After leaving Saadani National Park, Nancy and I headed south to the metropolis of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city and economic hub located on the central coast. We spent two nights in Dar and then I headed south alone to the small coastal village of Kilwa:
Regarding Dar es Salaam, have you figured out yet that I don’t much like big cities – indeed most cities, large or small – but some are tolerable, such as Nairobi, but others are hell on Earth for me. Dar clearly falls into the latter category for me. It is total choas from the outskirts to the interior: an unorganized mass of humanity, exhaust-filled air, traffic congestion and patterns that quite frankly boggles the mind (i.e., there is no order to the traffic pattern, just chaos), and, as far we could tell, no redeeming attractions to compensate for the above. The video below has a couple minutes footage of me driving in the tuk-tuk and bus-filled streets of Dar as I was leaving the city on my own, but this was only a moderately chaotic scene as I could not video while driving in the truly chaotic scenes. No polyanna attitude on this one (sorry Sherry).
We stayed in a hotel in the downtown section of Dar which may have contributed to my opinion, as I expect there are some nice sections on the waterfront. We took care of some important shopping business on the way into the city and then chose to chill in the hotel for the next full day. Nancy got a pedicure and a massage while I used the fitness center, and we both caught up on some Netflix episodes. The following day, I left the city alone without my foremost partner and companion, Nancy, as she went to the airport for the long journey home. Sad day for both of us!
Driving south down the coast, I had no particular destination in mind. I simply wanted to get far enough south so as to get to my coastal destination the next day. I found a place on iOverlander and checked it out online and it looked great. It was a small beachside lodge and campsite outside the small coastal village of Kilwa about 6 hours drive south of Dar. Just before the turn off I pulled off to the side of the road to have a snack and turned off the engine. When I finished and got back into the Green Dragon and turned the key, I heard clicking and saw lights blinking on the dash, but no engine start – SHIT! It was clearly an electrical problem, not mechanical. I checked the batteries and filed down all the wire leads connected to both the primary and secondary battery. Nothing doing. The primary battery voltage was down a bit so that seemed like the most likely culprit. Anyways, some workers walked by and one of them spoke some very limited English and I had him phone the village ahead and have an auto electrician/mechanic come out and help. He came on a motorbike after an hour or so and checked all the wires and battery connections as I did, and tested all the fuses (there are many of the them in probably 4 or 5 different locations) and then speculated that the primary battery was bad. I was suspicious of the diagnosis at firest because it had been fine all along showing no signs of failing. So, he went back to town and an hour later came back with a couple of spare batteries. After messing around a bit, we started the Green Dragon with one of his spares and put the original back in, drove to the village, turned off the engine and tried to start it again, but it failed completely. This confirmed that the battery had simply failed – argh! So, I purchased the best new battery available, hoping that it will prove to be a decent battery, and went on my merry way about 5-6 hours after stopping for my snack.
That’s the bad news of the day; here’s the good news. The Kilwa Beach Lodge was another hidden gem. I was the only guest and I parked the Green Dragon under palms facing the beach, tidal flats and breakers on the offshore reef. Cool offshore breeze, waves gently rolling in, and a nearly full moon made for yet another sublime tropical beachside campsite. Unfortunately, I only had the evening to enjoy the site due to my battery delay. Here’s a couple of photos but there is also footage in the video below:
Here’s a very short composite video that contains two snippets: one of driving in Dar and another of my Kilwa beachside campsite:
Kenya south coast composite (3 minutes)
Next stop is the southern most point on the coast of Tanzania bordering Mozambique, see you there!
Kevin, we agree on many topics, and I won’t start naming them all, but cities is one where we are in violent agreement! I hate cities, too, and I especially hate driving in them and will drive long distances to circumvent them whenever possible. I’m sorry you have to spend Africa time in such a frustrating situation. Perhaps avoiding the city that was not a possibility for you especially getting Nancy to the airport, but maybe in future opportunities?
I’m so glad you were rewarded with that campsite after experiencing Dar and battery. And thank god your battery didn’t die on you in the city actually. Ugh ! Can’t imagine
That’s quite a contrast in settings. Glad you found that beautiful, quiet coastal spot for a short breath of relief. Lovely pictures💕
I hate cities too. Looks Like driving in Manhattan, NYC without the skyscrapers. Glad Lori and Dale moved to the Vinyard.
So sad Nancy had to go home, but understandable 6 weeks was a long time away from home and the grandbabies.
I can’t believe how empty the beaches are there. Your gain. Beautiful campsite.
We had a day of reprieve from the humidity yesterday, so I worked in the yard 6 hours to catch up. So sore today and hot again (BLAH!!!), but not as humid.