The problem with spending six days in Dar es Salaam is that it's about four days too many! There's really not a lot worth seeing, and of course it's so hot that it's not really enjoyable just to go out and wander around. Which is too bad, because there are interesting things to see just watching people get on with their daily lives.
So, we force ourselves to go out and get some exercise. On Thursday, we walked over to the Botanical Gardens. Ruth had read that it wasn't anything special, and that it would have been better after rainy season.
And we've learned over the years that it's better to keep your expectations low so that you're not disappointed.
Along the way, we passed by our favorite restaurant. Just kidding, of course. The last time I had KFC was probably 25 years ago, and at the time I said "never again". And I will live by that!
But we still think it's funny when we see Colonel Sanders in some of these out of the way countries.
It's a long running joke with our daughter because she isn't a fan of KFC either. Whenever we see a KFC in a different country, we send her a photo and ask her if she wants to join us for lunch!
We made it to the Botanical Gardens, but it was more like a poorly maintained city park to me. Good thing it was free!
Right in the center of the photo is a monkey.
And there's another one!
The highlight is this tree.
Can you see Ruth standing at the base of it?
Another different tree.
Across from the Botanical Gardens is the National Museum and House of Culture, and we thought about going in just for something to do. But it was loaded with school kids, so we gave it a pass.
We found a place for lunch. It was kind of cafeteria style where you pick out the items you want and then they bring you a plate.
We each had the chicken skewers but I had three and Ruth had two.
With a bottle of water, the total bill for the two of us was 20,000 shillings ($10.85 CAD, $8.60 USD) which we thought was a bit high for what you got, compared to other places we have eaten at.
Lutheran Church built in 1898.
Banking building with giraffe mural.
Traffic circle.
Back home by 3:00pm or so.
The air conditioning is keeping things comfortable in our apartment, and we have a great supply of high speed internet for the first time since we arrived in Tanzania so we've been able to get caught up on some things that most of you take for granted. When we are usually stuck with a limited supply of cellular internet, this is a refreshing change for us!
This morning we are off to the hospital to get our PCR tests done. Hopefully everything goes smoothly!
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And in Canada...
Not all attractions are as pictured in Brochures.
ReplyDeleteWishing you the best on your test.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
No, they certainly aren't! Dar es Salaam though really isn't a tourist destination so I don't expect there are many tourists brochures out there if any for the city.
DeleteI like your comment about it's FREE! Lot's of monkeys, those you see, and those you don't! Maybe you two can find something to do. Something you wouldn't normally do. Hopefully you can think of something. Take care, Rawn Stone
ReplyDeleteWe love the word free!
DeleteWe are totally fine with just taking things easy these last couple of days. We aren't too worried that there isn't much to do, plus the fact that we don't want to be somewhere where there are a lot of people gathered, such as the museum with all the children there especially knowing that we will be getting on a plane in a couple of days.
We hadn't been to a KFC for over 20 years until they built one out here by the house. We tried it last summer, what a disappointment. My mom's recipe is much better although we only have fried chicken maybe once a year.
ReplyDeleteHearing your reply just makes us all the happier that we have stayed away from KFC!
Delete