We are finished with visiting projects so we are wrapping up the trip. In the morning we had a buffet breakfast at the Naf Blue View Hotel. We learned our lesson and let them know the night before when we wanted breakfast. Sure enough, it was ready for us and again, was quite good. We loaded up and went to the Mtwara airport for our [less than] Precision Air flight to Dar es Salaam.
On the way we took a detour to a beach on the Indian Ocean. I think this is the first time I have been on the edge of the Indian Ocean. It was a beautiful sight. This area will change dramatically in the coming years. A huge gas deposit has been discovered off the coast. This will be tapped and pipelines will be constructed. A lot of money will flow through this area. Let’s hope that some of it helps to alleviate some of the crushing poverty. That is probably a pipe dream. At the airport we saw people with bags having the Schlumberger logo. Schlumberger is the leading suppler of oil and gas technology. There are going to be serious changes in southern Tanzania. There has been unrest in the area because the people in the south feel they have been ignored and they are demanding a piece of the action.
On the coast of the Indian Ocean.
The roads in Dar es Salaam are very inadequate. Getting though the city on a business day is a matter of navigating a massive traffic jam. For all of the poverty in Africa there is a lot of commerce taking place. Due to lack of sufficient railroads a lot of goods are moved by truck. The roads really can’t handle the volume, especially in the cities. The traffic was so bad on the main road that the driver took a detour on back roads. It was actually an interesting route. Instead of seeing auto dealerships and equipment suppliers, we saw some of the local residents, their commerce and they way they live day to day. It is quite a contrast.
A view on the back roads of Dar es Salaam.
A back roads furniture shop in Dar es Salaam as photographed from our van.
We checked into the beautiful Dar Serena hotel. People are getting ready for departure. Some leave tonight. The rest of us will depart tomorrow. While there was no official dinner scheduled, we gathered for a last group dinner. Jerry and Karen picked up the check which is much appreciated. It has been a very good, educational and enlightening trip. We saw things that tourists don’t see. We see how people that otherwise never get seen, survive in poverty on a daily basis. As stark as those images are, there is hope. We saw that. While many of these people are dirt poor, you have to observe them to understand than many of them embrace education and a chance to better their lives. We have to facilitate that. That does not mean making them dependent on outside aid, it means giving them the tools to improve their condition by their own means.