Today I arrived in Dar Es Salaam, the non-capital of Tanzania. Apparently it used to be the capital, but since it's on the coast, the government thought it wasn't defensible enough, so they moved the official capital to Dodoma, a dusty town more inland. For all intents and purposes though, Dar Es Salaam is the capital, with all the diplomats, restaurants and crazy traffic that comes along with it.

I'm only here for a day before I head to Zanzibar, and some beach-scuba diving time. I'm staying with my mother's friend Walter and his wife Freda, a lovely couple who own a publishing house. So far I've: marveled at the view of the ocean from their flat, eaten tons of delicious Swahili food (kebabs, curries, chapati, rice), and met Walter's new business partner, Siven. We went apartment hunting for Siven this evening, as he's just moved here from South Africa to work with Walter. Apologies, but I slacked on the picture taking, so you'll have to use your imaginations to conjure up my new friends...