I found Gezaulole from an internet search of interesting places to see around Dar. It was said to have old buildings and a mosque and a certain charm to it.
I decided that as the coronavirus had apparently been beaten in Tanzania, I should take the president’s advice and go out and about. I put my mask on and walked around the corner to find a dala dala bus which too me all the way to Fire express bus station. Hopping on a big blue beast from there I got off at the terminal station Kivokoni.
There were not many people waiting for the ferry to Kigamboni and I didn’t have to wait long until I was walked through the packed narrow street in the direction of the bus station.
I was pointed towards a bus for Cheka – there was a constant stream of such buses so it is clearly a very popular route. I squeezed into a narrow seat near a window and was soon squashed almost out of the window by an enormous woman who chose to sit in the next seat.
The route from Kigamboni on the Cheka bus takes you along the coast where you can catch snatches of ocean and sandy beaches. Around the Kipepeo area there are a lot of beach resort popular with residents from Dar as an easy getaway for a day trip.
However I was looking for something a bit more adventurous so I stayed on the bus as it turned away from the coast and headed inland. Someone poked me when the bus drew up on the side of the road at a dusty unpromising place which turned out to be Gezualole.
Madam, Madam, friend… the good-natured shouts followed me as I crossed the road. I walked past a brick-making workshop, the sun making geometric patterns on the black bricks as they stood motionless in fine black pyramids on the roadside.
The roads in Gezaulole are made of mud; wet mud in murky puddles and dry mud. There was more shouting as I walked along one of the main streets south out of the village centre. Children ran up to me saying How do you do. When I stopped to chat to a group of women under a tree it wasn’t long before a toothless lady asked me for money. I moved on.
I walked and walked all the way out of the village towards Mwakali village. Here I found lots of new houses and a sign welcoming me to Tanzanite City. It seems that there are huge expansion plans in this area. The plots contained houses of different shapes and sizes and ambition. Some were enormous houses with two floors and balconies, big gates and large gardens.
Other plots had modest single story dwellings. It seems like if you buy a plot, you can build pretty much whatever you want on it. I was tired of walking and flagged down a man on a motorbike who turned out to be Emmanuelle. I asked him to take me on a tour of the place and then drop me off at the beach. He was happy to do this for £1.60 and I was happy not to have to walk back to Gezaulole.