in places… This was caused by the lack of maintenance by the city council, who do not seem to bother themselves too much with blocked storm-water drains and the like… The knock-on effect of this, not only causes huge traffic jams, but also leads to the deterioration of the roads in the area, not that they need much to start to deteriorate in the first place !!

Part of the Dar-es-Salaam skyline from across the bay...

The Sea Cliff Hotel and shopping mall...

Deon drove through the city, showing me the various “highlights”, one of which was the Sea Cliff Hotel, where the likes of Angela Jolie have stayed…I wondered if she had been blindfolded on her drive from the airport, as I couldn’t see a celeb taking a walk in the run-down area in the vicinity of the Sea Cliff…It reminded me of the story about Madonna, who was in Malawi at the same time I was. She was there to lay the foundation stone of a school for girls, which she will be spending US$ 15 million building. She stayed at a guest house belonging to a friend of Peter and Carol’s, and insisted that only the owner of the guest house, a European woman, be allowed into her room to clean… Malawian’s were forbidden entry into her room, and were not even allowed to serve her… A few “double-standards” here…?? Adopt their kids, build schools for them, but don’t allow them to clean your room !!! Come on, Madge !! Don’t Africans clean well enough for you ?

The view from the restaurant at the Sea Cliff Hotel, where Angelina gets her Jolies...

The Sea Cliff  is a very up-market hotel complex, in comparison to any other you will find in Dar-es-Salaam… It includes various boutiques, a bookstore and a pharmacy, which was one of the reasons Deon had brought me here… I bought some sterile ophthalmic solution, which I noted from the label, was about to expire!! This particular batch was produced in June 2007… More “old” medicine that finds its way to Africa… It was the same in Swaziland, while we were living there… I better use this stuff quickly!!

We then stopped off to deliver some of the biltong that Deon produces, and met Joe van der Westhuizen, who runs the staff village at the Gator Mine on the shores of Lake Victoria… We sat chatting to Joe for a few hours, and consumed a lot of beer while we did so…

Looking out over the bay from the Coral Bay Hotel...

So much so, that by the time we finally said our goodbyes to Joe, I was a few “sheets to the wind”… Despite Deon’s best attempt to get us home before the afternoon traffic, our time with Joe had shot that plan to pieces… We sat in the traffic for the next two and a half hours…to travel the 15 kms home… Tanzanian drivers have absolute no regard for the rules of the road, and cut in at every opportunity, or drive down the wrong side when there is a gap in the oncoming traffic, and then force their way back into the stream they have just left… While we were patiently waiting in line, the driver of the truck behind us had a little lapse in concentration… His foot slipped off the clutch, and the truck lurched forward into the back of us… Deon hopped out to exchange a few choice words of greeting with the apologetic driver, and luckily there was no damage done to the back of his pick-up…

Driving in Dar at night, in the rain,  is mayhem of the highest order…!! Try it !! Have aspirin handy !!

Steve was waiting for us at a little watering hole around the corner, where we joined him for another round…or was it two…by then my brain wasn’t working too well… I sat there reminding myself that the next day was a “riding day”, and I should have been at home, preparing my kit and the Big Fella for the ride to Arusha… Steve then suggested that I make the run north in two stages, and stop off at a place called Lushoto…

Seemed like a good plan… It was immediately adopted, and I went off to bed, knowing that there was no need to be in the saddle at 6.00 am the following morning…or was it later that same morning…

I slept like a log…

Amongst the shantys, mansions such as these can be found... Opulence lives cheek by jowl with Poverty...

But there are also more peaceful places to live, out of the blazing heat and the noise of the traffic…

A pair of Mannikins have built their nest above the lantern on Steve's porch...