Somewhere Else: Sun, fun and near death

25 November 2015 - 02:25 By Penwell Dlamini

What do you get when you mix a yacht, a dog called Zowie and an island? Lots of fun, yapping and a near-drowning. That was my experience of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Only three hours by plane from Johannesburg, the coastal city is a paradise of blue waters, white sandy beaches and people with a great sense of humour.The first highlight of my trip was the three hours it took to sail from Costa Bay to Sinda Island off Tanzania's coast. The weather was perfect, just above 33C . My yacht companions were great - a bunch of journalists, a seasoned captain, Paul Troll, and a little dog called Zowie who was a hit with the ladies.Beer, whisky and juice (for the fainthearted) flowed as we basked in the sun and enjoyed the sea breeze.We arrived at Sinda in the midday heat.From our vantage point we had a beautiful view of the ocean speckled with a few other close islands. Fatigued by fun in the sun, we went back to the boat for an afternoon braai. The crew had prepared a delicious buffet. After eating, some swimmers took turns diving into the waters, which were becoming deeper as the tide came in.The idea was to swim to shore to walk around the island and see the shipwreck. As I jumped I was suddenly shocked that I couldn't stand. The water was now 5m deep and a strong current pushed me away from the shore. I felt like I was drowning, but I managed to jump up and grab a rope on the yacht while the crew jumped in the water to save me.After showering at our hotel, we rushed out for a late night dinner at a restaurant called Mamboz, in Kusutu . The people of Dar es Salaam love their meat. They often go out , park their cars on the shore and cook chicken, fish and beef at beach braais. We then hit the dance scene at the Samaki Samaki club. Tanzanians know how to party and their Lawusa dance is amazing to watch but difficult to learn.We spent our last day at the craft market where traders proved to be wily negotiators bargaining to sell anything from a lion tooth to an intricate jewellery box.''Woza mfowethu", called one of the traders - but when I came close to him, he said: "Voetsek makwerekwere."We both laughed."My brother is a drug dealer in Cape Town. I visited him once and he taught me some Zulu."And that's how I departed from the beautiful land - sadly reminded of xenophobia.Dlamini's trip was sponsored by Tsogo Sun.Fact BoxThe relationship between South Africa and Tanzania goes back to before democracy.The ANC's first office outside South Africa was in Dar es Salaam, not far from where Frelimo's office was based. When South Africa entered democracy, the ruling party started cementing relations with Tanzania. This culminated in companies like Vodacom, FNB, Tsogo Sun, SABMiller and others operating in the country.South African high commissioner to Tanzania Thami Mseleku says there are more opportunities for local firms to enter the Tanzanian market. "There's potential for growth. "..

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