A bajaj ride through Msasani

My bajaj driver escorting me over to his vehicle

Bajajs lined up on the side of the road, this parking area also seems to double up as a garage or servicing area as we often drive past and see maintenance work being done.

A Masai and western dressed guy walking opposite directions along the road

Shops are like patchwork on each side of the road

Stacked crates for Coca-cola outside a shop, shadows of arial wires stretch across the road

A mannequin outside a clothing shop, parked bajaj and in the distance builders stand on the roof-top of a new construction

More bajajs

A wooden hand pulled wooden cart parked on the side of the street, it  must be back-breaking work to try and pull one of those things

A barbers and a bar called Manchester, I have noticed that English football is important here, street vendors sell memorabilia for the big British clubs, bajajs support stickers and flags for teams and bars and shops obviously get named after them too.

Halal meat for sale and hanging in the window

Snapped all of these photos of Msasani from a bajaj ride home. I have not yet passed through this area on foot but I'm keen to explore in the next few days with my friend. I'd like to see what some of the shops and bars are like, apparently the 'Manchester barbers' broadcast football matches attracting quite a crowd. I'm told this area is safe for me to walk through during the day but I'm a bit intimidated of it at the moment. I get stared at a lot here, I attract attention being a young European woman at times wandering around alone. Most of the stares, although at times off-putting, are not in the least bit threatening. I'm regarded with utter bemusement and curiosity.

The traffic was grid-locked once we got out of Msasani and we had to go off road. I really like these sun-sheltered yet open aired tours of Dar, it's also a good opportunity to cool off in the breeze as we drive. I feel a combination of regal as I'm ensconced in the back being driven along and roughing it being thrown around along the bumpy, dusty road edges darting past all the traffic.

Fishermen at low tide in Slipway

Looking at the beach across the bay as some crabs crawl along the exposed seabed and seaweed

I think that's Oyster bay's yacht club on the horizon

A fisherman sits out in the baking sun

These hollowed out wooden boats lay marooned on the exposed seabed at low tide

More fishermen

Dried-up discarded nets

A very unassuming sign offering dhow cruises

The rain clouds are bubbling up on the horizon with dramatic effect

I walked over to Slipway to take a look around some of the artisan shops and work out how to get the the beach which has been temping me for a long time now. There is a stoney promenade with a little cabin at the end offering day cruises in dhows and a corrugated iron roofed space where the fishermen obviously gather. It looks like a very well used down-time area with washing lines hanging clothes out to dry.

I wonder what kind of fish they catch and how much. It all seems like quite a relaxed affair, I'm almost tempted to ask if I can get in one of the little wooden boats and paddle around the bay but I still haven't managed to grasp much Swahili. So far, my efforts to find a Swahili learning meeting group for anglophones has not proven too successful.

First impressions of residential Dar-es-Salaam

Sunsets as a bajaj drives down a residential street

In the blazing mid-day sun, beautiful orange flowers in the tree

Man walks past heavily laden with stuff to sell, must be awkward and exhausting work in the intense heat here.

A half built, half burnt down house

Huge trenches and gutters line all the roads here due to the high level of rain. Some of them are filled with water like rivers, I've even seen fish swimming in them.

I love the scaffolding here, it's all within the buildings being constructed not on the outside. Plot details and plan proposals are all on hand painted signs, it does make it feel quite third world when you think about the huge branded signage development companies use at home.

A small shack on an empty plot of land

I've just arrived in Dar-es-Salaam and I've been trying to get a feel for the place. So far I'm struggling in the blazing heat, and it's still a novelty catching bajajs to get around. These small vehicles are able to nip through the bad traffic and confusing driving etiquette. Mosque's loud prayer ceremonies are broadcast to all through the day and it's all the more noticeable early in the morning and at night. In the dark, frogs and insects sing out a strange night chorus along with barks and howls from everyone's guard dogs.

Women wear a vibrant mix of printed textiles and really do carry things around on their heads. Small carts and stalls crop up on roadsides and corners selling fresh fruit and drinks. It must be back-breaking work and I would keel over with the physical exertion in the heat, but I actually saw a man pulling a laden wooden cart along a busy road. He was bare foot and barely able to move. Needless to say, it was a shocking sight.