When I was in Morocco, I met this fellow traveler who was doing volunteer work on the side while traveling. It seemed like such a good idea. I would be able to help out while traveling, and i would also get to know the locals better since i would be immersed in their everyday life. I would get to experience more of their culture. After our long talk, I was entirely convinced. On my next trip, that is what exactly I would do. I would do volunteer work. Out of all the countries he volunteered in, he mentioned that the most memorable ones were in Sub Saharan Africa. And he tells me how different Sub Saharan Africa is from Northern Africa, wherein countries have much more similarities with countries in the Middle East. As soon as i got home, I immediately planned my next trip.
I’ve decided to volunteer. i was 100% sure of that. But I still had to decide where i would volunteer. Africa seemed daunting.Even experienced travelers who have been to so many countries seem to be hesitant about visiting Africa. When i asked some travelers in a famous travel forum, they say the difficulty of getting reliable means of transportation is the main factor. The peace and order situation also makes them hesitant. Western media always seem to exaggerate the things that are going on in the continent, hence putting all African countries in a bad light. But that’s partly what excites me. The uncertainty and difficulty. Plus the fact that i know very few people who have been to the continent made it even more enticing.
Some of the countries my new friend suggested had some sort of civil wars going on, or there seems to be a lot of cases of violence reported. He said that’s part of the adventure, but I’d rather stick to the safe side. I’m all for adventure and thrills but I wouldn’t want to risk dying while traveling, so i crossed off those countries on my list.
I then checked each of the countries that seemed peaceful if it was easy to find volunteer work. It proved to be a bit difficult. Try typing “volunteer work” plus any name of an African country on any online search engine, and the first sites that would pop up are volunteer placement organizations. Apparently, volunteering in Africa has become a huge thing for many people in the Western World, so these organizations started sprouting up to fulfill the need. It has also become a very lucrative business, so much that new ones keep popping up. These are organizations that coordinate with local groups or organizations who accept volunteers. The catch is, most of them ask for a huge sum of money just to find volunteer work for you. It might work for some people, because yeah it’s really convenient when they arrange everything for you and they make finding volunteer work easy. But I think it’s illogical to ask money from people who are willing to help and sacrifice their own time. Why would I pay someone just to be able to volunteer? It just doesn’t make sense. If I would have to shell out cash, I’d rather give the money directly to the locals than give my money to some third party organization.
So after days of digging, i did find some local non government organizations who accept volunteers without asking for any placement fees (some had listings here). You just have to pay for your own food, lodging, and travel expenses. Some offer free food and lodging but you have to stay long term– at least 6 months to a year. Though that seemed enticing, i have to quit my day job first if i would do something like that. Also, I did not want to commit to a certain project that long if i still had no idea about the place where i would be volunteering. If I would volunteer long term, I would have to experience working in a certain place first before I could decide if I could stay for many months. Another problem— I could only volunteer for a month. A lot of places want volunteers to commit for more than 4 weeks. It actually makes sense. You can’t really make much of an impact in a short amount of time. This makes those placement organizations that are offering volunteer placement for just a week or two seem ridiculous. You have to undergo orientation for a few days. In a week you’ll only start getting the hang of things— and then you’ll be leaving? Clearly those volunteer placement orgs that are offering placements for just a week are just thinking about the money. Whether you actually get to help out or not isn’t really their priority.
After several days of email correspondence with a number of NGOs, i found a place that would allow me to volunteer for 4 weeks. It’s in Moshi, Tanzania, so the next part of planning would be to figure out how to get there. It would be more convenient to land at Kilimanjaro International Airport, but flights are terribly expensive— probably because the people who land there are those who do safaris… and you can’t do safaris if you’re on a tight budget lol. When i compared flights, the ones that landed in Dar Es Salaam were much cheaper, so I decided to land there. A bus to Moshi from Dar is very cheap. Landing in Dar Es Salaam would also give me an opportunity to explore more of the country.
The airport was a mad house. There’s not much organization in getting visas on arrival. i couldn’t even see a distinct line, people just seem to be everywhere, everyone just shoving their passports and money to the immigration officers. I doubt if they actually screen visitors, those visas just seem like a formality, a way for them to earn money from each traveler. After being stuck in that madness for about an hour, I was able to go outside where it was even more chaotic. LOL. Luckily, the hotel shuttle service wasn’t hard to find. It costs $20 USD (since i was alone), which is a bit pricey, but i didn’t really feel like taking public transport in a place that is still unfamiliar to me. Taking a bus is the cheapest way to get to the city center. I was told that it just costs 200 shillings, but buses are very crowded and are known to break down. I didn’t want to risk it after such a long flight. Taxis are another option, but don’t expect getting a cheaper rate compared to most hotel shuttle services if you’re not a local. Taxis are not metered so they ask for a fixed price. Locals just pay 15,000- 20,000 shillings from the airport. Tourists get charged at least twice that amount, some even thrice. i was tired from the long flight and I just wanted to relax. I was not in the mood for haggling so I took the shuttle service to the hotel. It wouldn’t have been that much expensive compared to taking a taxi anyway. If you’re landing at Julius Nyerere International Airport, try contacting your hotel if they offer an airport pick up service. If their rate is not that much expensive compared to taxis, i suggest you take the shuttle service.
I stayed in two places while i was in Dar Es Salaam. On my first two days, I stayed at Lantana hotel which was very close to the bus station. it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, there’s nothing to see in surrounding areas but it’s very convenient since it’s close to the Ubungo Bus Terminal and I wasn’t planning on touring the city anyway. I just wanted a place to rest before that long bus ride to Moshi. it’s cheap too, and the staff were very warm and friendly. They even helped me improve my broken Swahili.
When I went back to Dar Es Salaam I stayed at the Rainbow Hotel near the Ferry terminal to Zanzibar. The location is very central, it’s walking distance to several attractions like old government buildings and the famed Kivukoni Fish Market— which gives you a glimpse of the way of life in Dar Es Salaam as long as you can stand the stench. The air conditioning in my hotel room was f*ckin cold, i felt as if i was in the middle of a blizzard with only a tank top on— and i f*ckin’ loved it. After several sleepless nights in Moshi because of the heat, air conditioning was heaven sent. You can stay at cheaper hotels elsewhere, but this hotel’s location is very ideal for touring the city. Also, it’s still one of the cheapest hotels in the area.
For a place that roughly translates to an Abode of Peace, Dar Es Salaam is anything but peaceful. lol. I’m not saying there’s a lot of violence going on, and i didn’t experience any blatant criminal activity. I’m referring to the other meaning of peace that is synonymous to tranquility. The madness at the airport was just a prelude for things to come. Everywhere i went it was very crowded. The city is plagued by massive traffic jams. Vendors kept hounding me, and there are a lot of those who pretend they just want to make friends or they want to practice their English, then they are gonna sell you stuff like paintings or handicrafts. I admit some of them were good, but I just got annoyed with the constant pestering. can’t a guy just walk around in peace?! In case you’d want to buy, don’t give in so easily. One guy was asking for 50,000 Shillings initially, then it went down to 5,000. lol. The chaos in the city is not the type of chaos that you’d feel as if you’re immersing yourself in the culture. Kathmandu and Marrakesh were crowded and chaotic, and I gladly embraced the chaos. But Dar Es Salaam is a modern city. Lots of buildings are dilapidated, but those aren’t ancient buildings. So it’s just like walking around in a neglected part of town in the US, or walking around in any major city in any developing country. The experience is far from enriching.
I did find a peaceful area by the bay, it’s a small cafeteria with outdoor seating, and i was able to take some good photos. Lots of locals eat there, and it’s pretty secluded, away from the chaos near the streets. Not really quiet, but the view was beautiful. One of the locals who were trying to sell me some stuff brought me there. I told him i didn’t have enough money for his goods, but i could buy him lunch instead. For a small amount, I was brought to a place that’s probably unknown to many travelers. And I did get to bond with a few locals. I got to know their way of life as we lazily watched the ferries in the sea.
By now it’s apparent that I didn’t really like Dar Es Salaam. As you can see, I didn’t even take much pictures even though I walked around the city a lot. None of the architecture interested me enough to take out my camera from my bag… I did want to take pictures at the fish market, but being in the middle of a thick crowd made me really wary about taking out my camera. Every single person I talked to in Dar Es Salaam were really nice, so maybe i was just extremely paranoid. Still, you never know. I wouldn’t go back to this city unless i’d really have to. The entire country though is an entirely different matter. Once you get away from the chaos of the urban centers, you will fall in love with the country. On my next blog entry i will talk about Moshi, the town i was glad to call my home for about a month. 🙂
no roads to follow 