You’ve heard of flash mobbing. People pre-arranging ‘spontaneous’ mass gatherings in public. Places like underground tubes, airports and the like. Well, it’s arrived here with a bang. Below, we have a spontaneous flash mobbing of the Dar Es Salaam public transport system. Getting the sound system in there was tight but hey man, it was a party. This was the actual bus we had to take to the VSO offices. If you think you have problems with impolite bus drivers and conductors. If you feel your buses run late, are over-crowded and are generally in a parlous and shoddy state of repair then think again dear reader. I can assure you, compared to the daladala 43 to Micheweni, you have a gold plated, 10 star luxury transport service. So the next time you get on your favoured form of public transport give that driver or ticket conductor a big hug and thank him.
136 people and a sound system on a 20 seater? You betcha
Below is the first of what the editorial staff here at NajoNajo hope will be a permanent feature. A new section simply called, ‘Life Adjustment’, devoted to the interesting peculiarities of living and working in Tanzania.
Life Adjustment (No. 1) – You will fall down a hole at some point. I have successfully ticked that one off apparently in a new VSO record time. It was a sewer drain, uncovered, unlit. Thankfully unused and dry. One minute I was walking along chatting to a couple of colleagues, the next, wondering why I was conversing with their knees. Luckily for me there was a passing neuro-surgeon, I kid you not. You meet the most unexpected people over here. An Italian neuro-surgeon no less. Not many people get to say they’ve had their big toe checked out by a brain surgeon, at least not in a hole in the middle of Africa. Downside was my leg required to be rested for a few days meaning I missed a climb I wanted to do. Upside was my brain appeared to be in working order. I think he felt sorry for me and chucked a quick check up in for free. Though, I didn’t know you could diagnose brain injuries through your big toe. Must be a new non-intrusive technique. Clever blokes these surgeons. The nerdy headlight torch is now a permanent wardrobe fixture after dark.
Beware of unexpected holes in Africa
najonajo 
Be safe – but I love this one 🙂
Nadine, so good to hear from the two of you! But I wouldn’t have needed proof by an Italian brain surgeon to know your brain works extraordinarily well.
To put it shortly: Avoid holes (and hopefully other dangers as well) in the future. Aren’t there more convenient places for conversations than dented roads?
We enjoyed your photos! They made me get a travel guide for Zanzibar from Amazon. And now we are even more motivated to meet you there. But not until next year. So we hope to get a lot more news and photos meanwhile – without accidents they are welcome, too.
Love from Berlin – on the first real spring day with over 20 degree –
Eva and Thomas
Hi Eva,
Karibuni sana, you are of course both very welcome to come and visit! And by that time we will have discovered all the little treasures the island has to offer, for sure.
We’ve been a bit slack on identifying ourselves, so I do need to say it was actually John who fell down the gigantic hole, although I admit it would have been quite typical of me to do something clumsy like that. No, touch wood, no accidents and no illnesses so far from my side, not even bad tummies from dodgy street vendors – and we have been daring on that front! Anyway, if in doubt about who’s writing: John’s the witty Brit with a sense of humour, I’m the boring matter-of-fact German in the family 🙂
Love from us, glad to hear you’re getting some decent spring weather in Berlin. We’re slowly beginning to reduce our, err, “perspiration” rates, so life is beginning to feel a tad more comfortable these days…
Nadine