Carrier

I’m usually awake late but some fellow hotel guests were taking it to extremes into the early hours. A big coach party of young South Africans showed up and went out into the city, returning drunk. They proceeded to whoop, cackle and wedge open their doors as if the hotel was a university halls of residence during the hours of pre-going out necking of Lambrini and blasting of garage music.

I couldn’t berate them too much because we’ve all been guilty of being too loud, drunk and annoying. They have taken up the baton of exuberant youth whilst I am moving into middle-aged crankiness. Whilst I have always been prone to irritability, I am now less boisterous with it. I just read my book on my bathroom floor until I was so tired that sleep overcame me through the noise.

The 5am alarm came rather quickly for my journey back to Tanzania. At the airport I drank coffee and browsed the 50% off promoção shelf of books. I picked up a school history textbook in Portuguese. A niche choice but useful for practice. I can usually not resist a book purchase.

At Pemba Airport as we transited I spotted this military aircraft paraphernalia. As Pemba is in the province which has certain districts in the grip of a violent insurgency, I assumed this was the sort of carrier that brings troops and equipment for deployment. Rwanda is helping Mozambique with its military response, as have various Southern African nations. Various personnel could have been recently transported by this plane.

I reached my place in Dar es Salaam. I always unpack immediately on entry and I don’t understand these people who leave bags spilling out onto the bedroom floor for weeks, trails of dirty clothes spreading like chaotic tendrils over the carpet. A tidy house is a tidy mind.

The only outing I made for the rest of the day was to fetch water, to avoid turning into an exhausted husk. I like my Dar es Salaam space, as micro as it is, and it was good to recharge there after a busy period.