Day 2 in Dar - November 11
(The locals call it Dar)
Today was Veterans Day/Armistice Day/Remembrance Day in honor of the cessation of fighting in World War I. Many people were wearing the poppies given to us earlier in the week and there was a Sunrise Wreath Service at 6am by the Sea View Pool.
Since I had a tour, I went to the Lido for breakfast. I got an aged pancake that was so tough I gave up after one bite and got a tasty blueberry muffin instead.
When I got to the World Stage, the tour had already been called so I got in line with everyone else. I liked the smaller buses they use here that hold about 18 because it is so much easier getting on and off a number of times (which we had to do today). We started off to our first stop through a part of the city I had not seen before and headed out into the suburbs to Kijiji cha Makumbusho (the Village Museum). It is an open-air museum that has huts from 16 of the different ethnic groups in Tanzania. We had about 45 minutes to look around and do a little shopping before heading to our next stop.
Our second stop was to Mwenge Makonda Carvings Market. The write up said "the market allows you to witness the entire carving process." In fact, it was more of a craft market and I only saw one person actually carving wood and he was in the back of a shop. Still, we are tourists and shopping is an element of being a tourist, so we did our part. I finally broke down and bought a bag (I love bags) - hey, I held out for a month. I also got a small basket to hold my pens on my desk and a magnet.
As we were driving around we saw numerous people selling items to people in cars when they stopped at a red light. Some of the things I saw being sold included plastic containers, aprons, earbuds, soccer balls, belts, key chains, flags, bicycle tires, CDs, car floor mats, towels, coat hangers, maps, snack food, and ice cream bars.
Stop number three was to the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative. Edward Tingatinga was an artist that started a style with bright colors and distorted figures. The following quote is from TanzanianFineArt.com.
"Each Tingatinga picture has a story. The stories in the pictures illustrate the natural beauty of the Tanzanian environment and the day to day activities of the people of the rural and urban areas. Thus, through Tingatinga paintings, many people are learning about the importance of preserving the environment and Tanzanian Culture. Edward Tingatinga established the Tingatinga style of art and handed it over to other Tanzanians who are now producing new paintings inspired by his work."
I liked many of the things but didn't need anything. I did buy a beaded necklace and earrings outside of the building for a whopping $5.
Our final stop was at the National Museum. We were shown a number of different exhibits including prehistoric bones found in Tanzania. We spent much longer here than planned. Our guide said 30 minutes but we actually spent about an hour being guided around the exhibits.
We arrived back at the ship after 2. After dropping my things off in my cabin, I headed to the Lido for a late lunch. I sat by the Lido pool and worked on today's pictures for much of the afternoon before my four laps around the deck.
Pete and Sherry were back to the dinner table but Judy and Bob chose to have an early dinner in the Lido. The show tonight was called "Chart Toppers" by the Singers and Dancers and featured songs by 4-member groups such as the Beatles, ABBA, Queen, and the Four Tops. One lap around the deck and back to my cabin.
Zanzibar for the next two days.
Smooth sailing until next time!
Scenes around Dar
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