It’s lucky I am happy with my own company because now I am volunteering at the COVID clinic here in Dar three days a week. There is a good bunch of selfless people helping the clinic and stopping it from being over-run. Fortunately I have the afternoon which are relatively calm. The mornings, from what… Read More »
Masks are obligatory when you go into a building. Bajaj drivers, security personnel and shop workers all have masks. This is not to say that everyone is wearing the properly though. I was in Village Supermarket today and all the bakery staff had masks but they were under their chin and hanging around their neck.… Read More »
Living in China for 10 years I was used to seeing old people everywhere, shuffling along the streets hunched over a walking stick, playing chess and mah jong and dancing in the parks or looking after their grandchildren. But I am yet to see an old person in Africa. This only occurred to me when… Read More »
The global lockdown has brought some benefits and one of them is the increase in video calls and conferencing. I did very little in that area but now people are stuck at home and still having to work, it turned out that it is pretty easier to do this given software like Zoom or Skype.… Read More »
It all started when my American neighbours got a new pet dog. They chose a white dog because they thought it looked cute but ended up instead, with an aggressive beast which they could not control. I christened it “White Biter” after it attacked me the first time. The thing could sense my disdain and… Read More »
The shout came, “Coronavirus!” I looked up to where the noise had come from. There are dozens of crude shacks made from the flotsam and jetsam spewed up by the Indian Ocean and I enjoying strolling along the beach picking my way between them. “Coronavirus!” the shout came again. The woman was standing over a… Read More »
“Want do you mean, he’s not there?” “The Aga Khan hospital says it only has two bodies, a Chinese and a Swahili.” So, I’d been entrusted to organise the end of life arrangements for my friend William and by the second day I’d already lost him. My initial horror at having been forced by the… Read More »
There are so many beach bars in Dar and I don’t really use them but this day I was not in a rush, I was hot and sweaty and it was too early to go home and hide in air-con. I stopped at my local bar and ordered a beer and sat next to an… Read More »
Kipepeo beach resort is a popular getaway from Dar. The good thing about Kigamboni is that it takes some effort and time to get there so it is not overrun and there’s usually no shortage of loungers in the shade. Three of us headed to the ferry on Saturday morning. We took our beach bags… Read More »
I had read about the Tazara and really wanted to try it. I don’t like long distance train journeys because they are usually boring and uncomfortable. I don’t get much if any sleep and feel constantly dirty. However I like to arrive to arrive slowly and I enjoy the journey as much as the destination… Read More »