Lusaka, Zambia - Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania: Cruise Control with Falcon Air

So one hellish and fun bus ride later and we are in Dar Es Salaam. What a different world we have stepped into, but first the bus ride here!

31 hours on an African special, which includes pink tinted windows, decals and of course a bus with a name/company on the front, "Falcon Air." We had about five different drivers/touts, who all sat on the floor for the full 31 hours staring out the windows. Of course the border crossing was a hoot, we arrived an hour and a half before the border opened at 5.30am and you couldn't even stand outside the bus without having to talk to someone who wanted to change money or sell you a leather jacket. Of course then there was the border rush which involved Justine taking an elbow to the face (not hard) and various other shoves and pushes. But four hours and 50 USD eac for the stamp and we had our visa into Tanzania. We can't forget to mention the pee stops which were mostly taking place in a mad dash into the bush or in a shadowy corner, when you could shrug off the banana pimps and cracker touts selling goods. Then there were about 30 plus police stops and a good many weighings of the vehicle. Finally, finally we arrived in Dar at midnight yesterday where the taxi drivers tried to get us to pay about 20 USD for what they called a 30 min ride (we were about 5 blocks from our hotel). FUN!

Dar is a weird and intriguing mix of Indian, Arab and Swahili culture, all mixed in with a humidity level that could drown a fly. We spent the morning fixing our phone, getting a phone number, listening to prayers from the mosques, enjoying Turkish tea with our phone dealer and former Markham, On resident Kassim and then going to the hospital. But don't worry, just Chris' eye. For those who don't know Chris has been with a red eye for about 5 weeks now. We have seen 3 doctors and then here we were directed to an Opthomologist by teh Canadian Embassy. We are hoping things get better.

For now, tomorrow we head to Zanzibar, where we hope to enjoy the white sand, the spices and the local cuisine.