Dar es Salaam Diary

It's 3 in the morning here, so I should probably be trying to fall back asleep, but this wireless Internet credit is only good for 24 hours, and I might be too cheap to buy another one tomorrow, so figured it was a good time to share some preliminary impressions of Mexico City. Hmm. Apparently jet lag induces run-on sentences.

Anyway, I have only seen the part of MC between the airport and my hotel (located in the Centro Historico) out of the window of a cab. But that glimpse left me eager to explore. Yes, there was an oppressive layer of late afternoon smog, but the city strikes me as a colorful, lively place. I was overwhelmed by how much stuff there is everywhere. All the shops we passed were bursting at the seams -- with different colored bouncy balls or bicycles or yards of fabric. Indeed the city seems to be organized by stuff. Like all the bouncy ball shops were clumped together, then came a bunch of bike shops, and for a long time we were driving down formal dress avenue, with countless stores selling satin ball gowns (in lime green, sky blue, coral pink...) or strappy heels.

The centro historico should be fun to explore on foot. Lots of winding, stone streets, and just around the corner from our hotel is this huge plaza, flanked by ornate stone buildings. The plaza was filled with people milling around, taking pictures, selling things -- and I saw a few street performers, which is always fun. I love these public meeting spots that are set amidst some historical grandeur -- so you can just sit back and take it in, while chatting with friends and passing around a bottle of wine... (OK, now I think I'm back in Italy -- I suppose here it's cerveza... Assuming Mexico does not have an open container law!)

It has also been amusing to note a number of more familiar restaurants -- McDonald's everywhere, and our hotel even has a Starbucks! (The only American restaurant chain in Tanzania is Subway, oddly enough. The Tanzanian Subway experience is rather frighteningly similar to the American one, though we do have a few more locally influenced options, such as the Chicken Tikka sub, which I have yet to try.)

Unfortunately, I won't be able to do quite as much exploring as I'd like, since I'll be spending the bulk of the next 4 days in this very hotel (which is rather swanky, I must say! At least compared to my digs in Dar...) But our flight out on the 5th isn't until the evening, so should have some good time for wandering and souvenier-shopping then.

Alright, I suppose I should attempt to go back to sleep now. Must appreciate this luxury of sleeping on a mattress with springs, and having it be cool enough to need a light blanket. Also no mosquito net!!