Habari za asubuhi (good morning)! Today is our last day in Dar es Salaam until July 20, so we're going to make the most of it by going to the outdoor city market called the Mwenge. I've been practicing my Swahili so I can barter like a pro. Baya rafiki! Baya dada!
I'm getting used to the ubiquitous market culture in Dar es Salaam. However, I'm still continually surprised by the things people sell on the street. Fruit, rice, chickens, puppies, fried potatoes, fresh scones made over a mini-burner on the sidewalk - you name it and it's around. Little boys are always walking down the street with flats of water on their heads yelling "maji maji maji!!" I think my favourite vendors are the men who stand next to bathroom scales on the street corners. What are they for? Weighting people or weighing commodities? The answer is of course both. Last week, I saw a man walking between cars selling Minnie and Mickey Mouse children's lawn chairs. Anyway, since Dar es Salaam is essentially a real-world eBay, I'm very interested to see what an official craft market will be like. Another day, another adventure.
Tomorrow we make the 570 km drive to Iringa through Mikumi national park. Although I've enjoyed the birds in Dar es Salaam (less so the rats and cockroaches), I'm ready for some of those famous East African super mammals! I really want to see an elephant. Ninataka tembo!
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Mapango, or just Pango, are rock shelters. These posts chronicle my experiences in a granite pango in southern Tanzania, as well as other hijinks from the field.
About Me
- Ebeth
- My name is Elizabeth and I'm an archaeologist. I'm also a palaeoanthropologist, a bioarchaeologist, and a physical anthropologist, depending on the day. I'm spending the summer excavating bones (and other treasures) from an archaeological site in Tanzania. Otherwise, I'm a typical graduate student who enjoys coffee, reality television, and long walks on the beach.
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