Dar es Salaam
Traffic and police presence both increases dramatically near the city - a manic place, with predictably dreadful/non-existent signposts. We were heading for the Silver Sands Hotel and Campsite to the north of the city. The site is reported to provide cheap, safe camping on the beach, with the option to secure a vehicle whilst visiting Zanzibar. New arrivals receive a free bowl of chips from the campsite - something not advertised for we had ordered a fish and chips lunch at the beachfront restaurant when our chips arrived! Whilst eating, a baboon decided he also wanted lunch and hopped onto the table and helped himself. Although Adrian batted the baboon away, he then wanted to play and rather risk a cut and resultant infection or injury, retreat was the safe solution, leaving the waiters the problem - one they showed little sign of rectifying.
Dar es Salaam (meaning 'haven for peace') only became the capital once the Germans recognised the value of the deep water harbour at the end of the 19th Century. The city, an eclectic mix of new and old, was hot, dirty, crowded and exasperating, but interesting and exciting too. We only had a small exploration of the town on our way to the ferry point for the island of Unguja (or Zanzibar as it is better known). 