Addis Abba was a transit point during my journey and hence my movement was restricted within the airport. It was Tanzania and the city of Dar Es Salaam that gave me my first taste of Africa. I was trying hard to fight the notions in my head about what i would see. I still don't have the words to describe what i was feeling - Excitement (my first trip out of India), anticipation (what i would see), eagerness (to see a new place), relieved (to get out of the plane after the long journey!!)
On arrival at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dal Es Salaam I filled my visa application form, and got talking to a Gujarati gentleman from Bombay, who runs a greeting card business in India, while i was waiting for my visa to be issued. I was called to a counter with a pigeon hole on which was mounted a tiny camera connected to a computer and a printer. The lady at the counter clicked my snap, the monitor displayed the visa with my photo on it; she printed the visa on a sticker paper and pasted it in my passport. "Welcome to Dar Es Salaam", said the lady at the counter as she handed my passport back to me. Now i was legally entitled to step into the city.
I collected my baggage from the conveyor belt and started walking towards the exit. I was stopped by a customs agent who asked for my passport and told me to open my bags. On seeing the transit visa the agent asked me what was in my bag. "Books and clothes", i said and she waved me on. I started moving towards the exit again. As i looked out through the glass paneled door I could see a man holding an Olam placard waiting for me. I was a feet away from the exit when a gentleman waved out to me from my right and directed me to come to him. "Now what??" I wondered. He has a stern face and an official looking badge around his neck. He asked for my passport, had a look at it and gave it back to me. I wondered if i had any formalities to complete here. "Can i go??", i asked him with a quizzed look on my face. "Yes" he said. I muttered a thank you and walked out of the airport. "So this is Africa", i thought to myself and smiled. Anybody looking at me might have wondered if i was crazy!!
Francis was the chap holding the Olam placard, i learned, as we drove out of the airport parking lot. We reached the junction where we would get onto the main road and there, Francis stopped the car. He looked to the right. He looked to the left. A few vehicles drove by on the main road. A few cyclists went by. People crossed the road. Everything was moving. Everything, except us. We were still waiting to get onto the main road. I looked at Francis and wondered to myself, "Is this chap an extra-careful driver??" (I'll come back to this point regarding 'driving' later in the post. I believe we Indians have something to learn from this.)
We finally got onto the main road and my eyes wandered along either side of the road as we drove towards the guest house and what did i see - A TATA Motors showroom, a Toyota showroom, Tanzania Tobacco Company, SHOPRITE, a cement factory... The tar roads had quite some sand on them. I reasoned that this must be due to the proximity to the sea shore. The roads seemed well maintained. Broad footpaths bordered the roads. The divider also was pretty broad and lined with trees here and there. After a 30 minute drive along the main road we turned into an arterial road which led towards the center of the city and, the guest house. As we drove on i could see more and more people on the road. Houses and apartments also became visible. The shutters of majority of the shops were down as it was a sunday.
The first this that came to my mind was - This feels just like India! The roads, the traffic, the atmosphere...
I tried to imagine the same situation with Indians in the picture. Believe me, you would get the feeling of being in India. What stands out among the people here is firstly their dark hued skin. Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all. And the mirror replied, "Sudeep Kodialbail". The second thing that caught my attention was their clothing. The men were casually dressed in loose fitting jeans and T shirts. The young ladies were dressed in typical western clothing while the elderly ladies were traditionally dressed and stood out with the bright coloured patterned cloth that they wore around their waist.
One thing that appealed to me and something that i will always remember is the cordial and courteous nature of the people i came across. A smile always on their face as they greet you irrespective of whether they know you are not.
I could not help noticing the number of Toyota cars on the road. Every second car is from Toyota
And something that really stunned me - the traffic sense. Whenever you meet someone who has just returned from the US or Europe you will always find them praising the way the people drive. They will talk about how when a car approached a junction, it will come to a complete halt, irrespective of the crowd on the road, and will allow cyclists & pedestrians to cross the road first before they move on. This is the way they drive here too. Its simply amazing. I made a reference earlier in the post about an extra-careful driver; Well it just that all drivers are the same. I saw this in Dar (Tanzania), Nampula (Moz) and in Quelimane (Moz) too. Its something that i could not digest initially. Someone who is so familiar with the way we drive in India. This is something that i have learnt till now during my short stay here and i believe there will be lots more for me to learn from Africa.
On arrival at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dal Es Salaam I filled my visa application form, and got talking to a Gujarati gentleman from Bombay, who runs a greeting card business in India, while i was waiting for my visa to be issued. I was called to a counter with a pigeon hole on which was mounted a tiny camera connected to a computer and a printer. The lady at the counter clicked my snap, the monitor displayed the visa with my photo on it; she printed the visa on a sticker paper and pasted it in my passport. "Welcome to Dar Es Salaam", said the lady at the counter as she handed my passport back to me. Now i was legally entitled to step into the city.
I collected my baggage from the conveyor belt and started walking towards the exit. I was stopped by a customs agent who asked for my passport and told me to open my bags. On seeing the transit visa the agent asked me what was in my bag. "Books and clothes", i said and she waved me on. I started moving towards the exit again. As i looked out through the glass paneled door I could see a man holding an Olam placard waiting for me. I was a feet away from the exit when a gentleman waved out to me from my right and directed me to come to him. "Now what??" I wondered. He has a stern face and an official looking badge around his neck. He asked for my passport, had a look at it and gave it back to me. I wondered if i had any formalities to complete here. "Can i go??", i asked him with a quizzed look on my face. "Yes" he said. I muttered a thank you and walked out of the airport. "So this is Africa", i thought to myself and smiled. Anybody looking at me might have wondered if i was crazy!!
Francis was the chap holding the Olam placard, i learned, as we drove out of the airport parking lot. We reached the junction where we would get onto the main road and there, Francis stopped the car. He looked to the right. He looked to the left. A few vehicles drove by on the main road. A few cyclists went by. People crossed the road. Everything was moving. Everything, except us. We were still waiting to get onto the main road. I looked at Francis and wondered to myself, "Is this chap an extra-careful driver??" (I'll come back to this point regarding 'driving' later in the post. I believe we Indians have something to learn from this.)
We finally got onto the main road and my eyes wandered along either side of the road as we drove towards the guest house and what did i see - A TATA Motors showroom, a Toyota showroom, Tanzania Tobacco Company, SHOPRITE, a cement factory... The tar roads had quite some sand on them. I reasoned that this must be due to the proximity to the sea shore. The roads seemed well maintained. Broad footpaths bordered the roads. The divider also was pretty broad and lined with trees here and there. After a 30 minute drive along the main road we turned into an arterial road which led towards the center of the city and, the guest house. As we drove on i could see more and more people on the road. Houses and apartments also became visible. The shutters of majority of the shops were down as it was a sunday.
The first this that came to my mind was - This feels just like India! The roads, the traffic, the atmosphere...
I tried to imagine the same situation with Indians in the picture. Believe me, you would get the feeling of being in India. What stands out among the people here is firstly their dark hued skin. Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all. And the mirror replied, "Sudeep Kodialbail". The second thing that caught my attention was their clothing. The men were casually dressed in loose fitting jeans and T shirts. The young ladies were dressed in typical western clothing while the elderly ladies were traditionally dressed and stood out with the bright coloured patterned cloth that they wore around their waist.
One thing that appealed to me and something that i will always remember is the cordial and courteous nature of the people i came across. A smile always on their face as they greet you irrespective of whether they know you are not.
I could not help noticing the number of Toyota cars on the road. Every second car is from Toyota
And something that really stunned me - the traffic sense. Whenever you meet someone who has just returned from the US or Europe you will always find them praising the way the people drive. They will talk about how when a car approached a junction, it will come to a complete halt, irrespective of the crowd on the road, and will allow cyclists & pedestrians to cross the road first before they move on. This is the way they drive here too. Its simply amazing. I made a reference earlier in the post about an extra-careful driver; Well it just that all drivers are the same. I saw this in Dar (Tanzania), Nampula (Moz) and in Quelimane (Moz) too. Its something that i could not digest initially. Someone who is so familiar with the way we drive in India. This is something that i have learnt till now during my short stay here and i believe there will be lots more for me to learn from Africa.
1 comment:
I would comment on only one thing. Did you know why everyone smiles when they look at you??
Its because they think.... "Aa gaya hamara bhai Hindustan se thoda sa gora hokar"....
Enjoy buddy.....
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